Submitted by Ballet Northwest
Olympia, WA – Ballet Northwest will present Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s classic ballet The Sleeping Beauty this Mother’s Day Weekend at the Washington Center for the Performing Arts.
Tchaikovsky’s beloved ballet features a cursed princess, faeries, the royal court, and a prince who awakens a sleeping kingdom. The ballet concludes with Princess Aurora’s wedding with special guests Red Riding Hood, Puss N’ Boots, Rapunzel, Cinderella, and Hansel and Gretel!
Ballet Northwest’s production includes professional sets, lavish costumes, 75 local dancers (from Thurston, Lewis, Mason, and Pierce counties), and guest artist Iyun Harrison. Mr. Harrison danced professionally with Dance Theater of Harlem and Ailey II, both in New York City. Currently he is on faculty at Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle, and locally at Johansen Olympia Dance Center. He is also the Artistic Director of Ashani Dances, a contemporary dance company based in Seattle.
“We’re excited this year to have such a strong cast of local dancers, as well as such an experienced professional dancer like Iyun Harrison who worked professionally in New York.”, stated Co-Artistic Director Josie Johnson.
Ballet Northwest continues its rich tradition of outreach into the community with its Dance Literacy program, in conjunction with The Sleeping Beauty.
Co-Artistic Director Ken Johnson explained, “Our dancers are thrilled to visit local elementary schools to introduce kids to dance, then the school children will be bused (at no charge to the schools) to a free student matinee at the Washington Center. For most kids, this will be their first exposure to ballet.”
The Sleeping Beauty is presented with the support of Nisqually Indian Tribe, Dr. Andrew Kapust, DDS, Olympia Federal Savings, and KUOW 94.9.
The Sleeping Beauty will be performed at The Washington Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Olympia May 10 through 12, Mother’s Day Weekend 2012. Curtain time is 7:30pm on Friday and Saturday and 2pm on Saturday and Sunday. Tickets range from $14 to $30, with discounts available to students, seniors, and youth. Student Rush tickets are available one hour before curtain. Tickets are available through the Washington Center Box Office at 512 Washington Street SE in Olympia or by calling 360-753-8566. Visit www.balletnorthwest.org for more information or buy tickets online at www.olytix.org.
Biographies:
Iyun Harrison
Mr.Harrison earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the Juilliard School and Masters of Fine Arts degree from Hollins University/American Dance Festival. He danced with Dance Theatre of Harlem, Ballet Hispanico of New York, National Dance Theatre Company of Jamaica, and Ailey II. Mr. Harrison has taught/choreographed for the Juilliard Dance Ensemble, Ailey School, American Dance Festival, Jamaica School of Dance, University of the West Indies, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, American College Dance Festival and Webster University. He is currently on faculty at Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle.
Josie Johnson, Co-Artistic Director
Josie and her husband Ken are the Directors of Johansen Olympia Dance Center. She trained at Orange County Ballet Theatre, Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, and The Hartt School at the University of Hartford, where she received a B.F.A. in Dance Pedagogy. Josie danced professionally with Dance Connecticut/Hartford Ballet, Connecticut Opera, Roxey Ballet, and ARC Dance Productions. Guest credits include Eliot Feld’s Mr. XYZ with Mikhail Baryshnikov and Kirk Peterson’s The Nutcracker with the American Ballet Theatre Studio Company. Josie has taught and choreographed extensively throughout New Jersey, Connecticut, and Washington.
Ken Johnson, Co-Artistic Director
Ken and his wife Josie are the Directors of Johansen Olympia Dance Center. He trained at Johansen School of Ballet, Evergreen City Ballet, and the School of Hartford Ballet. He attended summer programs at American Ballet Theatre, Houston Ballet, Pennsylvania Ballet, and Pacific Northwest Ballet on scholarship. Ken danced professionally with Hartford Ballet, Dance Connecticut, and Connecticut Opera, as well as at the prestigious Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival. Ken received a bachelor’s from The Hartt School at the University of Hartford. Ken has worked at American Repertory Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Dance Connecticut, ACT Theatre, and Tacoma Art Museum.
Since 1970, Ballet Northwest has been a community-based group dedicated to promoting, teaching, and preserving the art of dance in Southwestern Washington. The company offers educational opportunities for local dancers as well as outreach throughout the community.
