May 26, 2006
Every four years, the capital of Mississippi becomes the capital of the dance world. From June 17 to July 2, 2006, Jackson will eat, sleep and celebrate the beauty of dance.
In addition to viewing three rounds of intense competition among junior and senior competitors and performances by world-renowned dance troupes, enthusiastic audiences will enjoy a host of ancillary events that surround the competition.
“Not only will competitors visiting Mississippi for the first time enjoy our Southern charm and hospitality, but residents of the state will be fully entertained as well,” said Sue Lobrano, USA IBC executive director.
From exhibits to receptions to entertaining luncheons, the world will be watching as Jackson is transformed into a ballet mecca.
During the competition, an art exhibit featuring the work of USA IBC poster artist P. Sanders McNeal will be on display in the mezzanine of Thalia Mara Hall, along with pieces by Santa Fe sculptor Susanne Vertel, who specializes in figurative bronze work. The work of Mississippi residents Gary Martin and Robert Crowell will also be on display. Martin, who resides in Moss Point, began working full time as a sculptor, painter and metalsmith in 1977. Crowell, a Jackson native, is a self-taught artist and sculptor. The majority of his work is carved from black walnut harvested from family land in Monroe County, Miss.
“I feel honored to be participating in this wonderful international ballet event,” said Vertel. “The beauty and grace of the human figure is never better expressed than it is in a talented ballet artist. My goal is to freeze a moment of the exquisite movement of the dancer to be enjoyed wherever it is seen.”
Both movie buffs and dance enthusiasts will enjoy film screenings of Ballets Russes on June 26 at 1:30 and 7 p.m. at the Edison Walthall Hotel.
The film is an entrancing ode to the revolutionary 20 th century dance company known as the Ballets Russes, a group of Russian refugees who formed two competitive dance troupes fighting infamous “ballet battles” that consumed London society before World War II. The film has won popular and critical acclaim, and the screening is free and open to the public.
“Lunch with the IBC,” a luncheon and lecture program, will be held at the Mississippi Museum of Art June 20, 22, 26 and 29 at 11:30 a.m. Presenters affiliated with the USA IBC and special guest performers will speak on dance-related themes from tutu construction to Regional Dance America. Lunch will be available for purchase at each program for only $10.
The Edward Stierle Contemporary Showcase, created to feature USA IBC competitors in contemporary works prepared for Rounds II and III of the competition, is an exciting new event in the USA IBC schedule.
“Because a significant quantity of dancers are eliminated after Round I, competitors are often not given the opportunity to present the contemporary works they have rehearsed for later rounds,” Lobrano said. “This showcase is designed as a venue for dancers and their choreographers to present their work to the USA IBC audience.”
The program will be held in honor of Edward Stierle, a talented dancer who competed in the third USA IBC in 1986. He left the competition with the junior gold medal and recognition by Robert Joffrey, later joining the Joffrey Ballet. At 19, Stierle tested positive for HIV. Six days after his 23rd birthday, he passed away.
The showcase will be held Sunday, June 25 at 2 p.m. in the Belhaven Center for the Arts. Admission is free for this event, which is made possible by Bill and Rose Stierle and Karlen and Travis Bain.
“For each competition, we seek out exciting activities that will complement the IBC performance schedule,” Lobrano said. “This summer, we have gone to great lengths to create distinctive offerings that build on the excitement of this world-class dance event.”
For more information, contact the USA IBC office at 601.355.9853 or visit our complete ancillary events schedule. To purchase tickets, call the USA IBC Box Office at 601-973-9249. |
