Ballet Memphis will continue our 20th anniversary season celebration with our first mainstage show of 2006-2007, Classically Cool: Bringin’ Down the House, at the Orpheum Theatre in downtown Memphis, Oct. 7–8, and a party following the performance.

The program will feature a world-premiere work by choreographer Julia Adam based on the short story “A Curtain of Green” by Eudora Welty, as well as the revised and revived Breathless by Lila York, set to the toe-tapping, hip-shaking music of Jerry Lee Lewis. Ballet Memphis premiered Breathless in October 2002. To round out the performance, the company will honor its classical roots with George Balanchine’s Allegro Brillante, staged by Victoria Simon.

After the show, Ballet Memphis will host a special party at Wang’s Mandarin House, 113 S. Main, where guests can mingle with company dancers. Cost is $20 per person at the door. The cost includes an appetizer buffet, two drinks (beer or wine) and a special gift. There also will be a cash bar.

AutoZone, FedEx, Gibson Guitar, Regions Bank and Toyos Clinic are the show sponsors.

Ballet Memphis Pilates Centre Shapes Up
FOCUS. BALANCE. TONE.

Ballet Memphis’ Pilates Centre offers sessions ongoing throughout the year. It’s never too late to honor your body with the toning and sculpting benefits of Pilates. Fall Mat II sessions will begin Oct. 23. New foam rollers will add variety to each mat workout. Beginning Sept. 15 we began holding a STOTT Pilates Intensive Reformer Certification Course. Call to reserve a spot in Intro to Pilates today, (901) 761-0214.

Dorothy Gunther Pugh Connects
with Mid South Reads

Dorothy Gunther Pugh, Ballet Memphis’ founder and artistic director, will be the guest speaker at the September meeting of Mid South Reads, a partnership of the University of Memphis and the Mid South Reads coalition of literacy advocates. The meeting will begin at 3 p.m., Sept. 21, 2006, at The Assisi Foundation, 515 Erin Drive in Memphis. It is open to the public.

Pugh will talk about the connection between literature and dance and the ways in which each is used to tell a story. Ballet Memphis frequently presents ballets inspired by literary works. The company’s first main-stage show of the 2006-2007 season, Oct. 7-8 at the Orpheum Theatre, will feature a world-premiere ballet by choreographer Julia Adam based on the short story “A Curtain of Green” by Eudora Welty.

Mid South Reads relies on community and university resources to provide services, research and professional development opportunities to foster environments for learning. Kay Shelton is executive director. For more information about Mid South Reads, visit www.midsouthreads.org. For more information about the September meeting, please call (901) 684-1564.

Garrett Ammon Receives TAC Fellowship
for choreography

Ballet Memphis company member Garrett Ammon recently received the Tennessee Arts Commission’s 2007 Individual Artist Fellowship for Choreography. The award provides fellowships to outstanding artists who live and work in Tennessee. Ammon danced with Houston Ballet and Oregon Ballet Theatre before joining Ballet Memphis in 1999 and is a member of Trey McIntyre Project. His choreography has garnered awards at the Festival des Arts de Saint-Sauveur International Choreographic Competition and the Palm Desert Dance Under the Stars Choreography Festival. His ballets include Tourist Point of View (2006), Smile (2005), Walk the Line (2003) and Short Trip Home (2003). Ammon also is the director and founder of interiorworks, an annual workshop performance of new choreography by Ballet Memphis artists, benefiting the Artists’ Resource Fund.

Ballet Memphis Celebrates 20th Anniversary with Special Edition Coffee
Funding for Dance & Great Coffee for You!

Ballet Memphis is proud to partner with Ugly Mug Coffee Company™ for our 20th anniversary season celebration and beyond. Founded in 1998 as Ugly Mug Coffee Studio in Memphis, Ugly Mug Coffee selects the purest beans purchased in a way that is 100 percent fair to growers. A fair trade price means farmers can feed and clothe their families, receive adequate healthcare, and provide educational opportunities for their children.

Your purchase of Ugly Mug’s Ballet Memphis 20th Anniversary Special Edition Blend means fair trade for farmers, funding for dance, and a great coffee experience for you! A portion of the proceeds from each sale of the Ballet Memphis blend benefits the programs of Ballet Memphis. Ballet Memphis 20th Anniversary Special Edition Blend is available for sale by the bag at the Ballet Memphis studio, as well as at our performances.

Ballet Memphis fans also can support our programs through Ugly Mug’s Direct Fix coffee subscription program. For information, please contact Ugly Mug at directfix@uglymugcoffee.com and mention Ballet Memphis.

20th Anniversary Corporate Packages
special discounts for employees

Corporate recruiters nationwide know the that bringing added value to their colleagues is imperative, and Ballet Memphis is here to help with a special 20th anniversary package for corporations that includes special discounts on tickets for employees. For more information, please contact the Development Department at (901) 737-7322.

We’re Going to The Joyce!
plan a trip to new york this spring

The Joyce Theater in New York has invited Ballet Memphis to perform there for a week in April 2007. The Joyce is one of the most prestigious dance-performance venues in the nation, and this will be the company’s first appearance there. The engagement is part of The Joyce’s Subsidized Rental Program. Ballet Memphis will present seven performances from April 3 to 8.

We invite our hometown audience to help us celebrate our 20th anniversary season by planning a trip to New York this spring to see us perform. Show tickets may be purchased in the coming months by calling the Joyce box office at (212) 242-0800 or visiting www.joyce.org. Look for updates on our New York trip in future editions of Ballet Memphis E-News and on our Web site, www.balletmemphis.org.

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