BalletX Founder, Artistic & Executive Director CHRISTINE COX Founder MATTHEW NEENAN SUBTLE WILDLY TENDERNESS, ATHLETICISM OF MOVEMENT… IMAGIN- JUST PLAIN , SEXY. ATIVE NYC DANCE STUFF TOTALLY ZONKERS, ALWAYS BEAUTIFULLY PERFORMED… PHILADELPHIA CITY PAPER POWERFUL. ITS MOST AT DANCE …modern… BROAD STREET REVIEW BROAD and especially refreshing... THE NEW YORK TIMES BROAD STREET REVIEW BROAD THE PROCESS. LIVES IN CHANGING PEOPLE’S ALSO BUT CHANGING DANCE, [BALLETX] ONLY IS NOT AN … eclectic EVENING. THE DANCE JOURNAL [BALLETX] IS MATURING company FROM A PHILADELPHIA TREASURE INTO A NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED PARAGON. THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER ADVENTUROUS Fresh, touching, …INTENSELY INNOVATIVE …INTENSELY BALLET and musical, original. UWISHUNU THE NEW YORK TIMES 3 ABOUT THE COMPANY BalletX, Philadelphia’s premier contemporary ballet, unites distinguished choreographers with an outstanding company of world-class dancers to forge new works of athleticism, emotion, and grace. Through the daring vision of its award-winning founders Christine Cox and Matthew Neenan, and now under the leadership of Cox as Artistic & Executive Director, BalletX challenges the boundaries of classical ballet by encourag- ing formal experimentation while preserving rigorous technique. The company is committed to producing new works of the highest quality and integrity that bring the combined visions of choreographers and dancers to life and culti- vate in audiences a collective appetite for bold, new dance. Since the company’s founding in 2005, BalletX has expanded its repertoire with 58 world premieres by internationally renowned artists including Jorma Elo, Nicolo Fonte, Jodie Gates, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Edwaard Liang, Adam Hougland, Matthew Neenan, Darrell Grand Moultrie, Gabrielle Lamb, Joshua L. Peugh, James Gregg, Olivier Wevers, Tobin Del Cuore, and Mauro Astolfi, among others. Firmly rooted in ballet technique, these contemporary pieces challenge BalletX’s dancers with the innovative possibilities of ballet in the 21st century. With four annual performance series in Philadelphia, BalletX has reached diverse audi- ences of all ages and backgrounds as the Resident Dance Company of The Wilma Theater. Now recognized worldwide for its unique repertoire, the company participates in a growing number of national and international tours, including performances at prestigious venues and festivals such as The Joyce Theater in New York City, Vail International Dance Festival in Colorado, Laguna Dance Festival in California, Festival de Ballet in Colombia, Ballet EXPO in South Korea, Sweet Pea Festival in Montana, Spring to Dance Festival in St. Louis, and DANCECleveland, among others. BalletX’s distinctive contribution to the American dance community has been recognized and supported in recent years by generous grants from the William Penn Foundation, Shubert Founda- tion, Jerome Robbins New Essential Works (NEW) Program, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Engaging Dance Audiences (a program of Dance/USA), Wyncote Foundation, Barra Foundation, PECO, National Endowment for the Arts, Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, and Philadelphia Cultural Fund. ABOUT THE COMPANY CHRISTINE COX MATTHEW NEENAN Founder, Artistic & Executive Director Founder Christine Cox began her training with the School of Matthew Neenan began his dance training at Pennsylvania Ballet and continued at the Philadel- the Boston Ballet School with noted teachers Nan phia High School for the Performing Arts, spending C. Keating and Jacqueline Cronsberg. He later summer sessions at the Joffrey and San Francisco attended the LaGuardia High School of Performing Ballet schools. After high school, she danced with Arts and the School of American Ballet in New BalletMet in Columbus, Ohio for five years before York. From 1994-2007, Neenan danced with Penn- moving to New York. There, Christine danced as sylvania Ballet including numerous principal a guest artist with Ballet Hispanico and performed roles in works by George Balanchine, John Cranko, for President George H.W. Bush at Ford’s Theatre. Paul Taylor, Peter Martins, Val Caniparoli, Jorma She then spent one year with American Repertory Elo, Lila York, Meredith Rainey, Christopher Wheeldon, Ballet before joining Pennsylvania Ballet from 1993 and Jerome Robbins. In 2005, Neenan to 2006. Cox has premiered works by a co-founded BalletX with fellow dancer Christine Cox. number of gifted choreographers, including Ib Anderson, Rennie Harris, James In 2007, he was named Choreographer in Residence at the Pennsylvania Kudelka, John McFall, Trey McIntyre, Matthew Neenan, Kevin O'Day, David Ballet. Neenan’s choreography has been featured and performed by BalletX, Parsons, Kirk Peterson, and Christopher Wheeldon. Some of her featured roles Pennsylvania Ballet, The Washington Ballet, Colorado Ballet, Ballet Memphis, include Rum and Coca Cola in Paul Taylor's Company B, Vortex in Alvin Ailey's Milwaukee Ballet, Oregon Ballet Theatre, Tulsa Ballet, Juilliard Dance, New The River, Choleric in George Balanchine's The Four Temperaments, Eve in York City Ballet’s Choreographic Institute, Sacramento Ballet, Nevada Ballet Margo Sappington's Rodin, Mis En Vie the Cowgirl in Agnes DeMille's Rodeo, and Theatre, Indiana University, Opera Philadelphia, and LaGuardia High School of principal female roles in Jerome Robbins' Fancy Free and The Concert. Prior Performing Arts, among others. Neenan has received numerous to retiring as a full-time company member in 2006, she staged Matthew Neenan's awards and grants for his choreography from the National Endowment for the 11:11 on Pennsylvania Ballet and rehearsed the company for the premiere at Arts, Dance Advance funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts, the Choo San Goh New York City Center. For ten years, she served as the rehearsal assistant of the Foundation, and Independence Foundation. He is a four-time recipient of the children’s corp for Pennsylvania Ballet’s annual production of George Balanchine’s Pennsylvania Council on the Arts Fellowship, the winner of Sacramento Ballet’s The Nutcracker. Christine continues to teach and choreograph at University of Capital Choreography Competition, and the first recipient of the Jerome Robbins the Arts. Her talent has been recognized with two Rocky Awards for outstanding New Essential Works Program Fellowship for his work At the border for Penn- achievement in the arts, as well as fellowships from the Independence Foundation sylvania Ballet. Since 2010, Matthew sits on the board of Dance/USA. (2002) and the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts (2006 and 2008). In Matthew’s choreography has been praised in The New York Times, The Dance 2005, Cox co-founded BalletX with Matthew Neenan and is the visionary behind Journal, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and Philadelphia Magazine. Alastair Macau- the company’s continuing success. Her leadership has been instrumental in lay has singled him out as “one of today’s foremost dance poets.” establishing BalletX’s community outreach initiatives, including The X-Process and Dance eXchange, as well as overseeing the development of the administrative and artistic staff. Christine is the proud mother of two young sons. PRESENTER TESTIMONIALS “BalletX is simply and wonderfully unique-from “BalletX is one of my favorite companies in the their thrilling performances on the stage to their nation to work with both as a choreographer meaningful community work, they represent what and as a presenter. They are a compelling contemporary ballet can be in the 21st century.” company that has a wide breadth of sophisticated Damien Woetzel international repertory and exquisite dancers. Vail International Dance Festival I have presented the company twice at the Laguna Dance Festival in California, and each time they “It was wonderful to have you and your bring the audience to their feet with stunning talented company in Akron. The performance dancers, diverse programming and a fantastic was remarkable and the audience certainly vision, all in one!” loved it. The rousing and continuous [standing] Jodie Gates ovation was followed by many emails and phone Vice Dean and Director of USC Kaufman School of Dance calls praising BalletX.” Pamela Young “BalletX is everything that is good with Executive Director of DANCECleveland American dance. Talented. Accessible. Creative.” Michael Uthoff “Within the first 8 bars I knew this was a clean, Artistic and Executive Director of Dance St. Louis technically stunning, articulate company- the rest of the evening I could sit back and smile, “The quality of the performance coupled with comfortable and confident in the knowledge that the fresh originality of such intriguing and new this sharp engaging ensemble of performers was choreography led to an evening that enchanted going to deliver a memorable evening of dance all audience members. This was a marvelous for the Hope and Holland communities.” performance truly enriching the lives of a nearly Linda Graham sold out house filled with community members Chair of Hope College Department of Dance and students.” Dr. Paula Rubenstein Coordinator of Cultural Affairs at Westchester Community College TOURING REPERTOIRE TOURING REPERTOIRE TALSIKAN INSTANTLY BOUND PREMIERE: February 18, 2015 CHOREOGRAPHY: Norbert De La Cruz III PREMIERE: April 17, 2013 CHOREOGRAPHY: Olivier Wevers MUSIC: Composed by Ben Juodvalkis TIME: 25 Minutes MUSIC: Klimek, Ezekiel Honig, Jóhann Jóhannsson “Language falls short of the wonder of [BalletX’s] performance” Thinking Dance DANCERS: 6 TIME: 17 minutes “Instantly Bound