Tag Archives: the Jackson competition

Innovators Hall of Fame inducts Thalia Mara

Posted on by
Reply

Thalia Mara, founder of the USA International Ballet Competition, was posthumously inducted into the Mississippi Innovators Hall of Fame in September 2016.

Mara is the first individual from the arts to be inducted by Innovate Mississippi, a nonprofit organization with the mission to drive innovation and technology-based economic development in Mississippi. The Mississippi Innovators Hall of Fame, launched in 2008, celebrates and honors outstanding individuals and companies who helped put Mississippi on the map as a leader in innovation and entrepreneurship. Innovators blaze the trail of achievement for those who will follow in their footsteps.

Accepting the award, Mara’s niece, Leanne Mahoney of New York City, said Mara cared about the human condition, the quality of life, wherever she was—especially in Mississippi, her adopted home. “I believe she would be particularly pleased tonight,” she told the audience,”for your purpose in Innovate Mississippi is to encourage with nurturing and resources other creative thinkers with big ideas to persevere in realizing them.” She shared a statement Mara had made when she received a Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi “Ageless Hero” award: “What brings me the most satisfaction is to have been able to contribute to the growth and development of the natural talents of many Mississippians and to have contributed to raising the consciousness of Mississippians to the greatness of this state and its people.”

Quoting from the foreword to On Pointe, published after Mara’s death and one of 12 books she wrote about ballet, Mahoney read the words of Richard Philp, then Editor in Chief Emeritus for Dance Magazine. He wrote of Mara: “She was a monumental pioneer in 20th century American dance. Teacher, writer, educator, performer, philosopher, historian and advocate, Thalia’s accomplishments in ballet were astonishing to many of us who at first wondered and watched from afar as she brought the first international ballet competition in the United States to Jackson.”

Photo: Leanne Mahoney accepts the late Thalia Mara’s award from Tony Jeff of Innovate Mississippi.

 

Complexions Contemporary Ballet’s Dynamic Energy to Open 2014 USA International Ballet Competition

Posted on by
Reply

The USA International Ballet Competition  audience will witness an astounding mix of methods, styles and cultures when Complexions Contemporary Ballet takes the stage June 14 to open the 2014 festival in Jackson, Mississippi. The USA IBC, June 14 – 29, is designated as the official international ballet competition in the United States by a Joint Resolution of the Congress.

“We always want to introduce a spectacular ‘wow factor’ opening night, and Complexions, as an inventive and incredibly dynamic group of dancers, will certainly fit the bill,” said Sue Lobrano, USA IBC executive director. “Their power and fluidity are explosive, creating an entirely new vision of human movement.”

Complexions Contemporary Ballet will perform Innervisions (2013), a work that will combine artistry and rhythmic dance moves with bold physicality, all set to the R & B music of Stevie Wonder.

“It will be extremely exciting for the USA IBC audience to experience how Complexions transcends the limitations of a single dance style, period, venue or culture,” Lobrano commented. “We anticipate a brilliant performance that will pay joyful homage to Stevie Wonder’s well-known rhythms and lyricism.”

Founded in 1994 and based in New York, Complexions has received numerous awards and has appeared throughout the United States, at major European dance festivals and in shows around the globe. Its founders and artistic directors, Dwight Rhoden and Desmond Richardson, are known for creating an open, continually evolving form of dance that reflects the movement of the world and all its constituent cultures as an interrelated whole. Rhoden, whose choreography has been the lynchpin in the development of the Complexions repertory, choreographed Innervisions.

Tickets to the USA IBC’s opening ceremony, including the competitors’ Parade of Nations and Complexions Contemporary Ballet performance, range from $35 to $60 and may be purchased at www.usaibc.com. Tickets for other individual performances during the three rounds of competition are priced from $7 to $70 and may also be purchased via the website.

The USA IBC is a two-week, “olympic-style” competition where tomorrow’s stars vie for medals, cash awards, company contracts and scholarships. The event is designated as the official international ballet competition in the United States by a Joint Resolution of the Congress. Presented under the auspices of the International Dance Committee, International Theatre Institute of UNESCO, the USA IBC is held every four years in Jackson, Miss., in the tradition of sister competitions in Varna, Bulgaria, and Moscow, Russia.
###

2014 USA IBC Ticket Packages On Sale; Single Performance Tickets Available April 7.

Posted on by
Reply

Jackson, Miss. (January 20, 2014) -Ticket packages for the 2014 USA International Ballet Competition (USA IBC), scheduled for June 14 – 29, at Thalia Mara Hall in Jackson, Mississippi, are now on sale to the public. The USA IBC is designated as the official international ballet competition in the United States by a Joint Resolution of Congress.

Packages include tickets for three rounds of competition, the June 14 Opening Ceremony and the June 28 Awards Gala – 16 performances. Complexions Contemporary Ballet will appear as the guest company for the Opening Ceremony, and the 2014 medalists will perform at the Awards Gala. Package prices are $265 for lower balcony and rear orchestra seating, $341 for loge and orchestra seating, and $405 for dress circle seating. Ticket packages are discounted 15 percent off the price of individual tickets that will be available for purchase April 7, 2014.

“USA IBC tickets are always in high demand,” said Sue Lobrano, USA IBC executive director. “Purchasing a ticket package is a great value and an excellent way to secure the best seats for the most popular nights of the event – Opening Night, Round Three and the Awards Gala.”

The USA IBC offers spectacular dance performances from the classical ballet repertoire and the new 2014 contemporary repertoire from which semi-finalists will be required to perform one contemporary solo or pas de deux. Choreographers, Trey McIntyre and Matthew Neenan, have generously contributed several of their works to the upcoming competition.

“Taking the requisite contemporary repertoire into consideration, it will be very exciting to hear about how many audience members develop a preference for their favorite dancers and cheer them on as they advance to the next round,” said Lobrano. “Receiving this kind of support from fans who attend every performance is just one of the many factors that make the USA IBC experience one of a kind.”

Ticket packages may be purchased online or by contacting the USA IBC Box Office, 601-973-9249, between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. (CST) Monday-Friday. The Box Office is inside the Mississippi Arts Center, 201 E. Pascagoula St., in downtown Jackson. Tickets for individual performances will be released for sale April 7, 2014.

The USA IBC is a two-week, “olympic-style” competition where tomorrow’s stars vie for medals, cash awards, company contracts and scholarships. The event is designated as the official international ballet competition in the United States by a 1982 Joint Resolution of the Congress. Presented under the auspices of the International Dance Committee, International Theatre Institute of UNESCO, the USA IBC is held every four years in Jackson in the tradition of sister competitions in Varna, Bulgaria, and Moscow, Russia.

 

 

USA International Ballet Competition invites competitors for 2014

Posted on by
Reply

The competition that has catapulted the careers of young dancers from Jose Carreño to Daniil Simkin, Nina Ananiashvili to Misa Kuranaga, Sarah Lamb to Marcelino Sambé—and so many more—is calling for competitors for 2014.

The USA International Ballet Competition invites dancers who aspire to follow in the footsteps of these and other renowned artists to complete Competitor Application-Part 1 online by November 8, 2013. Apply online here.

Part II of the application process requires applicants to submit a performance video/DVD using a selection from the 2014 USA IBC Round I Classical Repertoire when filming their video application.  The deadline for submitting the Competitor Application Part II is February 7, 2014.

“The excitement is contagious when we start to hear from dancers and coaches from around the world,” said Sue Lobrano, USA IBC executive director since 1986. “The USA IBC is known internationally for adhering to exceptionally high standards of professionalism, fairness and performance. It’s vital for us to continuously improve the quality of the event and the competition experience as we seek to attract the world’s most talented dancers.”

Celebrating 35 years in 2014, USA IBC will introduce a new Round II Contemporary Repertoire from which semi-finalists will be required to perform one contemporary solo or pas de deux.

“The USA IBC is interested in contemporary choreography that reflects the highest quality of dance created by contemporary or modern dance masters. Choreographers,  Trey McIntyre and Matthew Neenan, have generously contributed several of their works to the 2014 competition,” said Lobrano.

Competitors will be responsible for learning the piece of their choice prior to arriving at the USA IBC.  Neenan and a member of Trey McIntyre Project will be in Jackson to consult with competitors performing selections of their work in Round II.

“The jury and audience will be able to see how well each dancer grasps the requisite contemporary choreography, while dancers enjoy the opportunity to perform pieces by two highly acclaimed choreographers.”

Unique to the USA IBC is the festival of dance that surrounds the event. The USA IBC Dance School and Teacher Training Program run concurrently with the competition. Individually, these activities offer student and adult participants an opportunity to learn from some of the most respected professionals in dance. Other featured ancillary events for 2014 encompass dance-related exhibits and performances. Watch for details to be announced in fall and coming months.

Many U.S. and international dance company directors also attend the USA IBC to scout for new talent.

“Dancers competing in the USA IBC are keenly aware that contracts can be awarded and careers launched for non-medalists as well as those who take home a gold, silver or bronze. The opportunity to be seen on the USA IBC stage is a prize in itself,” Lobrano concluded.

Prospective applicants with questions may contact Hannah Renegar, artistic administrator, at 601-973-9247 or hannah@usaibc.com.

Tickets for the 2014 USA IBC are available in both ticket packages and individual performance tickets. All-inclusive ticket packages go on sale to International Ballet Association members October 7, 2013, and to the public January 6, 2014. Individual performance tickets go on sale April 7, 2014.