DONOR NEWSLETTER

2018 SUMMER EDITION A SUCCESSFUL SPRING Ballet is brimming with energy and reasons to celebrate! 2018 kicked off with performances of Yuri Possokov’s Don Quixote that Cynthia Bond Perry of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution called, “an entertaining, visually evocative, fast-paced jaunt into the past, vivified by a young and ambitious group of artists.”

After thrilling audiences for two weekends at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, the Company moved from dancing on stage to swirling around a ballroom. ’s Winter Ball at The St. Regis was a joyous affair with Atlanta Ballet Company dancers, Trustees, and donors toasting to the future of Atlanta Ballet.

The celebrations continued at the March, April, and May performances. Atlanta Ballet’s Artistic Director Gennadi Nedvigin selected three choreographers, Craig Davidson, Tara Lee, and Maxim Petrov, to create brand new ballets for the 17|18 Season, pushing the Company and the artform forward. Gennadi touched on his desire for the Company to have a strong classical foundation and also be pushed by new approaches to ballet technique in the May issue of Pointe magazine:

“I want my dancers to have an appreciation for the classics while looking forward to new creations…The more styles you learn, the better dancer you become.”

The entire article is worth reading. You can find it on Pointe magazine’s website: www.pointemagazine.com.

There are so many exciting things happening at Atlanta Ballet. Because you are a valued Atlanta Ballet donor, we trust this newsletter provides a glimpse of all the art Trustee Dr. Meria Carstarphen with Richard Courts and Trustee your gift makes possible. Lynda Courts. Photo by Kim Evans.

Atlanta Ballet Company artists Francesca Loi and Jessica He. Photo by Kim Evans.

Have you considered Atlanta Ballet in your estate plans? Leave a Gennadi Nedvigin teaching Company class. Photo by Charlie McCullers. legacy of joy and the wonder of dance for future generations!

Please call Steven Libman, Welcome to the newest Lindsay Hill Susan S. Kettering Chief Advancement Officer, members of the Atlanta Ballet Power Kettering Family Philanthropies at 404.873.5811 Board & Advisory Council Atlanta Ballet Board Advisory Council for more information. DONOR NEWSLETTER SUMMER 2018

CELEBRATING CORPORATE SPONSORS THE HOME DEPOT FOUNDATION SUPPORTS CAMP TWIN LAKES AND FRAZER CENTER “Why are the arts important?” It is a question we face every day. As a supporter of Atlanta Ballet, you likely already have an answer to this question, but you may be surprised at how many different ways you could answer. We take our mission “to enrich and inspire our audiences Turner and Realtime Electronic Payments (REPAY) each generously sponsored a performance during Atlanta with performances of the highest level of excellence” Ballet’s 17|18 Season for unique reasons. and “to serve our community through active engagement” seriously. Turner, the global entertainment, sports, and news company based right here in Atlanta, seeks to fuel the creativity of its workforce by providing access for its employees to inspiring performances. Which is why we are so grateful to funders like The Home Depot Foundation that support our work of engaging April’s Tu Tu & More program was a perfect fit for the media leader. Each piece, from Stanton Welch’s dazzling Tu Tu with Atlanta. Through the support of The Home Depot to Ohad Naharin’s crowd pleasing Minus 16, pushed the audience to think differently about the definition of a ballet Foundation, Atlanta Ballet has formed partnerships with performance. two incredible organizations: Camp Twin Lakes and Frazer Center. Turner’s commitment to providing employees with access to new ideas and experiences is sure to foster a culture of innovation. Campers in dance class. Photo by Kim Kenney. This summer will mark the third anniversary of our partnership with Camp Twin Lakes, where challenges Realtime Electronic Payments (REPAY) is also become triumphs. Camp Twin Lakes provides a fully-accessible camp experience for over 50 special needs headquartered in Atlanta and is the premier full-service groups in Georgia like FOCUS + Fragile Kids, for children who are medically fragile or have significant developmental payment technology and processing provider for the and/or physical disabilities, and Camp to Belong, where siblings currently separated in foster care reunite. consumer finance, auto, and receivables management industries. Named one of Fortune’s 2017 Best Small & “After spending every other day of the year adapting to the world around them, for one week, camp Medium Workplaces, REPAY understands excellence and adapts to them.” – Camp Twin Lakes was drawn to the opportunity to support the premier ballet Company in its hometown. Atlanta Ballet’s partnership with Frazer Center is just taking off. Dance instruction for the Frazer Center Adult Program Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer John Morris began in April at Atlanta Ballet’s Centre for Dance Education first connected with Atlanta Ballet through his daughters’ Virginia Highland location. experience in our Centre for Dance Education. “The Frazer Center Adult Program is not a place for “Atlanta Ballet has been an extremely influential part people with disabilities to be hidden, sheltered, or of my family’s life for the past 15 years. All four of my protected. Instead, it is a place where adults with a daughters were students at the Atlanta Ballet Centre variety of abilities gather together to learn and to flourish for Dance Education; through this commitment, they with the ultimate goal of full integration into the broader developed a passion for the arts and learned the community.” – Frazer Center valuable lessons of dedication, perseverance, and discipline. REPAY is thrilled to support Atlanta Ballet in hopes that it will continue to thrive and promote the arts within the community, ultimately developing and encouraging the next generation of passionate From left to right: Sarah, Lisa, Tahmina, and Meshelle take class with Atlanta students and loyal patrons.” Ballet Centre for Dance Education instructor Taylor Ferguson. Photos provided by Frazer Center. – John Morris, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, REPAY and parent, Atlanta Ballet Centre for Dance Education Our partnership aims to offer safe, entertaining physical exercise as well as exposure to different art forms and to assist adults with developmental disabilities We are grateful to Turner and REPAY for finding their own in discovering different forms of dance while finding enjoyment and health benefits Erica Alvarado and Sergio Masero-Olarte in Stanton Welch’s Tu Tu. Photo by answers to the question of why the arts are important and in regular exercise. Kim Kenney. stepping forward to support the performing arts in Atlanta. “We couldn’t be more thrilled about collaborating with Atlanta Ballet,” says Paige McKay Kubik, Frazer Center’s CEO. “This partnership will give the adults in our program the chance to broaden their horizons by learning new skills and meeting new people in the professional community.”

We cannot thank The Home Depot Foundation enough for making each of these partnerships possible. Atlanta Ballet gratefully acknowledges the support of: Michael C. Carlos Dance Centre 1695 Marietta Boulevard, NW | Atlanta, GA 30318

CONNECT WITH US Atlanta Ballet @atlantaballet @atlantaballet Atlanta Ballet

WHY COMMISIONS MATTER TO CHOREOGRAPHER CRAIG DAVIDSON

Craig Davidson shared how being commissioned to carefully crafted a work with pronounced attention create Remembrance/Hereafter for the Black Swan to Schubert’s score, bridging sections with effortless program in March made an impact on his career as an transitions, seamlessly delivering the audience from emerging choreographer. one idea to the next.” –George Staib, ArtsAtl

“This commission came at exactly the right moment in We look forward to watching your career blossom, Craig! my career. Up until this point, I feel like I’ve been building – Your friends at Atlanta Ballet the blocks. One day I see myself doing full-evening works, but I have to build up to that. The creation of Remembrance/Hereafter allowed me to experience multiple firsts, pushing me to grow as an artist.

This is the first time I’ve worked with multiple casts and with so many dancers. This was also my first time working with live musicians. And Remembrance/Hereafter was my first work to premiere in the US, which is very exciting.

You don’t know if you can do something until you have the opportunity to try.”

Craig Davidson’s Remembrance/Hereafter received enthusiastic applause from audiences and from the press.

“[Rememberance/Hereafter] allowed the ensemble to move with unearthly grace and a clarity that was as refreshing as it was captivating. Davidson Jessica He in Craig Davidson’s Remembrance/Hereafter. Photo by Gene Schiavone.