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American Repertory Ballet Announces Renaissance: The 26th Annual Gala and Performance March 12, 2011

American Repertory Ballet will host its 26^th annual Gala and Performance on Saturday, March 12, 2011 at Patriots Theater at the War Memorial (Trenton, New Jersey).  Festivities for the annual event, entitled Renaissance, will begin at 7:00 PM with a performance featuring American Repertory Ballet, students from Princeton Ballet School, and scholars from ARB’s DANCE POWER program.  Following the performance, the 8:00 PM reception will feature live music by John Nobile’s 17-piece SummerSwing Orchestra, dancing, gourmet food by DiShcatering, and live and silent auctions.

ARB will be honoring faculty member Sherry Alban with the Audrée Estey Award for Excellence in Dance Education, and board member, Kevin Tylus, who, along with his organization, PNC Bank, has contributed greatly to the organization over the years.  Alban has been involved with the organization since 1963 - first as a student, then as a dancer, rehearsal director, choreographer and faculty member.  She has received a Choreographic Fellowship from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, and her choreography has been featured in many Princeton Ballet School productions over the last 25 years.  She is also a faculty member at Rutgers University's Mason Gross School of the Arts.

 Tylus, the Regional President of PNC of Central New Jersey, has been deeply involved with ARB for the past two decades. Regarded as someone who personally values community service, Kevin has helped many organizations improve the lives of their constituencies.  In addition to Kevin’s position as a Trustee of American Repertory Ballet and Princeton Ballet School, Kevin’s service has been honored by the Boys and Girls Club of Trenton, the American Red Cross of Central New Jersey, and the American Cancer Society, among other organizations.  His contributions, as well as those of PNC bank over the years, have helped to make American Repertory Ballet a New Jersey State Council on the Arts “Major Arts Institution.”

This year’s performance will feature the professional company, who, under the direction of company director Douglas Martin, will perform selections from their new spring repertory – including works by Martin, Twyla Tharp and Kirk Peterson.  The professional company will be joined onstage by aspiring young dancers from Princeton Ballet School and scholarship students from ARB’s DANCE POWER program.  Princeton Ballet School is the official school of the American Repertory Ballet, and is one of the largest nonprofit dance schools in the nation, and DANCE POWER is a twenty-six year partnership with the New Brunswick Board of Education, providing free in-school dance education to every third grader in the district. 

American Repertory Ballet’s Gala is the organization’s signature fundraising event, and benefits American Repertory Ballet, Princeton Ballet School, and ARB’s Access and Enrichment programs, including the acclaimed DANCE POWER program.   This year’s event has been organized by co-chairs Andrea Bradley, Jennifer Faber and Wendy Heiser.  Lead sponsors of Renaissance include PNC Bank, Prudential, Reed Smith LLP and New Jersey Manufacturers Insurance Group Foundation. 

Tickets to the performance and reception begin at $175 per person or $300 per couple.  Sponsorships and advertising opportunities are available.  Performance-only tickets are $40.  The Gala’s auction will be held online, but select items will be auctioned off live at the event.  Some highly anticipated auction items include walk on rolls in The Nutcracker; ticket packages to events at McCarter Theatre and State Theatre; dinner and hotel packages; deluxe merchandise from Coach, Nicole Miller and Lisa Jones; private ballet instruction with members of the company; sports memorabilia, and much more. Bidding for the Renaissance online auction will be open March 1-14.  For more information, please contact Naomi Levecchia, American Repertory Ballet Development Director at 732-249-1254 ext. 25 or nlevecchia@arballet.org or visit www.arballet.org.

About American Repertory Ballet

American Repertory Ballet’s mission is to bring the joy, beauty, artistry and discipline of classical and contemporary dance to New Jersey and nationwide audiences and to dance students through artistic and educational programs.  The organization is comprised of: the American Repertory Ballet professional company, the preeminent contemporary ballet company in the state; the Princeton Ballet School, one of the largest and most respected non-profit dance schools in the nation; and the Education and Outreach initiatives, including the long-running and acclaimed DANCE POWER program.  The professional company is a classical and contemporary ballet company committed to presenting ballets from the 19th and 20th century alongside new and existing works by choreographers from today.  The company is now in its 37th Season and is currently under the artistic leadership of Douglas Martin, former principal dancer with the Joffrey Ballet.  The company’s rich history of repertory includes established masterpieces by distinguished American choreographers such as George Balanchine, Gerald Arpino, Alvin Ailey, Paul Taylor and Twyla Tharp; cutting edge works by choreographers such as Val Caniparoli, Kirk Peterson, Dominique Dumais, Harrison McEldowney, Amy Seiwert, Susan Shields and Melissa Barak; and former Artistic Directors Dermot Burke, Marjorie Mussman, Septime Webre and Graham Lustig.

ARB has been designated a "Major Arts Institution" by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts consistently for the past two decades, and has repeatedly been awarded a Citation of Excellence by the Council.  ARB was voted People's Choice for Best Dance Company in 2008.