Dance Salad

With Marie-Agnes Gillot and Kader Belarbi

TFAA and the French Consulate in Houston are proud to sponsor two Etoiles from Ballet de L’Opera National de Paris.

Please join us for remarkable performances presented in the Dance Salad Festival at 7:30 pm on April 9, 10 and 11, Cullen Theater, Wortham Center.

Please click Here to Read the “Dance MagazineReview of “Dance Salad”

Etoile, Marie-Agnès Gillot partnered by Etoile, Kader Belarbi will be performing l’Espirit du bleu, a section from Carolyn Carlson’s Signes composed by Rene Aubry. Also, Marie-Agnès will be dancing with Jiri Bubeníček, (choreographer and dancer in Dresden SemperOper Ballet) in his choreography, Unintended Consequence.

 

Marie-Agnès Gillot began her studies at the Paris Opera Ballet School in 1985, where she was immediately placed in the highest group. She completed all her studies and enrolled in the corps de ballet in 1990, at the age of 15. Only nine years later she was already promoted to première danseuse and after the performance of Carolyn Carlson’s Signes in 2004, Marie-Agnès Gillot was promoted to Etoile. She is a recipient of Prix du Cercle Carpeaux in 1997 and the Prix du Public awarded by l’AROP and also received the title of Chevalier des Arts et Lettres. Marie-Agnès Gillot’s dance repertoire includes choreographies by Balanchine, Duato, Bausch, Preljocaj, Nureyev, Forsythe, Neumeier, Bejart, Kylian and MacMillan. Both, Marie-Agnès Gillot and Kader Belarbi have also worked with Mats Ek in La Maison de Bernarda, Giselle and Apartment.

Kader Belarbi, well known French-Algerian dancer in the Ballet de L’Opera National de Paris, was promoted to Etoile by Rudolf Noureev in 1989. He was featured in works by such choreographers as Balanachine, Bejart, Forsythe, Kylian, Noureev, Bausch, and Carlson. After 28 years of dancing, he will continue his work as a choreographer for Ballet de L’Opera National de Paris as well as other companies worldwide.

Carolyn Carlson, choreographer of L’Espirit du Blue, an American born choreographer, graduated from San Francisco School of Ballet and University of Utah. In 1974 she became a star choreographer of the Ballet de L’Opera de Paris where she also run the opera house’s theatre research group. Carlson created more than 25 works between 1974 and 1980. From 1980-1985, she worked at the Teatro la Fenice in Venice, creating her emblematic solo Blue Lady (1983), before returning to Paris and to her new base, the Théâtre de la Ville (1985-1991). She is now the Director and choreographer in residence at the Choreographic Center in Roubaix, France.

Classical, modern, and contemporary dance share the Dance Salad Festival stage to form a mix of movement and compelling choreographic invention. Members of some of the world’s best dance companies come to Houston to participate in this week long festival. Each night’s production is uniquely curated and designed as a coherent, expressive performance; to see the full range of the choreography presented requires attending two of the three evenings.

Other participating companies in Dance Salad Festival in 2009 include: English National Ballet (London, England), Mats Ek (Stockholm, Sweden), Royal Danish Ballet (Copenhagen, Denmark), Royal Swedish Ballet (Stockholm, Sweden), Dresden SemperOper Ballet (Dresden, Germany), William Forsythe (The Forsythe Company, Frankfurt, Germany), Göteborgs Operans Ballet (Gothenburg, Sweden), Staatstheater Ballet Wiesbaden (Wiesbaden, Germany), Carte Blanche (Bergen, Norway), Company Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui and Ansemble Micrologus (Antwerp, Belgium and Rome, Italy) and Xing Liang (Contemporary City Dance Company, Hong Kong).

Use the following code when booking your tickets and benefit from a special discount: TFAA009

Photos of the event HERE

For addtional information and to buy tickets online please visit www.dancesalad.org

Photos of the event HERE

French Cultures Festival

Mois de la francophonie

 

Used by over 200 million people and spoken on all 5 continents, the French language unites countries, institutions and individuals. The French-speaking community in different countries brings together people who speak French, a language of education, culture and communication, and who love French culture.

Throughout the month of March 2009, in Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas, The French Cultures Festival / Mois de la Francophonie will celebrate the French Cultures featuring lectures, films, theatrical shows, concerts, meetings with artists, receptions, parties and even a recreational afternoon for young children focused on discovering the French speaking world.

 

For more information on some of the events, please see the links below:

 

Houston Ballet – Marie

Museum of Fine Arts – French Films

Theater Under the Stars – Les Miserables

Art In the Park

GALA, DINNER & ART AUCTION – WEDNESDAY, MAY 20th, 7.30PM

THRASH RESIDENCE – 306 LONGWOODS, Cocktail Attire

 

 

Art in the Park Houston, supports monumental sculpture exhibitions to enrich Houston’s civic spaces and to foster international attention to our city as a center for art and culture.

The TEXAN FRENCH ALLIANCE FOR THE ARTS honors the artists chosen for the upcoming Fall 2009 inaugural exhibition, internationally renowned sculptor Bernar Venet with Special guest Pierre GrandJouan, Consul General of France.

For more information call Caroline at 713.840.8406 or artintheparkhouston@gmail.com

 

Click here to print the invitation

Click here to view the art pieces in the auction 

Click here : “Art in the Park” Houston Chronicle article

 

Baccarat Night

The evening was filled with champagne and truffles as Baccarat hosted the Texan French Alliance for the Arts in launching its newest limited edition collection called the “Crystal Candy Set,” designed by Spanish artist Jaime Hayon.
In from New York was Baccarat VP of Marketing, Brent McDaneld, describing the inspiration behind and the creation of this exclusive collection, which made its third stop in the US in Houston last night. Among the crowd was:

Lynn Wyatt
Steve & Betty Newton
Donatella & Fred Benckenstein
French Cultural Attache Dominique Chastres
Rania Daniel
Cindi & Franklin Rose
Reda Martin
Mehrnaz & Ned Gill
Jaleh & Bruce Sallee
Sima Ladjevardian
Mahnaz Kooros
Mickey (TFAA Board President) & Francoise Henry
Susan & Dennis Carlyle
Lorraine & Jonathan Talbot
Haleh Holmes
Gabriela & Danny Dror
Sabiha Rehmatulla
Bruce Padilla, Regional Manager, Baccarat North America

Pictures of the Baccarat Night

DWDT – Russian Ballet

“1909-2009: The Great Collaborators of the Ballets Russes”

October 15-17, 2009 at Zilka Hall of the Hobby Center of the Performing Arts

Dominic Walsh Dance Theater celebrates the 100th anniversary of the Ballets Russes. Under Sergei Diaghilev, this revolutionary company drew upon the genius of leading composers, artists, choreographers, and dancers to produce groundbreaking productions that redefined classical dance. In this tradition, Walsh offers his 21st century take on classics from that era — The Dying Swan, The Afternoon of a Faun, Le Spectre de la Rose, and The Firebird.

Tickets start at $24

Use Promotion code: TFAA  for a 20% discount

call the box office: 713-315-2525 or visit : www.dwdt.org

 

To see the flyer Click HERE and to see the video click HERE

press release July 2009

press release October 2009

 

Special Soiree :
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Benefactor’s Reception 6:15 PM
Performance 7:30 PM
Soirée 9:30 PM approximately

Have you heard of The Firebird – the ballet that electrified the classical dance world when Sergei Diaghilev and his newborn Ballets Russes introduced it in Paris 100 years ago? Well, prepare for another dance revolution – here in Houston – with the world premiere of Walsh’s Firebird featuring Paris Opera Ballet Étoile Marie-Agnès Gillot and Dominic Walsh Dance Theater principal Domenico Luciano.

To celebrate this new creation and the 100th anniversary of the Ballets Russes, we invite you to join us for the Firebird Soirée held in conjunction with the Saturday, October 17th performance.

The evening will begin at 7:30 PM at the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts, Zilkha Hall with Dominic Walsh Dance Theater’s 1909-2009: The Great Collaborators of the Ballets Russes. The celebration will continue with the festive Firebird Soirée at the Four Seasons Hotel Ballroom, capturing the Diaghilev spirit with cocktails, a seated Russian supper, artful conversation, and music by The Gypsies.

We will also honor Ben Stevenson at the Firebird Soirée with the inaugural “Spirit of Dance” Award. Back when Walsh was Houston Ballet’s Principal Dancer, Stevenson recognized and encouraged Walsh’s gift as a choreographer. We honor Stevenson, not only for his tutelage of Walsh, but for putting Houston on the world map for ballet. He is one of the most original figures in the development of regional ballet in the U.S. And though he is British, his achievement as teacher, choreographer, and company director is rooted in American ballet.

 

Firebird Soirée

Chair: Dr. Carolyn Farb, h.c.

Honoree: Ben Stevenson, O.B.E.
Artistic Director, Texas Ballet Theater
Former Artistic Director, Houston Ballet

Date & Time:
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Benefactor’s Reception 6:15 PM
Performance 7:30 PM
Soirée 9:30 PM approximately

Location:
Hobby Center, Zilkha Hall
Four Seasons Hotel Ballroom

Attire:
Black Tie or From Russia with Love
Individual Tickets:
$250, $500, and $1,000

Tables:
$2,500, $5,000, $7,500, and $10,000 (Tables of Ten)

Special Opportunity for Benefactors:

Kick-off Cocktail Party in September hosted by Benjy’s on Washington

Pre-reception in the Founders Salon of the Hobby Center graciously underwritten by MjC Events and Lucia and Michael Cordúa

For more information or to make a reservation, please call Leigh McBurnett at 713-652-3938 or email lmcburnett@dwdt.org

1909-2009: The Great Collaborators
of the Ballet Russes

October 15-17, 2009


Hobby Center for the Performing Arts,
Zilkha Hall

Pictured: DWDT Company Members Domenico Luciano and Dominic Walsh. Marie-Agnès Gillot and Erika Johnson.
Photos by Amitava Sarkar, Photography InSight and Frederique de Montblanc.