Carolina Ballet Presents Messiah During Thanksgiving Weekend Nov. 27 – Dec. 1
Local Professional Ballet Company Kicks Off the 2013 Holiday Season with an Epic Performance with Deep Ethical Roots.
Raleigh, NC, October 16, 2013 --(PR.com)-- After a four-year absence, Carolina Ballet will reprise its ever-popular Messiah during Thanksgiving weekend, November 27-December 1, 2013. Messiah will be presented in Raleigh Memorial Auditorium at the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Raleigh. The schedule of performances is as follows:
- Wednesday, Nov. 27, at 8pm
- Friday, Nov. 29, at 8pm
- Saturday, Nov. 30, at 2pm and 8pm
- Sunday, Dec. 1, at 2pm
Robert Weiss choreographed Act I of Messiah to the widely recognized music of George Frideric Handel for Christmas 1998, Carolina Ballet’s first season. Since that premiere the company has performed Messiah to the accompaniment of live musicians and the North Carolina Master Chorale conducted by Alfred E. Sturgis. In 1998 Messiah was scheduled for only two performances, however the production was such a success, a third performance was added at the last minute. When the word was out about the additional show, patrons stood in line around Raleigh Memorial Auditorium to purchase tickets. The next year Weiss completed Messiah and it remains today one of the most highly regarded ballets in the company’s repertory.
In the program notes accompanying the first production, Robert Weiss said “I always felt that Handel’s majestic celebratory hymns lent themselves to dance. Messiah has such lilting melodies and a great undercurrent of propulsive rhythms.” The News & Observer confirmed Weiss’ feelings by saying in its review “Let’s answer the main question right away, ‘can Handel’s Messiah be a ballet?’ Absolutely.” The ballet brings the story of Christ to life through singing, music and dance, and through tableaux taken from paintings of the great masters depicting the life of Christ.
There is something for everyone in Carolina Ballet’s production of Messiah. Whether it is the dance, the music, the message, the athleticism of the dancers, the lighting, the costumes or all of the above, Messiah appeals to all ages. One patron wrote to Carolina Ballet after a performance saying “there are scenes which will stay with me forever. When last did a ballet make me laugh and cry in the same hour?” Carolina Ballet presented Messiah in Hungary during 2002 when the company participated in an International Dance Festival in Budapest. A critic from Belgrade wrote in her review of the production “the ballet’s essence is deeply ethical. It is a celebration of human dignity, human generosity, freedom of thought and tolerance, both religious and political.” Jochen Schmidt said in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung that Messiah “is touchingly old-fashioned and timeless at the same time – a ballet from the days when dancing still sought to help its audiences.” And in discussing the dancers he went on to say “there was an unqualified identification with roles and an unreserved absorption in the choreography of a kind scarcely seen any longer in Europe.”
In March 2008, Pennsylvania Ballet presented Robert Weiss’ Messiah at the Academy of Music in Philadelphia. The critics were unanimous in their praise saying “it’s the best thing I have seen Pennsylvania Ballet perform in the last five years, and by itself, Act One stands as one of the best new works I’ve seen period.” The Philadelphia Inquirer said Messiah was “Pennsylvania Ballet’s largest and most ambitious production ever.”
Tickets for Carolina Ballet’s Messiah may be purchased by calling the Carolina Ballet box office at 919 719-0900 or through Ticketmaster at 800 982-2787. Tickets may also be purchased on line at www.carolinaballet.com. Ticket prices range from $27-68. Saturday matinee tickets are $23-58 and there is a $10 student rush ticket one hour before all shows.
After fifteen seasons, Carolina Ballet, Inc. has taken its place among America’s premier arts organizations. Under the innovative direction of artistic director Robert Weiss, a talented company, fiscally responsible management and community support, Carolina Ballet exposes audiences to traditional ballet by legendary masters and new works of contemporary choreographers. The company represents the vibrant entrepreneurial spirit and ever-increasing quality of life experienced here in North Carolina.
New Media Content:
Carolina Ballet Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/CarolinaBallet
Carolina Ballet Twitter feed:
https://twitter.com/#!/CarolinaBallet
Carolina Ballet Meetup page:
http://www.meetup.com/dance-507/
Carolina Ballet Pinterest page:
http://pinterest.com/carolinaballet/
About Carolina Ballet:
Carolina Ballet is a world-class professional ballet company based in Raleigh, N.C. Since its professional launch in 1998 under the leadership of Artistic Director/CEO Robert Weiss, the company has staged more than 80 world premiere ballets, toured internationally in China and Hungary, and has been acclaimed as one of the premiere arts organizations in the country. The mission of Carolina Ballet is to entertain and enlighten audiences in Raleigh, the greater Triangle area, North Carolina and beyond. The organization seeks to accomplish this mission by presenting traditional ballets of legendary masters; commissioning new works by innovative choreographers; educating current and future audiences through programs for school-aged children and other performance outreach activities; and attracting, developing, and retaining excellent dancers and artistic personnel, combined with a fiscally responsible management and board of directors. For more information, please visit http://www.carolinaballet.com or call (919) 719-0800.
- Wednesday, Nov. 27, at 8pm
- Friday, Nov. 29, at 8pm
- Saturday, Nov. 30, at 2pm and 8pm
- Sunday, Dec. 1, at 2pm
Robert Weiss choreographed Act I of Messiah to the widely recognized music of George Frideric Handel for Christmas 1998, Carolina Ballet’s first season. Since that premiere the company has performed Messiah to the accompaniment of live musicians and the North Carolina Master Chorale conducted by Alfred E. Sturgis. In 1998 Messiah was scheduled for only two performances, however the production was such a success, a third performance was added at the last minute. When the word was out about the additional show, patrons stood in line around Raleigh Memorial Auditorium to purchase tickets. The next year Weiss completed Messiah and it remains today one of the most highly regarded ballets in the company’s repertory.
In the program notes accompanying the first production, Robert Weiss said “I always felt that Handel’s majestic celebratory hymns lent themselves to dance. Messiah has such lilting melodies and a great undercurrent of propulsive rhythms.” The News & Observer confirmed Weiss’ feelings by saying in its review “Let’s answer the main question right away, ‘can Handel’s Messiah be a ballet?’ Absolutely.” The ballet brings the story of Christ to life through singing, music and dance, and through tableaux taken from paintings of the great masters depicting the life of Christ.
There is something for everyone in Carolina Ballet’s production of Messiah. Whether it is the dance, the music, the message, the athleticism of the dancers, the lighting, the costumes or all of the above, Messiah appeals to all ages. One patron wrote to Carolina Ballet after a performance saying “there are scenes which will stay with me forever. When last did a ballet make me laugh and cry in the same hour?” Carolina Ballet presented Messiah in Hungary during 2002 when the company participated in an International Dance Festival in Budapest. A critic from Belgrade wrote in her review of the production “the ballet’s essence is deeply ethical. It is a celebration of human dignity, human generosity, freedom of thought and tolerance, both religious and political.” Jochen Schmidt said in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung that Messiah “is touchingly old-fashioned and timeless at the same time – a ballet from the days when dancing still sought to help its audiences.” And in discussing the dancers he went on to say “there was an unqualified identification with roles and an unreserved absorption in the choreography of a kind scarcely seen any longer in Europe.”
In March 2008, Pennsylvania Ballet presented Robert Weiss’ Messiah at the Academy of Music in Philadelphia. The critics were unanimous in their praise saying “it’s the best thing I have seen Pennsylvania Ballet perform in the last five years, and by itself, Act One stands as one of the best new works I’ve seen period.” The Philadelphia Inquirer said Messiah was “Pennsylvania Ballet’s largest and most ambitious production ever.”
Tickets for Carolina Ballet’s Messiah may be purchased by calling the Carolina Ballet box office at 919 719-0900 or through Ticketmaster at 800 982-2787. Tickets may also be purchased on line at www.carolinaballet.com. Ticket prices range from $27-68. Saturday matinee tickets are $23-58 and there is a $10 student rush ticket one hour before all shows.
After fifteen seasons, Carolina Ballet, Inc. has taken its place among America’s premier arts organizations. Under the innovative direction of artistic director Robert Weiss, a talented company, fiscally responsible management and community support, Carolina Ballet exposes audiences to traditional ballet by legendary masters and new works of contemporary choreographers. The company represents the vibrant entrepreneurial spirit and ever-increasing quality of life experienced here in North Carolina.
New Media Content:
Carolina Ballet Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/CarolinaBallet
Carolina Ballet Twitter feed:
https://twitter.com/#!/CarolinaBallet
Carolina Ballet Meetup page:
http://www.meetup.com/dance-507/
Carolina Ballet Pinterest page:
http://pinterest.com/carolinaballet/
About Carolina Ballet:
Carolina Ballet is a world-class professional ballet company based in Raleigh, N.C. Since its professional launch in 1998 under the leadership of Artistic Director/CEO Robert Weiss, the company has staged more than 80 world premiere ballets, toured internationally in China and Hungary, and has been acclaimed as one of the premiere arts organizations in the country. The mission of Carolina Ballet is to entertain and enlighten audiences in Raleigh, the greater Triangle area, North Carolina and beyond. The organization seeks to accomplish this mission by presenting traditional ballets of legendary masters; commissioning new works by innovative choreographers; educating current and future audiences through programs for school-aged children and other performance outreach activities; and attracting, developing, and retaining excellent dancers and artistic personnel, combined with a fiscally responsible management and board of directors. For more information, please visit http://www.carolinaballet.com or call (919) 719-0800.
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Carolina Ballet
Robert Buhler
919-233-6600
Robert Buhler
919-233-6600
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