FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact Dylan Giles, [email protected]

FESTIVAL BALLET PROVIDENCE ANNOUNCES 41ST SEASON 2018-19 Season to celebrate Mihailo Djuric’s 20th year as leader, includes new works and company premieres

PROVIDENCE, RI – Aug. 14, 2018 - Festival Ballet Providence’s (FBP) 2018-2019 Season will feature company premieres and new works, including a celebration of Mihailo Djuric’s 20th Season as creative leader of the Company. “I’m thrilled with the growth and maturity of the company heading into the 20th year under my leadership,” Djuric said, adding, “I can’t wait to see what the future holds for us.” The season consists of eight unique programs and totals 38 individual performances. The Company performs in three venues in Providence, RI: Providence Performing Arts Center, The Vets, and its own Black Box Theatre. Single tickets for the 41st Season go on sale Sept. 4, 2018; subscription tickets are currently available. The season features world and company premieres including two brand-new chatterBOXtheatre productions: Robin Hood by FBP School alumna Mary Ellen Beaudreau and Three Little Pigs by former Company dancer Louisa Mejeur. A mixed program titled Mirrors will include two company premieres and the return of a beloved favorite, reflecting the past, present, and future of neoclassical and contemporary dance: George Balanchine’s iconic Serenade, Yury Yanowsky’s apocalyptic Smoke and Mirrors, and resident choreographer Viktor Plotnikov’s gripping dance-drama Coma. Festival Ballet remains one of only two New England companies with the resources and ability to perform the works of George Balanchine. Tchaikovsky’s classical mainstays The Nutcracker and Swan Lake promise to sweep audiences away with dance and drama on a grand scale, while two Up Close on Hope programs offer a very different perspective in the intimacy of the Black Box Theatre. “We have always said our repertoire offers something for everyone, and this season is no exception,” Djuric said. “Whether you’re seeing dance for the first time or you’re a long-time patron, I’m delighted with what we have to offer all of our audience.” FBP continues its tradition of bringing live performance to school audiences with three school-time performances of its Discover Dance series. This outreach endeavor has served over a hundred thousand children since it was first introduced in the 1980s by founder Christine Hennessey. The Company roster will feature the addition or promotion of three company dancers, two apprentices, and five trainees. All told, the Company consists of twenty-nine full time dancers and two ballet masters. ###

825 Hope Street, Providence RI 02906 • 401- 353- 1129 • www.festivalballetprovidence.org

Festival Ballet Providence 41st Season, 2018-2019

Robin Hood^ (chatterBOXtheatre) Mirrors (continued) Music: TBA Serenade** (se-re-NOD) Choreography: Mary Ellen Beaudreau Music: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Choreography: George Balanchine Sat. Oct. 13, 2018 – 4:00pm Sun. Oct. 14, 2018 – 1:00pm Smoke and Mirrors** Sun. Oct. 14, 2018 – 4:00pm Music: Lucas Vidal Sat. Oct. 20, 2018 – 4:00pm Choreography: Yury Yanowsky Sun. Oct. 21, 2018 – 1:00pm Sun. Oct. 21, 2018 – 4:00pm Friday February 15, 2019 – 7:30pm Saturday February 16, 2019 – 7:30pm Venue: FBP Black Box Theatre Sunday February 17, 2019 – 2:00pm Tickets: $15 (Children under 12), $25 (Adults) Venue: The Vets Misha’s 20th Season Celebration Tickets: $24, $39, $49, $59, $86 Artists TBA Three Little Pigs^ (chatterBOXtheatre) Sat. Nov. 3, 2018, 7:30pm Artists TBA

Venue: FBP Black Box Theatre Sat. March 23, 2019 - 4:00pm Tickets: $100 ($80 as part of a full season subscription) Sun. March 24, 2019 - 1:00pm Sun. March 24, 2019 - 4:00pm Up Close on Hope, Program 1 Sat. March 30, 2019 - 4:00pm Repertory & Artists TBA Sun. March 31, 2019 - 1:00pm Sun. March 31, 2019 - 4:00pm Fri. Nov. 9, 2018 – 8:00pm Sat. Nov. 10, 2018 – 7:30pm Venue: FBP Black Box Theatre Sun. Nov. 11, 2018 – 6:00pm Tickets: $15 (Children under 12), $25 (Adults) Fri. Nov. 16, 2018 – 8:00pm Sat. Nov. 17, 2018 – 7:30pm Up Close on Hope, Program 2 Repertory & Artists TBA Venue: FBP Black Box Theatre Tickets: $50 Fri. April 5, 2019 – 8:00pm Sat. April 6, 2019 – 7:30pm The Nutcracker Sun. April 7, 2019 – 6:00pm Music: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Fri. April 12, 2019 – 8:00pm Choreography: Mihailo Djuric Sat. April 13, 2019 – 7:30pm Sun. April 14, 2019 – 6:00pm Thurs. Dec. 20, 2018 – 10:00am (Discover Dance*) Fri. Dec. 21, 2018 – 10:00am (Discover Dance*) Venue: FBP Black Box Theatre Fri. Dec. 21, 2018 – 7:30pm Tickets: $50 Sat. Dec. 22, 2018 – 2:00pm Sat. Dec. 22, 2018 – 7:00pm Swan Lake Sun. Dec. 23, 2018 – 1:30pm Music: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Venue: PPAC Choreography: Milica Bijelic, Mihailo Djuric Tickets: $25, $38, $55, $68, $85 Fri. May 10, 2019 – 10:00am (Discover Dance*) Mirrors Fri. May 10, 2019 – 7:30pm Coma Sat. May 11, 2019 – 7:30pm Music: Arvo Pärt Sun. May 12, 2019 – 2:00pm Choreography: Viktor Plotnikov Venue: The Vets Tickets: $24, $39, $49, $59, $86

* Open to school groups only. ** Denotes Company Premiere. ^ Denotes World Premiere Single Tickets on sale Sept. 4, 2018; Subscriptions now available. Purchase Single Tickets: PPAC/Vets: 401-421-ARTS, ppacri.org, thevetsri.com Black Box: 401-353-1129; festivalballetprovidence.org

825 Hope Street, Providence RI 02906 • 401- 353- 1129 • www.festivalballetprovidence.org

ABOUT FESTIVAL BALLET PROVIDENCE Festival Ballet Providence (FBP), Rhode Island’s premiere professional ballet company, delights audiences with a diverse repertoire of classical, neo-classical, and contemporary dance. One of the nation’s top regional ballet companies, FBP enriches the lives of its audiences, inspiring the community by presenting world-class dance. The Company, made up of 25-30 full-time professional dancers, performs in three venues in Providence throughout its October-May season. A 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. ABOUT MIHAILO DJURIC Mr. Djuric is a former first soloist with the National Opera and Ballet Theatre in Belgrade, Yugoslavia. His training and experience encompass ballet, jazz, modern, folk dance and musical theater. During his ballet career, he has worked with Nevena Miric, Dusanka Kecojevic, Jovanka Bilegojevic, Ana Roje, Natalia Dudinskaya, Constantin Sergeyev, Svetlana Afanasieva and Maryon Lane. As a choreographer, he has been recognized with numerous awards including gold and bronze medals at the Yugoslavian choreographers’ competition. Besides Yugoslavia (and its former six republics) and the United States, his work has been performed in Russia, Switzerland, Malta, Romania, Italy and Venezuela. In 1991, Mr. Djuric was appointed Artistic Director at Ballet New England. Under his direction, Ballet New England’s Company and School dramatically increased its programs and visibility, becoming the leader of New Hampshire’s dance community. In 1993 and again in 1998, Mr. Djuric was awarded an Individual Artist Fellowship from the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts (NHSCA). He was commissioned as a choreographer by the Council to create an original ballet for the 1997 Governor’s Awards in the Arts Ceremony. In January 1998, he co-founded Ballet Theatre Workshop and the Children’s Repertory Ballet in Portsmouth, NH. In 1999, as part of collaboration with digital installation artist Harry Umen and the North Country Chamber Players, he received one of two Millennium Grants from the NHSCA to choreograph to Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time. In July, 1998, Mr. Djuric was appointed as the Artistic Director of Festival Ballet Providence (FBP) where he is responsible for managing the Company, Junior Company and the Festival Ballet Providence School. During his tenure, the organization has grown into one of the most exciting and accomplished arts and cultural organizations in Rhode Island and has been recognized as one of top regional ballet companies in the country. FBP was named the 2002 Outstanding Arts Organization by the Arts and Business Council of Rhode Island. This award is presented to an organization that demonstrates “unwavering commitment to excellence, significant impact on the community, and strong organizational development”. In 2007 Mr. Djuric received the Pell Award for Outstanding Leadership in the Arts. In April 2011, Mr. Djuric received the VIP Invites Award from the Serbian Ministry of Culture at the Belgrade International Dance Festival. He is honored as the first lauriate to receive this award for outstanding Serbian artists living and working outside of Serbia.

825 Hope Street, Providence RI 02906 • 401- 353- 1129 • www.festivalballetprovidence.org

L-R: Bryce Mitchell, Eugenia Zinovieva, Kirsten Evans, Jordan Nelson. High resolution images contact Dylan Giles, [email protected].

825 Hope Street, Providence RI 02906 • 401- 353- 1129 • www.festivalballetprovidence.org