Company C Contemporary Ballet (San Francisco)
www.companycballet.org

Stunning repertoire and elegant sophistication are exhibited hallmarks of the fresh and young Company C Contemporary Ballet. The Company’s passionate, moving, and entertaining performances offer a broad spectrum of contemporary works by Twyla Tharp, Paul Taylor, Antony Tudor, David Parsons, and Michael Smuin, brilliantly directed under New York City Ballet veteran and ballet legacy Charles Anderson.

This fourteen-member ensemble of extraordinary classically trained dancers presents a diverse repertoire of contemporary choreography which is moving, provocative, sensual, and entertaining. Along with presenting works by some of the most accomplished contemporary choreographers of our time, the Company also commissions new works from talented choreographers such as former New York City Ballet Soloist Alexandre Proia and Patrick Corbin, former featured dancer with the Paul Taylor Dance Company. In 2008 the Company performed the world premiere of Twyla Tharp’s ARMENIA at San Francisco’s Yerba Buena Center for the Arts and in 2009, Company C Contemporary Ballet will be commissioning new ballets from Gregory Dawson and Nikolai Kabaniaey, with a work by San Francisco Ballet’s Val Caniparoli. Also in 2009, the Company will acquire its fourth work by National Medal of Arts recipient Twyla Tharp.

Since its inception in 2002, Company C Contemporary Ballet has performed regularly throughout Northern California and made its New York debut in 2006. The Company’s 2008 touring has included Temecula, California, Mendocino, and Akron, Ohio, where they were the featured performer in the multi-week Heinz Poll Dance Festival and in residency at the University of Akron.

Company C Contemporary Ballet has been described best as “high-voltage athleticism” Pointe Magazine. This company is “…not a polite textbook copy of a chamber ballet troupe” The New York Times.

Touring Programs

Mixed Repertory
Company C Contemporary Ballet presents an extraordinary evening of current repertoire including classic works by Twyla Tharp and David Parsons along side new pieces by Artistic Director Charles Anderson and San Francisco Ballet’s Val Caniparoli.

Program A Available January-March 2009
This evening of four works begins with The Song Remains the Same choreographed by Artistic Director Charles Anderson and set to a delightful bluegrass rendition of Led Zeppelin. The program continues with favorite classics such as Twyla Tharp’s Armenia, featuring a challenging duet filled with Tharp’s trademark humor and off-beat timing, and ends with David Parsons’ The Envelope in which seven dancers are put against a persistent piece of stationary.

Program B Available March-May 2009
This program features five incredibly innovative works including The Little Ballet, Twyla Tharp’s delicate study of the interplay between classical and popular dancing, originally created for Mikhail Baryshnikov and four women. Also featured are Vespers, choreographed by former Paul Taylor principal dancer David Grenke and described by the New York Times as “a tour de force of choreographic ingenuity;” and, boink!, Val Caniparoli’s humorous, sophisticated ballet set to the hip, retro sound of 1960s pop icon Juan Garcia Esquival.

Outreach

Lecture / Demonstrations
Charles Anderson provides commentary for the Company’s lecture/demonstrations, which show basic ballet barre and center and demonstrate choreography from the Company’s repertoire. The lecture/demonstrations last approximately 40 minutes and can be tailored to all ages.

Pre/Post Performance Discussions
Artistic Director, Charles Anderson, discusses the show’s repertoire; his experiences growing up within the ballet legacy; and dancing with New York City Ballet, Jerome Robbins, and Peter Martins.

Residencies
Company C Contemporary Ballet is available to conduct residency activities of all types including:

Master Classes taught by Charles Anderson
Repertory workshops for advanced ballet students
Open rehearsals
Panel discussions