The 2019 – 2020 Dance Series subscription packages are available now. Visit the
Center’s website, www.SCFTA.org or contact (714) 556-2787 for complete series information.
The Center has specially priced season packages that are available for students and seniors. For inquiries about
group ticket discounts for 10 or more individuals, call the Group Services office at (714) 755-0236. As
always, free Preview Talks prior to each performance will offer insight, information and context.
MARIINSKY BALLET AND ORCHESTRA
Artistic Director: Valery Gergiev
La Bayadère
Revised choreography by Vladimir Ponomarev and Vakhtang
Chabukiani with dances by Konstantin Sergeyev and Nikolai
Zubkovsky
Music: Ludwig Minkus, performed live by the Mariinsky Orchestra
Performances:
October 16 – 20, 2019
Segerstrom Hall
Amid the sweeping vistas and grand temples of mystical India, Petipa’s great Russian classic is a glorious
epic of eternal love and godly revenge. One of the most popular ballets in the classical legacy, La
Bayadère offers tour de force performances by the Mariinsky’s legendary ballet stars as the tale’s
doomed temple dancer Nikiya, the warrior who betrays her, Solor, and her archrival, Gamzatti. This
timeless masterpiece also features the mesmerizing “Kingdom of the Shades,” a showcase for the corps
de ballet in gossamer white tutus, floating in perfect synchronicity across the stage.
Mariinsky Ballet is the resident classical ballet company of the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg. It
lovingly guards its legacy; its repertory is vast and its artistry and dancers are unrivaled.
Originally known as the Imperial Russian Ballet, the Mariinsky Ballet dates to the 1740s, following the establishment of the
first Russian dance school (now the Vaganova Ballet Academy) in 1738. Following the Russian
Revolution, both the ballet company and school were closed. The ballet was later re-established as the
Soviet Ballet and the school becoming the Leningrad State Choreographic School. In 1934, the ballet was
renamed the Kirov Ballet in honor of assassinated Bolshevik revolutionary Sergey Kirov. When the Soviet
Union ended, the company came under the management of the Mariinsky Theater and its original name
restored.
The renaissance of Russian ballet, by and large, was the result of the creative genius of France’s Marius
Petipa, who was named principal ballet master of the company in 1869. The results of his tenure include
Raymonda (performed by the Mariinsky at the Center in 2015), La Bayadère, The Sleeping Beauty and
Swan Lake, garnering the Mariinsky Ballet the highest esteem in classical ballet.
Since then, the Mariinsky Theatre has actively collaborated with leaders in the field of world
choreography. The company has worked with John Neumeier, William Forsythe, Angelin Preljoçaj, Alexei
Ratmansky, Wayne McGregor and Hans van Manen. Their ballets, alongside works from the classical
legacy, 20th-century masterpieces and productions by young choreographers, comprise the ballet
company’s repertoire today.
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AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE
Artistic Director: Kevin McKenzie
ALEXEI RATMANSKY WORLD PREMIERE
Choreography: Alexei Ratmansky, based on Chariton’s novel Callirhoe
Music: Aram Khachaturian, arranged by Philip Feeney, performed live by
Pacific Symphony
Set and Costume Design: Jean-Marc Puissant
Performances:
March 5 – 8, 2020
Segerstrom Hall
Inspired by the earliest romance novel from Greek antiquity, this World Premiere created by today’s
foremost choreographer Alexei Ratmansky will be one of the dance world’s most important events of the
year. Star-crossed lovers journey on the high seas in an enthralling tale of abductions, shipwrecks and
mistaken identities as the exceptionally beautiful Callirhoe is reunited with her dashing hero.
Drawing from the Greek ideals of beauty and harmony, the past connects to the present in a remarkable new
production from “the most gifted choreographer in classical ballet today” (The New York Times).
American Ballet Theatre is recognized as one of the great dance companies in the world. Few ballet
companies equal ABT for its combination of size, scope, and outreach. Since its founding in 1940, ABT
annually tours the United States, performing for more than 300,000 people and has made more than 30
international tours to 45 countries as perhaps the most representative American ballet company. In 2006,
ABT was recognized as America’s National Ballet Company® by an act of Congress. ABT has truly
enjoyed a second “home” at Segerstrom Center for more than thirty years.
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TEATRO ALLA SCALA BALLET COMPANY
Ballet Director: Frédéric Olivieri
ONEGIN
Three act ballet by John Cranko based on the novel by Aleksandr
Puškin
Music: Peter Ilyitch Tchaikovsky, arranged and orchestrated by
Kurt-Heinz Stolze, performed live by Mikhailovsky Orchestra
Set Design: Pier Luigi Samaritani
Costume Design: Pier Luigi Samaritani and Roberta Guidi di Bagno
Lighting Design: Steen Bjarke
Staging: Agneta Valcu and Victor Valcu; Supervised by Reid Anderson
Copyright Dieter Graefe
Photo Credit: Segerstrom Center for the Arts – Onegin – Marianela Nunez and Roberto Bolle – Photo by Brescia-Amisano
Performances:
July 31 – August 2, 2020
Segerstrom Hall
Pushkin’s great 19th-century verse-novel, Eugene Onegin, is interpreted with flawless storytelling skill by
master choreographer, John Cranko. With a wealth of magical moments, this compelling tale features an
unusual twist of double unrequited love — while the high-handed Onegin at first spurns the young, naive
Tatiana, she blooms to become a sophisticated St. Petersburg aristocrat who, in turn, rejects his
subsequent advances in a final crushing blow. Tchaikovsky’s vivid music brings alive the world of Imperial
Russia with beauty, drama and passion. La Scala star Roberto Bolle and guest artist, Marianela Nuñez,
principal dancer of The Royal Ballet will perform on July 31, August 1 and August 2 evening. August 1
matinee cast is to be announced.
Teatro alla Scala Ballet Company has a glorious past dating back to the centuries prior to the opening
in 1778 of La Scala, the world’s most celebrated musical theatre, which is still its home today. In recent
years, the Ballet Company of La Scala has grown in international visibility, performing at the Paris Opéra,
in the United States, at the Bolshoi in Moscow and the Mariinsky-Kirov Theatre in Saint Petersburg, in
Germany, Turkey, Brazil, Spain, Mexico, China, and Australia. Since October 2016, the leadership of the
Ballet Company has again been entrusted to Frédéric Olivieri, previously director between 2002 and
2007. With renewed energy, he has enlarged the hierarchy and, today, among the principal dancers are
to be found Nicoletta Manni, Claudio Coviello, Virna Toppi, Martina Arduino and Timofej Andrijashenko,
while some of the soloists include names such as Massimo Garon, Marco Agostino, Vittoria Valerio,
Federico Fresi, Alessandra Vassallo, Christian Fagetti, Nicola Del Freo and Maria Celeste Losa. La
Scala’s distinguished Ballet School remains the company’s main, but not sole, source of new members.
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ANNUAL HOLIDAY PRESENTATION:
AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE
Artistic Director: Kevin McKenzie
The Nutcracker
Music: Peter Ilyitch Tchaikovsky, performed live by Pacific
Symphony
Choreography: Alexei Ratmansky
Set and Costume Design: Richard Hudson
Lighting Design: Jennifer Tipton
Performances:
December 13 – 22, 2019
Segerstrom Hall
“…a production like no other, made with complete theatrical authority from first to last.”
– The New York Times
American Ballet Theatre’s delectable production has become a cherished holiday tradition each
December for all families at Segerstrom Center for the Arts. As the lights dim and Tchaikovsky’s beautiful
score fills the air, young Clara enters a dreamlike journey amid magical toy soldiers, mischievous mice,
sparkling snowflakes, and a glittering Christmas tree! With an impressive cast of more than 100
performers, ABT’s The Nutcracker features sets and costumes by Richard Hudson (Tony Award® winner,
The Lion King) with choreography by ABT Artist in Residence Alexei Ratmansky. It is no wonder The New
York Times praised it: “A production like no other, made with complete theatrical authority from first to
last.”
Subscribers to the 2019 – 2020 International Dance season have the first opportunity to add this very
special The Nutcracker to their season package. Individual tickets to The Nutcracker for the general
public will be made available at a later date.
The Center’s 2019 – 2020 International Dance Series is made possible by the Audrey Steele Burnand
Fund for International Dance and The Segerstrom Foundation Endowment for Great Performances.
Segerstrom Center for the Arts applauds its corporate partners including Kia Motors America, Official
Automotive Partner and United Airlines, Official Airline. Coast Magazine is the Media Partner for the
Dance Series.
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Segerstrom Center for the Arts is an acclaimed arts institution as well as a beautiful multi-disciplinary
cultural campus. It is committed to supporting artistic excellence, offering unsurpassed experiences and
to engaging the entire community in new and exciting ways through the unique power of live performance
and a diverse array of inspiring arts-based education and community engagement programs.
Previously called the Orange County Performing Arts Center, Segerstrom Center is Orange County’s
largest non-profit arts organization. In addition to its six performance venues, Segerstrom Center is also
home to the American Ballet Theatre William J. Gillespie School.
SEGERSTROM CENTER FOR THE ARTS
In person – The Box Office
600 Town Center Drive
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Open 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. daily
Online – SCFTA.org
Phone – (714) 556-2787
Open 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. daily
Group Sales – (714) 755-0236
Information provided is accurate at the time of printing but is subject to change. Segerstrom Center for
the Arts is a public, non-profit organization. “Segerstrom Center for the Arts” is a registered trademark.
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