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Joffrey Ballet Concert Group Performs at SF College Fine Arts Hall Feb. 7, 2015

Joffrey Ballet Concert Group Performs at SF College Fine Arts Hall Feb. 7, 2015

Dancers from the Joffrey Ballet Concert Group, an affiliate of the Joffrey Ballet School in New York City, will cap their artists’ residency at Santa Fe College with a performance that includes George Balanchine’s “Serenade” at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 7, 2015, in the Fine Arts Hall at the Northwest Campus, 3000 NW 83 Street, Gainesville.

Ticket prices are as follows. Adults:  mezzanine and orchestra $25, balcony $15. Seniors, UF students and children:  orchestra and mezzanine $20, balcony $12. Santa Fe College students, faculty, and staff, $9. For ticket information, call the SF Box Office at 352-395-4181. Tickets may be purchased on line at:

http://www.sfcollege.edu/finearts/

The performance will feature the first original ballet created in America by the Russian choreographer George Balanchine. Set to “Serenade for Strings in C, Op. 48” by Tchaikovsky, “Serenade” is considered a milestone in the history of dance.

Also on the program are new works by choreographers Africa Guzman and Davis Robertson, solos from “Coppelia” and “Don Quixote,” and Gerald Arpino’s signature piece, “Light Rain.”

“The repertoire for the performance is exceptional,” said Alora Haynes, chairperson of the Fine Arts Department and one of the founders of Santa Fe College’s Dance Department. “Balanchine’s ‘Serenade’ is every dancer’s favorite ballet and Kitri from ‘Don Quixote’ is another audience favorite!”

The Joffrey Ballet Concert Group will be Master Artists in residence at Santa Fe College Wed.-Sat., Feb. 4-7, 2015. This is the third year that the company has visited the college; they will offer three master classes for Santa Fe students and up to two master classes for intermediate and advanced dance students in the community. Class participants will have the opportunity to refine their technique and to learn dances that are part of the Joffrey Ballet Concert Group’s repertoire. Dancers in the community who wish to register should call Alora Haynes at 352-395-5296 to reserve a space. There are 35 spaces in each of the community classes and spaces will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis.

Located in the heart of New York City, the Joffrey Ballet Concert Group serves as a platform for some of the nation’s best young dancers to launch their professional careers.  Under Artistic Director Davis Robertson, the company performs a diverse repertoire including classic works by Gerald Arpino and George Balanchine as well as new works from emerging contemporary choreographers such as Robert Battle, Julie Bour, Africa Guzman, and Larry Kiegwin.  The group has recently completed multiple tours in the United States to rave reviews and toured to China and Canada in their 2014-2015 season, confirming Joffrey Ballet Concert Group’s world-renowned reputation as a premier institution of American dance. Graduates have gone on to dance for major dance companies such as American Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet, Miami City Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Boston Ballet, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, Parsons Dance, the Forsythe Company, the Martha Graham Dance Company, Dance Theatre of Harlem, the Joffrey Ballet, the Royal Ballet of New Zealand and other companies throughout the United States and Europe.

The Santa Fe College Master Artists Series is co-presented by the Santa Fe College Foundation and the college’s Fine Arts Department. The series is sponsored in part by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs and the Florida Council on Arts and Culture and Visit Gainesville, a Tourist Development Tax Grant from the Alachua County Board of County Commissioners in conjunction with the Alachua County Tourist Development Council.

Members of the Joffrey Ballet Concert Group are available for interviews and there will be photo opportunities in classes during their residency. For more information about master classes, interviews or photo opportunities, call Fine Arts Department Chairperson Alora Haynes, 352-395-5296.

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