SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 14TH
Carpenter Performing Arts Center, Long Beach
Our signature Ballet Festival program showcases a range of ballet styles, from classical to contemporary, performed by some of the best ballet dancers in Southern California.
2024 FESTIVAL PROGRAM & GUEST ARTISTS
The legendary KATHRYN MORGAN, former soloist from New York City Ballet and Miami City Ballet, performed the exciting repertoire, George Balanchine's Tchaikovsky Pas De Deux, along with her partner Mate Szentes
Hollywood Ballet presented the iconic White Swan pas de deux from Swan Lake, performed by principal ballerina Petra Conti and principal dancer Eris Nezha. Petra and Eris are former principals from Boston Ballet, La Scala Ballet, and LA Ballet. They are now the artistic directors of Hollywood Ballet.
Featured ballet companies in our program:
Anaheim Ballet, based in OC, and The Realm Company, based in LA, each presented original choreography that exhibited the exciting athleticism of their company dancers.
Professional Dancers from across Southern California performed the following exciting lineup:
- Rachel Hutsell - former New York City Ballet, starred as Kitri
- Eduard Sargsyan - former Armenian National Ballet Theatre, starred as Basilio
- Alexander Romanchikov - former soloist, Mariinsky Ballet, starred as Espada
- Rena Kamariotakis - artistic director of SoCal Ballet Scene, starred as Mercedes
The elegant neoclassical work Kismet, a piece originally commissioned by the Smuin Ballet and choreographed by local artist Claire Buehler
Flower Festival pas de deux, a charming display of Bournonville choreography from the Romantic era, featuring local dancers Chloe Verkinder and Alec Guthrie
Original contemporary works by up-and-coming SoCal choreographers Jeff Raschiatore and Sadie Black
A collaboration with the Onco Ballet Foundation:
A premier of a new contemporary ballet piece, explored the topic of what it means to experience a cancer diagnosis. Choreographed by Masha Cherezova, a young survivor of acute myeloid leukemia cancer, the piece was performed exclusively by cancer survivors in the local community. Also featured in the piece was Anna Wassman-Cox, a 2x young breast cancer survivor and founder of Onco Ballet
Our 2024 ballet festival was held at the stunning Carpenter Performing Arts Center in Long Beach
FESTIVAL GALLERY 2024
Photography: Samantha Zauscher
- Erin Longhofer
- Jackie Coffy
OTHER FESTIVALS
PO Box 1239, Lake Forest, CA 92609
© SoCalBalletScene. All Rights Reserved.
TICKETS ON SALE NOW
2025 BALLET FESTIVAL
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 13TH
Irvine Barclay Theatre
Our signature Ballet Festival brings together the best dance artists and companies in Southern California to perform a curated program of classical, contemporary, and commissioned ballet works.
Hi I’m Rena Kamariotakis, founder of SoCal Ballet Scene and our Signature Ballet Festival event. Having trained and danced professionally in Southern California myself, I saw so much local talent, yet few opportunities for the community to appreciate and be moved by these artists. The Festival was created to provide a performance platform to bring together dancers, choreographers, regional ballet companies, and connect them with the community to celebrate dance together. The entire event, from connections made backstage to the reception following the performance, created a real sense of community among dancers and audience members. All are welcome to join us in this celebration of ballet. I hope to see you at our next Signature Festival Event!
Festival Day Timeline of Events:
- 2PM-4PM: Matinee performance
- 4PM-7PM: Outdoor arts fair. Join us for a complimentary fair on the theatre terrace with live music, food trucks, ballet photography exhibits, ballroom demonstrations, and more! Wine & beer will be available for purchase.
- 7PM-9PM: Evening performance
- 9PM-11PM: Post-show mixer. Mingle with the performing artists at our meet-and-greet reception in front of the theatre.
The beautiful Carpenter Performing Arts Center
TICKETS ON SALE NOW
2024 BALLET FESTIVAL
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 14TH
Carpenter Performing Arts Center, Long Beach
TICKETS ON SALE NOW
2024 BALLET FESTIVAL
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 14TH
Carpenter Performing Arts Center, Long Beach
Open applications for professional artists are now closed!
Application Deadlines
- Choreographers & Regional Companies: April 6th 2024
- Freelance Dancers: April 19th 2024
We received many applications for our Festival this year from professional artists throughout Southern California. Thank you to all who have expressed enthusiasm and interest in being a part of this cultural event! Stay tuned for 2024 programming details to be announced soon!
Performance opportunity for recreational adult ballet dancers
We love the community of recreational dancers in Southern California, many of whom study ballet for years, but rarely are given the chance to dance on stage. We are thrilled to announce that we will be providing a performance opportunity for these dancers in our upcoming ballet festival this Fall - September 14th at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center!
This opportunity is open to advanced level recreational adult dancers with at least 10 years of ballet experience. We will be selecting a group to perform in the corps de ballet of Act 1 of Don Quixote. Perform onstage alongside the professional dancers in our festival!
- Pointe shoes are not required; The corps de ballet will dance in flat shoes
- Must be available to attend our open classes and rehearsals at Laguna Dance Theatre every Sunday from July 7th through September 8th
- No participation fees other than class tuition; unpaid performances
If you are interested in participating, email info@socalballetscene.com by June 1st 2024.
FESTIVAL PROGRAM 2024
September 14th, 2024
Carpenter Performing Arts Center
Long Beach, CA
The White Number
Anaheim BalletChoreography: Sarma Lapenieks Rosenberg
Performed by Anaheim Ballet company dancers: Elan Alekzander, Scott Alexander, Haley Altman-Copit, Jetsoni Dagdag, Marcos Diaz, Jessica Dunn, Rebekah Evans, Chris Flores, Anabelle Gunderson, Brittney Hattrup, Damian Kelly, Kaitlyn Kenny, Jacqueline Navarrete Yanez, Tatiana Ortega, Brayden Page, Analisa Sabo, Crystal Wachs
Music: Christopher Tin
excerpt from The Lady of the Camellias
choreographer John Neumeierperformed by Maire New, Matthew Schroeder
music Frédéric Chopin
world premiere 1978 - Stuttgart, Germany
excerpt from Flames of Paris
choreographer Vasily Vainonenperformed by Tara Ghassemieh, Vitor Luiz
music Boris Asafiev
world premiere 1932 - Leningrad, Russia
Through the generosity of our event sponsors and individual supporters, we are able to provide donated tickets to youth from underserved neighborhoods in Santa Ana, Anaheim, Long Beach, Carson, and Los Angeles.
Interested in helping us spread the magic of world-class live theatre to these underserved youth, and more? Consider becoming an event sponsor.
BECOME A SPONSOR, AND ENJOY THESE BENEFITS:
- Business advertising to potentially be seen by over 2,000 people
- Audience population from both Orange County and LA
- Tax deduction on your contribution
