Artistic Director Thom Clower and BALLET ENSEMBLE OF TEXAS PRESENT December 4-6, 2020 | Irving Arts Center Thom Clower, Ar�s�c Director Presents SPRING 2021 YOUTH AMERICA GRAND PRIX | JANUARY 29-31 A CELEBRATION OF DANCE | APRIL 9-11 MARIUS PETIPA’S SWAN LAKE ACT II MUSIC BY TCHAIKOVSKY GERALD ARPINO’S CONFETTI MUSIC BY ROSSINI GEORGE SKIBINE’S FIREBIRD MUSIC BY STRAVINSKY PLUS TWO WORLD PREMIERES PETER & THE WOLF | MAY 2021 CHOREOGRAPHY ARRANGED BY LISA SLAGLE & THOM CLOWER MUSIC BY PROKOFIEV PERFORMED IN PLANO, IRVING & COPPELL Funded in part of the City of Irving throught the Irving Arts Board. THE DIRECTORS Lisa Slagle - Execu�ve Director Lisa Slagle began performing in Musical Theatre at the age of five in her hometown of Ft. Worth, Texas, where she was regularly cast in Casa Manana’s Summer Musicals, most notably as “Baby June” in Gypsy. She began her professional dancing career at the age of eleven when she appeared as a solo dancer in the Elvis Presley movie, Clambake. Her ballet training con�nued in southern California with Anna Cheselka, Sallie Whalen, and George Zoritch, and later in Houston with James Clouser and Eugene Collins. Upon gradua- �on from high school she was offered a posi�on with the Joffrey Ballet in New York, where she stayed un�l 1979. While there she had the opportunity to perform leading roles in ballets by choreographers Agnes de Mille, Gerald Arpino, Frederick Ashton, August Bournonville and Twyla Tharp. In the 1980’s she performed as a Soloist with the Ballet du Grande Theatre de Geneve in Switzerland, under the direc�on of Oscar Araiz, and as a Principal Dancer with Tulsa Ballet Theatre under the direc�on of Roman Jasinski and Moscelyn Larkin. Upon her re�rement, she started teaching ballet in the Dallas, Texas area, and in 1999 became the founding director of the Ballet Academy of Texas, located in the Dallas suburb of Coppell. The school has since received “Outstanding School” awards from the Youth America Grand Prix organiza�on in the Southwest regional trials for six out of ten years, as well as the “Outstanding Teacher” award for Ms. Slagle in 2006, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019. She is the founding director of the pre-professional company, Ballet Ensemble of Texas, which was an Honor Company with the Regional Dance of America organiza�on for thirteen years. Many of her students are now dancing professionally both na�onally and interna�onally in such companies as American Ballet Theatre, Oklahoma City Ballet, Ballet West, and Colorado Ballet. Ms. Slagle is on the Advisory Board for American Ballet Theatre’s Na�onal Training Curriculum, and has been a master teacher since 2007 for ABT’s various Summer Intensive workshops, teaching ballet, pointe, varia�ons, and character. In 2014 she was invited to be a master teacher for ballet and character classes for the Interna�onal Ballet Compe��on School in Jackson, Mississippi. Her school, Ballet Academy of Texas, will host ABT’s Young Dancer Workshop for the third �me in summer of 2020. In 2016 she had the pleasure of being a master teacher for the Regional Dance of America Northeast Fes�val in Erie, Pennsylvania, served in 2018 as the Adjudica- tor for their RDA/NE Fes�val, and is honored to serve as Adjudicator for the RDA/MID Fes�val in 2020. She has also been a master teacher as well as staged her choreography for such noted na�onal schools as the Orlando Ballet School, Washington School of Ballet, and the Interlochen School of the Arts. Thom Clower - Ar�s�c Director, Ballet Ensemble of Texas The 2018-2019 season began a new era as Thom Clower joined Ballet Ensemble of Texas as Ar�s�c Director, and the faculty of Ballet Academy of Texas. Mr. Clower has a long history with Lisa Slagle as a dance partner and a collaborator. Mr. Clower has staged Coppelia and The Firebird on the company twice, staged many concert works, and served as Master Teacher numerous �mes. Known as an energe�c, inspiring teacher, Thom Clower’s approach has touched the lives and careers of dancers around the world for 45 years. He began his training with George Skibine and Marjorie Tallchief at Dallas Civic Ballet and received two Ford Founda�on Scholarships to School of American Ballet. He performed with Dallas Ballet eleven seasons, eventually serving as Ballet Master. Mr. Clower was Founding Ar�s�c Director of Ballet Dallas, Ballet Master of Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Ar�s�c Director of Yuma Ballet Theatre, Ballet Master for Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, and serves annually as Ballet Master for Stars of Tomorrow Interna�onal. As a representa�ve of the George Skibine Trust, Mr. Clower helps maintain the integrity of the Skibine ballets, staging them across the country. Mr. Clower has been a guest teacher for Regional Dance America Fes�vals since 1992, including three of the four RDA Na�onal Fes�vals. He was Director of Ballet at numerous RDA Cra� of Choreography Conferences (NCI), and has been Ballet Faculty at The Glenda Brown Choreography Project numerous �mes. Mr. Clower has served five �mes as Adjudicator for RDA Fes�vals across the country. Lindsey Yoes Daniel - Ballet Master Lindsey Yoes Daniel is in her fi�h season as Ballet Ensemble of Texas’ Ballet Master. She received her training at the Ballet Academy of Texas and was a leading dancer with the Ballet Ensemble of Texas for several years. She has performed professionally with The Dallas Opera, Texas Dance Theatre, Larwell Produc�ons and Dallas Black Dance Theater II; where she was also the Assistant Director to Nycole Ray. Lindsey has worked with many renown choreographers, including Fernando Bujones and Gordon Pierce Schmidt. She received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance, Psychology, and Development and Family Studies from University of North Texas, she a�ended University of Oklahoma on scholarship for collegiate dance training, and is cer�fied in the American Ballet Theatre Curriculum for the Primary Level through Level Three as well as cer�fied in Progressing Ballet Technique. She is very excited to be on the staff of Ballet Academy of Texas, for this is her ninth year teaching. ABOUT THE DANCERS Gabriel Speiller (Prince Charming) Gabriel Speiller is a na�ve New Yorker raised in Queens. He received a BFA in dance from Belhaven University where he received the Bezalel Award for outstand- ing ar�s�c achievement. Speiller has danced with Paul Taylor 2, Ad Deum Dance Company, as well as many project companies. He has performed in works by Bruce Wood,® Yin Yue, Katarzyna Skarpe- towska, Andy and Dionne Nobel, Bridget L. Moore, Albert Drake III, Joy Bollinger, and Kimi Nikaidoh. In addi�on, he has performed in dances by Kevin Jenkins, Jessica Gaynor, Randal Flinn, Steve Rooks, among others. Speiller teaches throughout the Dallas–Fort Worth area and has choreographed for Wanderlust Dance Project, Zion Dance Project, Frank Sinatra School of Performing Arts, Awakening Movement, Belhaven University, Fort Worth Academy of Fine Arts, and American College Dance Fes�val. Speiller joined Bruce Wood Dance in April 2016. Pearl Smith (Cinderella) has been part of the Ballet Ensemble of Texas and the Professional Preparatory Program for four years. This past summer she a�ended Texas Ballet Theater’s summer intensive on full scholarship, in addi�on to being accepted to Oklahoma City Ballet, Nashville Ballet, Kansas City Ballet, and American Ballet Theatre. She was awarded Top 24 Senior Classical Solo the last two years and won Second Place in Pas de Deux at the 2019 Youth America Grand Prix, dancing Flemming Flindt’s Sommerdances with Akihiro Yoshimoto. In the 2019 Nutcracker she performed as the Sugar Plum Fairy, receiving rave reviews from Theaterjones. The most remarkable ballet that she has performed is George Balanchine’s Four Temperaments. A�er gradua�on she hopes to join a professional ballet company. Dani van Creveld (Fairy God Mother) is 17 years old and has been part of the Ballet Ensemble for three years. She has also happily been part of the Professional Preparatory Program for one year. For the past two summers she has a�ended Burklyn Ballet Theater’s summer intensive on par�al scholarship, in addi�on to being accepted into and receiving scholarships from Next Genera�on Ballet, American Ballet Theater, and Boston Ballet. She was awarded two scholarships from The Dallas Dance Council in 2018 and 2019. In the 2019 Nutcracker she performed as lead Arabian and received wonderful reviews from Theaterjones. A�er gradua�on she hopes to go to college and study to become a therapist that specializes with dancers. Eden Lim (Spring Fairy) is 15 years old and is in her fi�h year with the Ballet Academy of Texas and is a student in the Academy's Professional Preparatory Program. Eden has a�ended Colorado Ballet's summer intensive and this past summer a�ended the Glenda Brown Choreography Project on scholarship. She is dancing her third season with the Ballet Ensemble of Texas, and has had the joy of performing in Napoli, Diamonds, Unity, Nightcrawlers, Gaîté Parisienne and Generation .# She has enjoyed past roles in The Nutcracker including Cupid, Ballerina Doll, Chinese, Waltz of the Flowers, Snowflake, Mirliton Lead, Clara (2018), and this past year performed as the Snow Queen. Kate Durden (Summer Fairy) is 15 years old. She passionately par�cipates in the Professional Preparatory Program for home schooled students at the Ballet Academy of Texas (BAT). Kate’s love of ballet began at a young age in East Texas.