Brooklyn PeterJay Sharp Building CommunicationsDepartment Academy 30 LafayetteAvenue Sandy Sawotka of Brooklyn NY 1121 7-1486 Fatima Kafele Music Telephone: 718.636.4129 Eva Chien Fax: 718.857.2021 Tamara McCaw Jennifer Lam [email protected] Press Release BAM Presents Compagnia Aterballetto in the N.Y. Premieres of Les Noces and Petrushka, choreographed by Mauro Bigonzetti BAM 2005 Next Wave Festival is sponsored by Altria Group, Inc. Les Noces and Petrushka Compagnia Aterballetto Choreography by Mauro Bigonzetti Music by Igor Stravinsky Dramaturgy by Nicola Lusuardi Decor by Fabrizio Montecchi Costumes by Kristopher Millar and Lois Swandale Lighting by Carlo Cerri BAM Howard Gilman Opera House Nov 8, 10-12 at 7:30pm Tickets: $20, 35, 50 Call 718.636.4100 or visit www.bam.org BAMdialogue with Mauro Bigonzetti Nov 10 at 6pm BAM Rose Cinemas Tickets: $8 ($4 for Friends of BAM) Brooklyn, September 28, 2005-Italy's foremost contemporary dance troupe, Compagnia Aterballetto, will be making its anticipated BAM debut as part of the Next Wave Festival with the N.Y. premieres of acclaimed artistic director Mauro Bigonzetti's striking interpretation of Stravinsky's Les Noces and Petrushka . Originally composed for Diaghilev's Les Ballets Russes, the two Stravinsky masterpieces perfectly showcase both ... more Compagnia Aterballetto in Petrushka Photo Credit: Raffaella Cavalieri High resolution images are available at http://www .bam.org/ bamoress/oerformances/NW06/LesNoces.asox BAM 2005 NextWave Festival 0ct4-Dec 17 Sponsoredby Altria Group, Inc. Aterballetto , 2 Aterballetto's consummate athleticism and delicate lyricism. Under Bigonzetti 's visionary leadership since 1997, the company has been transformed into a respected modem ballet company with a varied repertoire ranging from neoclassical to postmodern. According to The New York Times, "Bigonzetti , artistic director of Aterballetto ... has a distinctive originality. This is true in his use of music and in the inventiveness of the choreography ." Les Noces, first choreographed by Broni slava Nijinska in 1923, examines the institution of marriage with a wedding sequence that cuhninates in an intensely rhythmic and surprisingly visceral tug-of-war between bride and groom. In contrast to the unforgiving black-and-white decor of Les Noces , Petrushka, originally choreographed in 1911 by Michel Fokine, simply explodes with color. Bigonzetti uses a clothes shop setting, with brilliant crimson, sapphire , and emerald hues as the backdrop for a hero's struggle against both fascist police and a brutal rival for his love. Four performances of Les Noces and Petrushka will take place in the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House (30 Lafayette Ave.) Nov 8, 10---12 at 7:30pm. Tickets, priced at $20, 35, and 50, may be purchased by calling BAM Ticket Services at 718.636.4100, or by visiting www.bam.org . For press information, contact Eva Chien at 718.636.4129 x2 or [email protected]. About the artists Choreographer Mauro Bigonzetti was born in Rome and attended the Opera School in the city before directly entering into the company . In 1983, after ten years in Rome's Opera , he joined Compagnia Aterballetto , under the artistic direction of Amedeo Amodio , where he performed all of the company 's repertoire including collaborations with Alvin Ailey, Glen Tetley, William Forsythe, Jennifer Muller , George Balanchine, and Leonide Massine. In 1990, he created his first work Sei in moviment~set to music by J.S. Bach-which made its debut at the Teatro Sociale in Grassina. In 1993, he left Aterballetto to became a freelance choreographer working with Balletto di Toscana, English National Ballet London , Ballet National Marseille , Stuttgart Ballet , Deutsche Oper Berlin, Staatsoper Dresden, Ballet Teatro Argentina , Bale da Cidade de Sao Paulo (Brazil), Ballet Gulbenkian Lisbon, and New York City Ballet. He created ballets for many Italian companies including the ballets ofTeatro alla Scala Milan, Opera Rome, Arena Verona, and Teatro San Carlo Naples. Bigonzetti is known for his collaborations with diverse artists including Claudio Parmiggiani, Fabrizio Plessi , Bruno Moretti, Danilo Grassi, Guglielmo Capone , and Millar & Swandale . Also known for his eclectic musical tastes- and most recently for commissioning II Sogno by Elvis Costello-Bigonzetti returned to Aterballetto in 1997 and has created pieces specifically for the company set to music by Pink Floyd, Jimi Hendrix, David Byrne , and Frank Zappa. His other significant works for Aterballetto include Songs, Persephassa, Furia Corporis, Comoedia Canti, Cantata, Rossini Cards, Vespro, Les Noces, and Psappha , which are performed in major theaters throughout the world. "Without a doubt, Mauro Bigonzetti is one of the outstanding choreographers of the 21st century."-Le Figaro (France) Founded in 1979 in the small city of Reggio Emilia, Compagnia Aterballetto came to international attention in 1997 when Mauro Bigonzetti took over as choreographer and artistic director. The company 's repertory encompasses nineteenth -century classics through contemporary masterpieces , including representative works from choreographers ranging from George Balanchine, Antony Tudor, and Maurice Bejart to Lucinda Childs, William Forsythe, Alvin Ailey, and Jin Kylian. Under Bigonzetti 's direction , Aterballetto's technique has evolved from a strong base in classical ballet to a contemporary movement language suffused with warmth and sensuality, making it one of the first modem dance companies in Italy. .. more Aterballetto , 3 Credits Support for Les Noces and Petrushka is provided by the Italian Cultural Institute of New York and the Italian Minister of Culture. Delta Air Lines is the official airline for BAM Dance, which also receives major support from The Harkness Foundation for Dance. BAM 's 2005 Next Wave Festival is sponsored by Altria Group. Programming in the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House is supported and endowed by The Howard Gilman Foundation . BAM thanks its many donors and sponsors , including: New York City Department of Cultural Affairs , The New York City Council, Brooklyn Delegation of the New York City Council, Brooklyn Delegation of the U.S. House of Representatives, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, New York State Council on the Arts, National Endowment for the Arts, The Peter Jay Sharp Foundation, The Estate of Richard B. Fisher , The Howard Gilman Foundation, The Starr Foundation , Skirball Foundation , Time Warner, Inc ., Bloomberg, The Kovner Foundation, and Robert W. Wilson Foundation. JPMorgan Chase is BAM's Lead Corporate Partner . New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge is the official hotel for the Next Wave Festival. Yamaha is the official piano of BAM. RIGA is the sponsor ofBAM.org. General information BAM Howard Gilman Opera House, BAM Rose Cinemas, BAMcafe, and Shakespeare & Co. BAMshop are located in the Peter Jay Sharp building at 30 Lafayette Avenue (between St Felix Street and Ashland Place) in the Fort Greene neighborhood of Brooklyn. BAM Harvey Theater is located two blocks from the main building at 651 Fulton Street (between Ashland and Rockwell Places ). BAM Rose Cinemas is Brooklyn 's only movie house dedicated to first-run independent and foreign film and repertory programming. BAMcafe, operated by Great Performances , also features an eclectic mix of spoken word and live music on Friday and Saturday nights . A $21 three-course dinner at BAMcafe is available Thu-Sat for BAM Rose Cinemas ticket holders (day of screening only) . BAMcafe is open Thursday-Saturday from 5pm-closing. Additionally, BAMcafe is open two hours prior to all Howard Gilman Opera House and Harvey Theater performances. Subway: 2, 3, 4, 5, Q, B to Atlantic Avenue; D, M, N, R to Pacific Street; G to Fulton Street ; C to Lafayette Avenue Train: Long Island Railroad to Flatbush A venue Bus: B25, B26 , B41, B45, B52, B63, B67 all stop within three blocks of BAM Car: Commercial parking lots are located adjacent to BAM For ticket and BAMbus information , call BAM Ticket Services at 718 .636.4100, or visit www .bam.org . ## ## ## ## .