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“High-voltage athleticism”
– POINTE MAGAZINE
Taurean Green and Robert Dekkers in Twyla Tharp’s SURFER AT THE RIVER STYX
PHOTO BY rOsalie O’cOnnOr
eauty, passion, wit, and drama converge in the stunning performances of
California’s Company C Contemporary Ballet, named one of Dance Magazine’s
“25 to Watch” in 2010. Dynamic and adventurous, choreography is the hallmark of the Company, led by founder and Artistic Director Charles Anderson, a
former member of the New York City Ballet. The twelve-member ensemble of classically
trained dancers performs a diverse repertoire of moving, provocative, sensual, and entertaining contemporary choreography. This repertoire includes master works by some
of the most accomplished choreographers of today, including Twyla Tharp, Paul Taylor,
Antony Tudor, Lynne Taylor-Corbett, David Parsons, Michael Smuin, and Val Caniparoli.
The Company commissions original works each year from talented choreographers
such as former New York City Ballet Soloist Alexandre Proia, former Paul Taylor Dancer
Patrick Corbin, and Gregory Dawson, formerly of Alonzo King LINES Ballet.
In 2008, the Company premiered Twyla Tharp’s
Armenia at San Francisco’s Yerba Buena Center for
the Arts and in 2010 was the first company, outside
of her own, given the honor of performing Ms.
Tharp’s Surfer at the River Styx. In the fall of 2009,
– DANCE MAGAZINE, JANUARY 2010
the Company collaborated with the Diablo Theater
Company and appeared in their production of On
the Town. For the 2010 season, the Company commissioned a new ballet from emerging Bay Area choreographer Amy Seiwert and performed Lar Lubovitch’s seminal work,
Cavalcade and Charles Moulton’s engaging Nine Person Precision Ball Passing.
Since its inception in late 2002, the Company has performed regularly throughout
Northern California and made its New York City debut in 2006. In addition to its regular
season throughout the Bay Area, the Company has toured to Temecula, California, Mendocino, California and Akron, Ohio, where it was the featured performer in the multiweek Heinz Poll Dance Festival and conducted a residency at the University of Akron.
One of Dance Magazine’s
“25 to Watch” in 2010.
— O V E R
company c contemporary ballet • 2055 north broadway, suite B • walnut creek, ca 94596 • tel: 925.708.0752 • fax: 925.937.1446 • www.companycballet.org
company h istory
Company C Contemporary Ballet came to life in September of 2002 with inaugural performances at the Cowell
Theater in San Francisco.
The Company grew rapidly in 2003, adding works by outside choreographers David Anderson, former principal
dancer for San Francisco Ballet, and James Sewell, artistic director of James Sewell Ballet in Minneapolis.
In 2004, the Company commissioned A World to Come by Alexandre Proia, former soloist with New York City Ballet, and acquired a second work by David Anderson. In addition to its San Francisco and Walnut Creek seasons, the
Company also produced the first annual Oakland Dance Festival at the Malonga Casquelourd Theater in Oakland, a
three-weekend event featuring the work of Company C Contemporary Ballet and other Bay area dance companies.
In 2005 the Company added to its repertoire Twyla Tharp’s classic Eight Jelly Rolls and a commissioned work by
Patrick Corbin, formerly of the Paul Taylor Dance Company. Additionally, the Company was presented by the Spreckels Performing Arts Center in Rohnert Park and the El Campanil Theater in Antioch and produced the second annual
Oakland Dance Festival.
Company C Contemporary Ballet opened its fifth season in the spring of 2006, adding to its repertoire Lynne TaylorCorbett’s Appearances, Twyla Tharp’s Country Dances and Charles Anderson’s Guaraldi Suite. The Company’s California
tour included the Charlene Powers Lang Performing Arts Theatre in Lodi and return engagements at the Spreckels
and El Campanil Theaters. In the summer, the Company was invited to perform at the Mendocino Music Festival and
made its New York debut at the prestigious Joyce SoHo in New York City.
In 2007 the Company added Paul Taylor’s 3 Epitaphs and Antony Tudor’s Dark Elegies to its repertoire as well as new
works by Alexandre Proia, Patrick Corbin and Charles Anderson. The Company performed at the Amador Theater in
Pleasanton, and added a second San Francisco season at the ODC Theatre. Company C Contemporary Ballet presented the fourth annual Oakland Dance Festival followed by a return to the Mendocino Music Festival.
The Company presented both Winter and Spring programs in Walnut Creek and San Francisco in 2008 and added
David Parsons’ witty work, The Envelope, to its repertoire along with works by David Grenke, formerly of Paul Taylor,
and Michael Smuin. The Company performed the world premiere of Twyla Tharp’s Armenia at San Francisco’s Yerba
Buena Center for the Arts and toured to Temecula, California, Mendocino, California and Akron, Ohio.
In 2009, the Company commissioned new ballets from Gregory Dawson and Nikolai Kabaniaev, added a work by
San Francisco Ballet’s Val Caniparoli and acquired its fourth work by National Medal of Arts recipient Twyla Tharp.
The Company also collaborated with Diablo Theater Company in a production of the Jerome Robbins and Leonard
Bernstein classic On The Town.
In 2010 the Company was named one of Dance Magazine’s “25 to Watch” and the first to be given the honor of performing Surfer at the River Styx, the fifth Tharp work to be added to the repertoire. The Company also commissioned
a work from emerging Bay Area choreographer Amy Seiwert, performed Lar Lubovitch’s seminal work, Cavalcade, and
Charles Moulton’s engaging Nine Person Precision Ball Passing.
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The Company tours with a total of 18 people and offers two programs per season.
The Company is also available for Outreach and Residency activities. Works in the 2011 Season:
Winter season
Ominous Rumblings of Discontent
(World Premiere)
Choreography by Maurice Causey
Music by Mikhail Karikis
Frankfurt Ballet’s Maurice Causey is known throughout
Europe for his inventive abstract works that collide dance,
theater and experimental music. Causey will use as inspiration the temperamental electro-orchestral of Londonbased Greek composer Mikhail Karikis.
Tovernon
Choreography by David Anderson
Music by Judith Landers
David Anderson’s signature ballet was created in collaboration with singer/ songwriter Judith Landers after the
death of a close friend. This poignant male solo embodies
a line from the sound score –“moved by wind we cannot
see”– that timelessly captures the poetic depths of loss,
grief and hope.
Pulse
Choreography by Daniel Ezralow
Music by David Lang
A choreographer working on an International scale, Daniel
Ezralow has created works for theater, opera, film, and
television. His Pulse is a cosmic whirl for the full Company-an optical illusion where bodies appear to glide in space,
like leaves blowing in the wind.
Indoor Fireworks (World Premiere)
Choreography by Charles Anderson, Benjamin Bowman
Music by Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello’s era-capturing lyrics and groundbreaking
music have inspired Artistic Director Charles Anderson
and his former New York City Ballet colleague Benjamin
Bowman to create a new work for the full Company.
Spring season
Slip-Ring
(World Premiere)
Choreography by Jodie Gates
Muisc by Jack Eddy
Riveting and sensual athleticism infuse the choreography
and music of Jodie Gates’ new work, a quirky and engaging romp for six. This premiere will be created in collaboration with the Company C dancers and Los Angeles-based
musician and composer Jack Eddy.
Ballet Noir (World Premiere)
Choreography by Charles Anderson
Music by Tom Waits and Willie Nelson
A personal and mysterious vignette from Artistic Director
Charles Anderson. This intriguing theatrical work was created to showcase his versatile dancers.
Gamelan (World Premiere)
Choreography by James Sewell
Music: Tom Patterson and Elaine Evans
The shimmering sounds of Indonesian gamelan music
underscore the intricate rhythms and subtly complex
gestures of a new work by James Sewell, who has choreographed more than 70 ballets around the world.
Psychedelic Six-Pack (excerpts)
Choreography by Patrick Corbin
Music by The Beatles and Jefferson Airplane
Vignettes from a scrapbook of images of the 1960’s: the
drugs, the civil rights struggles and the beginning of the
gay liberation movement.
Surfer at the River Styx
Choreography by Twyla Tharp
Music by David Kahne and Donald Knaack
A percussive, edge-of-your-seat score propels the nonstop,
quicksilver movement of Twyla Tharp’s irreverently stylish
deconstruction of Euripides’ Bacchae. The Contra Costa
Times called it a “stunning, mysterious celebration.” Surfer
has proven to be a tour de force for Company C, which is
the first company other than Tharp’s to perform the work.
The Company will aquire new works for the 2012 Season.
However, some of the above may also be available for 2012.
OUTreacH anD resiDencies On reVerse siDe
company c contemporary ballet • 2055 north broadway, suite B • walnut creek, ca 94596 • tel: 925.708.0752 • fax: 925.937.1446 • www.companycballet.org
Outreach and Residencies:
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 for different age groups.
Pre- or Post-Performance Talks
The Company’s Artistic Director is available to conduct pre- or post-performance discussions on dance-related topics including the choreography in the Company’s repertoire, his experiences grow
ing up in dance, dancing with New York City Ballet and working with Jerome Robbins, Peter Martins
and others.
Residencies
The Company is available to conduct residency activities of all types:
•Master classes in ballet taught by Charles Anderson,
•Repertory workshops for advanced ballet students, and
•Open rehearsals and panel discussions.
Edilsa Armendariz, Taurean Green and Kristen Lindsay in Twyla Tharp’s SURFER AT THE RIVER STYX
PHOTO BY rosalie O’connor
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daVid aNdersoN (1941-2009) performed in the 1960s
maUriCe CaUsey is an American-born, European-based
artist. He studied at the School of American Ballet, the
American Ballet Theatre School, the Central Pennsylvania
Youth Ballet, and the Joffrey Ballet pre-professional program
in San Antonio, Texas.
Mr. Causey performed with the Cleveland Ballet, the
Pennsylvania Ballet and the National Ballet of Canada. From
1991-1999 he was a principal dancer with William Forsythe’s
Ballet Frankfurt and helped develop Mr. Forsythe’s improvisational technologies, which
he teaches for institutions
around the world.
From 1999-2002 Mr. Causey was a Principal Dancer
with the Gothenburg Ballet
in Sweden. He then became
the Ballet Master for the
Royal Swedish Ballet in Stockholm and from 2004-2010
was Ballet Master for the
Netherlands Dance Theatre 1.
His 2008 work, Mood Swings,
marked his choreographic
premiere with NDT.
Mr. Causey has been
commissioned by companies
such as Stockholm 59 North,
NWDP, Hubbard Street Dance
Chicago’s 2nd Company HS2
and the Augsburg Ballet. He
is also a freelance teacher in
Europe for Ballet Frankfurt,
Cullberg Ballet, Netherlands
Dance Theatre 1 and 2, Random Dance Company, Carte
Blanche, and Wiesbaden
Robert Dekkers and Kristen Lindsay in Jodie Gates’ SLIP-RING.
PHOTO BY rOsalie O’cOnnOr
Ballet.
as a principal dancer with the San Francisco Ballet. He was
featured with that company in the first televised production
of The Nutcracker with Cynthia Gregory. In New York City he
was a member of American Ballet Theatre, a soloist at Radio
City Music Hall and in the original production of Applause,
starring Lauren Bacall. He collaborated with historian and
dance critic Walter Terry in Jubilant My Feet, a program on
dance and religion, and directed his own company, davidandersondance. His work as a
free-lance teacher took him to
Amsterdam, Montpellier, Munich, Seoul, and Stockholm.
Mr. Anderson served as
choreographer-in-residence for
the Montgomery Ballet and
then as Artistic Director from
1995-96. In 2000, he choreographed Fall from Earth for the
Alabama Contemporary Dance
Company. He received numerous honors, including choreographic fellowships from the
National Endowment for the
Arts and Alabama State Council on the Arts and awards for
choreography at the Panoply
Arts Festival in both 1999 and
2002.
BeNJamiN G. BowmaN
began dancing at the North
Carolina School of the Arts as
part of a pilot outreach program in the public schools. He
then relocated to Kansas City,
Missouri, where he studied
with Todd Bolender, Una Kai,
Jonathan Watts, Diana Adams and Eckhard Heidrich. He
also studied at the School of American Ballet and the San
Francisco Ballet School. Mr. Bowman danced with the Kansas City Ballet and five years with the Fort Worth Ballet as a
principal dancer before joining New York City Ballet in 1993.
In 2000 he was invited to join Twyla Tharp Dance, touring
extensively for the next two years. During this period, Tharp
developed the material which would eventually become the
award winning Broadway show, Movin’ Out. Mr. Bowman
was privileged to originate the role of “James.” He has also
worked as both a dancer and actor, performing works by
Kathy Posin, Nilas Martins, John Selya, and in Martha Clarke’s
re-imagined Garden of Earthly Delights.
patriCK CorBiN began his dance training under the
direction of Bernard Spriggs at the District of Columbia
City Ballet in 1977 and continued at the Washington School
of Ballet and the School of American Ballet. He has danced
with ABT II, the Joffrey II Dancers and, from 1985 to 1989,
with the Joffrey Ballet. He made his debut with the Paul
Taylor Dance Company in 1989 and has become one of its
most often featured dancers. Mr. Corbin also teaches at
The Taylor School.
daNiel eZralow has been hailed by The New York Times
as one of the best American dancer-choreographers working on an “International scale.” He has created works for
— O V E R
company c contemporary ballet • 2055 north broadway, suite B • walnut creek, ca 94596 • tel: 925.708.0752 • fax: 925.937.1446 • www.companycballet.org
gu est c hor eo graph ers - 2011 season
— C O N T I N U E D F R O M F R O N T
theater, opera, film and television and has danced with
Lar Lubovitch, Paul Taylor, and Pilobolus. He was one of the
original dancer-choreographers to create MOMIX and ISO
Dance. He has choreographed works for Hubbard Street
Dance Chicago, Batsheva Dance Company, Paris Opera Ballet,
London Contemporary Dance Company, Scapino Ballet Rotterdam and Helsinki City Dance Theater, among others. Mr.
Ezralow has received numerous awards and nominations
for his choreography for live performance, opera, rock videos,
commercials, film and television programs. He has also been
a recipient of an NEA Fellowship Grant.
Mr. Ezralow has created choreography for numerous
recording artists and advertising campaigns. He has collaborated with film directors Ron Howard, Lena Wertmuller,
Marco Belocchio, Nakano Hiroyuki, Dominique Sena and
Julian Temple. His choreography can be seen in the multimedia Why, in Cirque du Soleil’s Las Vegas show Love and in
Sony pictures’ film Across the Universe, directed by Julie Taymor. Spider-Man, Turn off the Dark, another Ezralow- Taymor
collaboration, opens on Broadway in the fall of 2010.
Lake Contemporary Ballet, and Ballet N/Y.
Ms. Gates has been a Professor of Dance at the University of California, Irvine since 2006 and is founder and artistic
director of the award winning Laguna Dance Festival.
James Sewell, a Minneapolis native, moved to New York to
study at the School of American Ballet with David Howard
and began performing with ABT II. He was a lead dancer
with Feld Ballets/NY for six years and has performed as a
guest artist with the New York City Ballet, Zvi Gottheiner
and Dancers and Denishawn. He has choreographed more
than 70 ballets for his own company, Minneapolis’ James
Sewell Ballet, and for companies in the United States and
around the world. Projects include works for the New York
City Ballet’s Choreographic Institute, the Minnesota Opera,
the Minnesota Orchestra, the Guthrie Theater, and the New
York State Council on the Arts grant to create Independence
In Dependence for Feld Ballets/NY.
Mr. Sewell received a Bush Foundation Artist Fellowship
(2002), a Choo-San Goh Award for Choreography from the
Choo-San Goh & H. Robert Magee Foundation (2006), and
two McKnight Artist Fellowships for Choreography. In 1983, Jodie Gates joined the Joffrey Ballet, under the
artistic direction of Robert Joffrey,
where she was a principal dancer
for fourteen years. She then joined
the Pennsylvania Ballet as a principal ballerina before dancing for
five years with William Forsythe’s
Ballet Frankfurt. Ms. Gates has
been featured in numerous television events and can be seen in
Billboards, the Joffrey Ballet’s rockballet by the musical artist Prince.
Ms. Gates has toured internationally as a choreographer,
master teacher and guest artist
and as rehearsal director for the
Joffrey Ballet and Complexions
Contemporary Ballet. She has
taught and staged the works of
William Forsythe for companies
across the globe. She was recognized by American Ballet Theatre
for her choreographic excellence
in 2009 and named their Altria/
ABT Fellow. Her most recent choreographic commissions include
works for ABT II, Philadelphia’s
BalletX, CorbinDances in NYC, the
Staatsballett Berlin in Germany,
Complexions Contemporary BalAshley Ivory in Charles Anderson’s Beautiful Maladies.
let, the Washington Ballet, Cedar
PHOTO BY rosalie O’connor
Twyla Tharp, a National
Medal of Arts recipient, formed
Twyla Tharp Dance in 1965 and
has created over 136 works. She
has choreographed for ballet and
modern companies worldwide including American Ballet Theatre,
Paris Opera Ballet, The Royal Ballet, New York City Ballet, Boston
Ballet, The Joffrey Ballet, Miami
City Ballet, Pacific Northwest
Ballet, Hubbard Street Dance
and Martha Graham Company.
Her film collaborations include
Hair, Ragtime, Amadeus, White
Nights and I’ll Do Anything. She is
the author of three books: “Push
Comes To Shove,” “The Creative
Habit: Learn It And Use It For Life”
and “The Collaborative Habit: Life
Lessons for Working Together.” Ms.
Tharp’s Broadway credits include
When We Were Very Young, The
Catherine Wheel, Singin’ In The
Rain, Movin’ Out, and The Times
They Are A-Changin’. Her most
recent Broadway show is Come
Fly Away set to the music of Frank
Sinatra.
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ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
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HARLES ANDERSON danced with the New York City Ballet from
1985-93, performing works of George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, Peter
Martins and many other notable choreographers. The son of two accomplished
dancers, San Francisco Ballet Principal David Anderson and Soloist Zola Dishong,
Anderson began studying dance at an early age and later trained at and
received full scholarships to the San Francisco Ballet School, the Joffrey Ballet
School, the American Ballet Theatre School and the School of American Ballet.
Anderson began choreographing ballets while still a dancer with the New York
City Ballet. From 1990-94, he co-founded and acted as artistic director for Ballet,
Inc. in New York, where he choreographed many of his early works. Anderson’s
work reflects a blend of classical and contemporary influences and is included
in the repertories of professional dance companies throughout the country.
Anderson founded Company C Contemporary Ballet in 2002.
Charles Anderson is a prominent ballet teacher in the Bay Area and has been
a guest teacher for Smuin Ballet, Matthew Bourne, Oakland Ballet, Twyla
Tharp Dance, Hubbard Street Dance, the North Carolina School of the Arts
PHOTO BY SUSAN VOGEL
and the Henny Jurriëns Foundation in Amsterdam. In addition to his work as
a dancer, choreographer and teacher, Anderson has served on the board of governors for the American Guild of
Musical Artists (AGMA), created costumes for the New York City Ballet’s Diamond Project, been an adjudicator and
instructor for the Bob Fosse Scholarship Program and served as a panelist for the Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Grant.
Robert Dekkers and Ashley Ivory in Jodie Gates’ world premiere, sliP-RiNG
PHOTO BY ROSALI E O’CON NOR
“Under Anderson’s direction, [Company C] showed
the kind of stylistic breadth and showmanship that has
shaped some of the best American ballet troupes”
– C O N T R A C O S TA T I M E S
company c contemporary ballet • 2055 north broadway, suite B • walnut creek, ca 94596 • tel: 925.708.0752 • fax: 925.937.1446 • www.companycballet.org
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DANCERS
“Superior, uninhibited dancing”
– SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE
Edilsa Armendariz grew up in Tijuana, Mexico
and received her early training at the Gloria Campobello Dance School, the San Francisco Ballet
School and the National Ballet School in Havana,
Cuba. She has performed with the San Diego
Ballet and Nevada Ballet Theatre. She joined
Company C Contemporary Ballet in 2009.
David Van Ligon studied at the San Francisco
Ballet School on full scholarship and joined the
professional division of the Pacific Northwest
Ballet. From 2005-2009 he danced with Nevada
Ballet Theatre as a soloist performing at The Kennedy Center and the National Theatre of Korea.
David danced with Ballet Austin before joining
Company C Contemporary Ballet in 2010.
Robert Dekkers trained with the Atlanta Ballet
and Gwinnett Ballet Theater. He danced with
Ballet Arizona and ODC/San Francisco. He was
resident choreographer for NovaBallet and is
the founding director of the San Francisco’s
Post:Ballet. Robert joined Company C Contemporary Ballet in 2009. In January, Robert was
named one of Dance Magazine’s “25 to Watch”
in 2011.
Kristin Lindsay trained at the Stapleton School of
the Performing Arts in San Anselmo, California
and at Marin Dance Theatre in San Rafael. She
also attended the schools of the Boston Ballet,
American Ballet Theatre and Harid Conservatory. Kristin was a trainee with Ballet Florida and
danced with the Allegro Theater Company. She
joined Company C Contemporary Ballet in 2009.
Jason Douglas is from Paterson, New Jersey and
comes to us most recently from touring as an
aerialist/dancer for RCCL productions and David
Taylor Dance Theatre. He previously danced
with Ballet Memphis, Ballet Nouveau Colorado,
Ballet Quad Cities, Illinois Ballet, North Carolina
Dance Theatre, Oxford Ballet, and Ballet Theater
of Maryland and set his own works on Burklyn
Ballet Theatre and Illinois Ballet.
Jackie McConnell, from Salem, Oregon, trained
with Pacific Northwest Ballet and received her
Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2008 from New York
University’s Tisch School of the Arts. She has performed with Nevada Ballet Theatre, toured with
the Portland-based Bodyvox and with Evergreen
City Ballet in Seattle. She joined Company C
Contemporary Ballet in 2010
Laura Dunlop trained at the Southold Dance
Theatre in Indiana and at the School of Ballet
Chicago. She has also trained with Chautauqua
Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, American Ballet
Theatre, Pennsylvania Ballet, The Joffrey Ballet,
and Miami City Ballet. She holds a business
degree from Indiana University. Laura joined
Company C Contemporary Ballet in 2007.
Chantelle Pianetta trained at the Contra Costa
Ballet School and the School of American Ballet.
She performed with the New York City Ballet
and worked for the New York Choreographic
Institute. In 2008, she was a member of the
Columbia Ballet Collaborative. Chantelle joined
Company C Contemporary Ballet in 2010.
Kevin Paul Hockenberry trained with Ballet
Lubbock, Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet,
Ballet Academy East, Elite Ballet and at the
University of Utah. He has performed with
Nevada Ballet Theatre, Nashville Ballet II and as
an apprentice with Ballet Austin. Kevin joined
Company C Contemporary Ballet in 2011.
Megan Steffens trained at The Harid Conservatory in Boca Raton, FL and in 2005 became a
trainee with Ballet Austin. She was a member of
The Sacramento Ballet from 2007-2010. Megan
joined Company C Contemporary Ballet in 2010.
Ashley Ivory trained at Ballet and Theatre Arts of
Danville and at the San Francisco Ballet School.
She toured with The San Francisco Ballet to
England and Spain as an apprentice and was a
member of the corps de ballet. Ashley holds a
Bachelor’s of Arts degree in Dance from Brigham
Young University. She joined Company C Contemporary Ballet in 2007.
Jeffrey Ware trained at Debbie Allen’s Dance
Academy, LINES Ballet and American Ballet Theater, and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at
SUNY Purchase College’s Conservatory of Dance.
He has performed with Desmond Richardson
and Kazuko Hirabayashi at the Kennedy Center
and in Burgos, Spain. Jeffrey joined Company C
Contemporary Ballet in 2010.
company c contemporary ballet • 2055 north broadway, suite B • walnut creek, ca 94596 • tel: 925.708.0752 • fax: 925.937.1446 • www.companycballet.org
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STAFF
“Company C gets an A”
– POINTE MAGAZINE
a Dm i n i stratiVe
a rti sti c / p ro D u c ti o n
Elizabeth Reed (Co-Founder and Executive Director) is a
graduate of Fordham University School of Law, Barnard
College and Phillips Academy, Andover. Before incorporating Company C Contemporary Ballet in 2002, Ms. Reed
practiced law in New York and California.
Alexis Drabek (Ballet Mistress) began her early training
in Littleton, Colorado. She attended the Interlochen Arts
Academy in Michigan and then went on to the Juilliard
School in New York City where she received her Bachelor
of Fine Arts degree in 2001. Ms. Drabek performed with
David Taylor Dance Theater, Kim Robards Dance, Diablo
Ballet and the Oakland Ballet before joining Company C
Contemporary Ballet in 2004. She danced with the company until 2007, performing lead roles in works by Twyla
Tharp, Anthony Tudor and Charles Anderson. Ms. Drabek
was the Associate Artistic Director of Berkeley City Ballet
from 2006-2008 and has been a guest teacher at many
schools across the country, including the Interlochen Center for the Arts. This is her first season as Ballet Mistress.
Joseph Candeloro (Company Manager) trained as a
dancer at Rudra Béjart, Lausanne, Switzerland. Mr. Candeloro holds a Bachelors degree in Economics and Management for the Arts and Cultural Activities from Ca’Foscari
University in Venice and a Masters in International
Cultural Management from the Italian Ministry of Foreign
Affairs and the University of Genoa. In 2009 and 2010, he
served as the Assistant Director of Dance at La Biennale di
Venezia in Venice, Italy and from 2002-05 he was Marketing and Promotion Manager of the Theater of Ferrara,
Italy. From 1996-2002 he was an assistant to the Tour
Manager for Lambo Productions in Lausanne, Switzerland,
handling international tours for Tokyo Ballet, Bahia Ballet
and Soloists of the New York City Ballet.
Kelly Thompson (Marketing and Development Associate)
is a graduate of the University of California, Santa Cruz,
where she received her B.S. in Political Science. She joined
Company C Contemporary Ballet in 2006.
Jan Berletti and Lynn Rothenberger (Wardrobe) bring a
combination of performing experience and sewing expertise to the wardrobe department. Jan has performed
professionally with Walt Disney World, the San Francisco
Opera Ballet and Contra Costa Ballet. Lynn formerly
designed and marketed wedding gowns after a career in
teaching cultural anthropology. Together they have supervised the costumes for Contra Costa Ballet’s The Story
of Nutcracker for 12 years.
“Focused and
emotionally
immersed”
– SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE
Charles Anderson and company
PHOTO BY ROSALI E O’CON NOR
company c contemporary ballet • 2055 north broadway, suite B • walnut creek, ca 94596 • tel: 925.708.0752 • fax: 925.937.1446 • www.companycballet.org