March 22, 2001

American Repertory Ballet's Cinderella To Premiere At Ramapo College

(Mahwah) -- The American Repertory Ballet will present the company premiere of choreographer Graham Lustig's modern-day version of Cinderella Friday, April 6 at 8 p.m. in the Sharp Theater. Lustig's imaginative re-envisioning of the classic rags-to-riches tale is set in the urban present. But love still overcomes all with the help of beautiful, inventive dancing, elaborate stage magic and a romantic score by Sergei Prokofiev.

Lustig, an award-winning, internationally recognized choreographer and teacher whose ballets have been performed on four continents, was named artistic director of the American Repertory Ballet and Princeton Ballet School in June 1999. He has choreographed works for the Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company in Salt Lake City, the Fort Worth/Dallas Ballet Company, the Washington Ballet, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Ballet West, Singapore Dance Theatre, Chautauqua Dance Festival, among many others. His repertoire ranges from the tongue-in-cheek sophistication of Paramour, inspired by the writings of Anais Nin, to the wildly imaginative, dramatically costumed Pomp, created for North Carolina Dance Theatre. Anna Kisselgoff of The New York Times said of his work, Evening, "The choreography is never less than eye-riveting; a fine ballet resonating with life's solitude."

American Repertory Ballet (ARB), with its mission to convey the joy of dance and present the best in contemporary ballet, is New Jersey's leading dance company. The company and its official educational arm, the Princeton Ballet School (one of the largest non-profit dance institutions in the U.S.), are part of the Princeton Ballet Society, which has a history of dance excellence spanning half a century. The company performs the work of American masters such as Ballanchine, Alvin Ailey and Paul Taylor as well as ballets by new masters.

Two recent world premiere events were Lustig's new version of The Nutcracker, which debuted November 24 with sets and costumes from Emmy-award winning scenic designer Zack Brown, and Dancing Through the Ceiling, an initiative that serves as a platform to give voice to women choreographers and artists. The company was recently a featured headliner at Evening Stars, a performing arts festival at the World Trade Center, and will be featured in a spring season at New York's Joyce Theatre (one of the nation's premiere venues for contemporary dance). In addition, ARB is embracing a busy year-round national touring schedule.

Tickets are $20 for adults, $17 for seniors and $10 for students and children under 18. For information, call (201) 684-7844. The Sharp Theater is located in the Angelica and Russ Berrie Center for Performing and Visual Arts.