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SGB Announces 12th
Season
2009-2010
Ribbons
and Strings
An
Evening of Music, Dance and Art
Thursday,
September 24, 2009 at 7:00 pm
Thomasville Cultural Center
The Nutcracker
Saturday,
December 12, 2009 at 7:30 pm
Sunday, December 13,
2009 at 2:30 pm
Thomasville Municipal
Auditorium
Alice In Wonderland
Friday, June 4,
2010 at 7:00 pm
Saturday, June 5,
2010 at 7:00 pm
Sunday, June 6,
2010 at 2:00 pm
Cairo High School Auditorium
South Georgia Ballet Selects Company Members Announces Season and Annual Meeting
South Georgia Performing Arts and South Georgia Ballet are proud to announce their 2009-2010 Season and the selection of the performance company members as the non-profit organization prepares for its first annual meeting. According to Julia Singletary, Chairman of the Board of South Georgia Ballet, the annual meeting will be Tuesday, October 27 at 6:00pm at the Thomasville Cultural Center. Open to the public, the meeting will offer an overview of the South Georgia Ballet's year and will be an opportunity to meet the cast of The Nutcracker and hear about the outreach programs of the company. She noted, "We will be making a special announcement about our season and hope that members of the community who are interested in the performing arts will come to hear more about our organization and our programs." A reception will be held following the meeting.
The Company's season began Thursday, September 24th with the fifth annual production of Ribbons and Strings, an Evening of Music, Art and Dance. A benefit for the Thomasville Cultural Center, the evening featured a pre-performance lecture/demonstration for school children and a student art exhibit on music and dance in addition to the performance accompanied by and featuring live musicians.
The annual production of the holiday classic, The Nutcracker will be performed Saturday, December 12th at 7:30pm and Sunday, Dec 13th at 2:30pm at the Thomasville Municipal Auditorium. The Children's Parade of Sweets Tea is planned for Sunday at 1:30pm in the Reception Room of the Auditorium prior to the Sunday matinee performance. There will also be two performances of the abbreviated matinee production on Friday December 11th. These abbreviated performances are available for group sales to area schools, churches, and senior groups. All tickets are on sale through the web site www.sgpa.us as well as phone (229-378-2787), fax (229-378-2797), and by mail (P.O. Box 326, Cairo, GA 39828).
The season will conclude with the 13th Annual Spring Ballet, an original production of Alice in Wonderland which will be held at Cairo High School's Auditorium. The dates for this performance are Friday, June 4 at 7:00pm, Saturday June 5th at 7pm and Sunday June 6th at 2pm. This performance will also feature dancers from South Georgia Performing Arts School of dance. The School of Dance, under the direction of Alison Bundrick, has studios in four communities in southwest Georgia; Bainbridge, Cairo, Moultrie, and Thomasville. Classes are offered for dancers ages 3 and up.
According to Leigh Anne Strickland, Artistic Director, auditions for South Georgia Ballet's performance company were held and 61 dancers were chosen for this year's company. Company training began this past summer with a two week summer intensive dance camp held in cooperation with the Thomasville Cultural Center. The Intensive concluded with a showcase performance featuring the competed works set during the Intensive. Dancing seven hours a day, the students' schedules included technique classes in ballet, pointe, tap, jazz, modern, and contemporary styles, as well as variations, partnering, conditioning, nutrition yoga, ZUMBA, stage craft design, theater dance, vocabulary, dance history, art in dance, and critique classes. Students trained with three Internationally Acclaimed Guest Artists in addition to dance faculty of South Georgia Ballet. The Guest Artists included Orialis Serrano, formerly of Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble and now with Fusion dance in San Diego; of Henry Hernandez the Artistic Director of World Ballet, Inc., and Emily Chapo, a recent graduate of the prestigious Goh Ballet Academy who has toured internationally to China and is currently performing in her first season with Lamon Dance in North Vancouver, Canada.
South Georgia Ballet seeks donations for their season through the tax deductible Friends of the Ballet membership program and offers Corporate Sponsorships to area businesses. For information on the performance company or its season, or information regarding how to contribute to the season, call the Cairo studio at 229-378 ARTS (2787), visit www.sgpa.us, or email southgeorgiaballet@live.com.
A Thomasville Arts Experience
The Thomasville Cultural Center hosted the fifth annual production of Ribbons & Strings, An Evening of Music, Dance & Art, Thursday, September 24. The event opened with a champagne reception at 6:15 pm for the patrons and the performance started at 7:00 pm with music and dance. Prior to the performance, Dr. Karl Barton, of Thomas University, presented an educational talk entitled "The World of Flutes" and Leigh Anne Strickland, Artistic Director of South Georgia Ballet (SGB), discussed ballet terminology. The lecture was held in the galleries of the Thomasville Cultural Center, which allowed the audience to enjoy the fall exhibits as well as the pre-performance lecture. Area high school music and choral students and students from the Boys and Girls Club were in attendance, as well as students from Thomas University. Thomas University Students also took notes during the performance to submit as a summary of the event for a class assignment.
Under the direction of Artistic Director, Leigh Anne Strickland, senior company dancers from South Georgia Ballet performed to the accompaniment of live musicians. She noted, "This production gave our dancers the opportunity to perform a wide range of styles and to experience the thrill of live musical accompaniment." The evening also showcased the choreography of Artistic Advisor Alison Bundrick, Leigh Anne Strickland, Ballet Mistress Laura Keys, and Assistant Ballet Mistress Megan Powell. The dancers also perform works set by guest choreographers Emily Chapo of Vancover, Canada and Orialis Serrano of San Diego, California.
Mrs. Deanna Deibert , a Board Member for SGB, was enthusiastic about the performance, "It was my first Ribbons and Strings performance and I thought it was a fabulous evening, from the reception to the final performance. It really was a nice blend of artwork by the students, dance and music." The performance featured the music faculty of the Cultural Center, local musicians, along with guest musicians from Florida State University. During the program in the auditorium, Dr. Barton performed two traditional, lyrical classical selections and a virtuosic Venezuelan piece for solo flute entitled "The Hibiee Jibiees" that was a challenging tour de force featuring a remarkable display of technical prowess that captivated the audience.
Along with the dance and music performance, the Cultural Center displayed dance and music related art work from local high school art programs, as well as dance performance photography by Doug McPherson, MD. Maureen Harrer, art instructor at Brookwood School noted "the Ribbons and Strings Exhibit at TCC was a great learning experience for the Brookwood art students. Most of the students worked directly from still life. Careful observation, good eye-hand coordination, going slowly and most importantly, practice are key factors for a more accurate rendering of something in its true character."
Ashley Ivey-Jackson from The Scholars Academy, stated "My students' assignment was to view performance photos from the SGPA website and "interpret" the photos and translate that into an original drawing. They had to use the principles of design and the elements of art along with their interpretation of the photo. Some chose to work abstractly and others in a more realistic manner."
The Thomasville Cultural Center offers three studios where dance is taught by South Georgia Ballet and South Georgia Performing Arts faculty. Additionally, classes are offered in guitar, violin, piano, voice and drama. "We are thrilled by the number of students who come to the center to dance, sing, act or learn to play a musical instrument," said Tricia Collins, Executive Director of the Cultural Center, in her welcome to the performance. For more information about the Cultural Center, call 229-226-0588 or visit them on the web at www.ThomasvilleCulturalCenter.org
Upcoming performances of South Georgia Ballet include the 12th annual performance of The Nutcracker December 12 and 13th and Alice in Wonderland June 4, 5, and 6. For information about these events, the public can go to, www.sgpa.us or call 299-378-2787 (ARTS).
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