MEET THE GUEST ARTISTS for Connecticut Ballet's 40th Anniversary production of THE NUTCRACKER!
Oksana Maslova (Philadelphia Ballet Principal Dancer)
Oksana went on to the Kiev Choreographic College, where she began performing with Kiev Youth Ballet. After graduating, Oksana became a student at the Institute of Culture and Arts, where she received her master’s degree as a choreographer and ballet master. Oksana was a member of Suziriya Dance Theater. In 2004, she became a member of the Odessa National Opera House, where she rose to the rank of soloist and performed a variety of principal roles. In 2008, she joined Grand Rapids Ballet as a principal dancer, performing their entire classical repertoire. And, in June 2011, she joined the Connecticut Ballet Company as a principal dancer, where she created the role of Alice in Brett Raphael’s Alice in Wonderland. Oksana joined Philadelphia Ballet as a soloist for the company's 2014/2015 Season.
Oksana Maslova will be dancing the role of The Sugar Plum Fairy at both performances of THE NUTCRACKER at The Palace Theater in Stamford on Sunday, December 15 at 1pm & 5pm followed by Meet & Greets in the lobby! Get your tickets now: https://www.palacestamford.org/events/detail/ctb-nutcracker
19/11/2024
MEET THE GUEST ARTISTS for Connecticut Ballet's 40th Anniversary production of THE NUTCRACKER!
Jovani Furlan (New York City Principal Dancer, Connecticut Ballet Debut)
Born in Joinville, Brazil, Mr. Furlan started dancing at the age of 11 at The Bolshoi Theater School in Brazil. In 2010 he participated in the International Ballet Competition in Jackson, Mississippi, and was offered a full scholarship to attend the Miami City Ballet School by Edward Villella. He joined Miami City Ballet in 2012, was promoted to soloist in 2015, and was named an MCB principal dancer in 2017. At MCB, his repertory of featured roles included George Balanchine’s Allegro Brillante, Ballet Imperial, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker®, Slaughter on Tenth Avenue, SSwan Lake, Symphony in Three Movements, Theme and Variations, and La Valse; Jerome Robbins’ Dances at a Gathering and West Side Story Suite; as well as works by Richard Alston, John Cranko, Peter Martins, Justin Peck, Alexei Ratmansky, Liam Scarlett, Paul Taylor, Twyla Tharp, and Christopher Wheeldon. Mr. Furlan joined New York City Ballet as a soloist in August 2019 and in February 2022 he was promoted to principal dancer.
Jovani Furlan will be dancing the role of The Sugar Plum Fairy's Cavalier at both performances of THE NUTCRACKER at The Palace Theater in Stamford on Saturday, December 14 at 2pm & 6pm followed by Meet & Greets in the lobby! Get your tickets now: https://www.palacestamford.org/events/detail/ctb-nutcracker
18/11/2024
Gracias a La Voz Hispana de Connecticut por presentar a nuestros bailarines.
Connecticut Ballet's 40th anniversary production of THE NUTCRACKER is returning to Stamford Center for the Arts - The Palace Theatre for four performances only, December 14 and 15! Conceived and choreographed by Brett Raphael, this magical and breathtaking production features celebrated guest stars PLUS meet and greets in the lobby after every performance!
Saturday, December 14 at 2pm & 6pm - New York City Ballet principal dancers Unity Phelan and Jovani Furlan
Sunday, December 15 at 1pm & 5pm - Philadelphia Ballet principal dancers Oksana Maslova and Jack Thomas
Tickets on sale now!
Connecticut Ballet Presents The Nutcracker. 4 shows at The Palace Theatre in Stamford CT | 12/14 + 12/15 | Tickets are on sale now
16/11/2024
MEET THE GUEST ARTISTS for Connecticut Ballet's 40th Anniversary production of THE NUTCRACKER!
Unity Phelan was born in Princeton, New Jersey and began her dance training at the age of five at the Princeton Ballet School, where her teachers included Douglas Martin, Maria Youskevitch, and Mary Barton. During the summers of 2008 and 2009, Ms. Phelan attended the summer sessions at the School of American Ballet, the official school of New York City Ballet, and enrolled as a full-time student in fall of 2009.
She became an apprentice with NYCB in December 2012 and joined the Company as a member of the corps de ballet in November 2013. In February 2017, Ms. Phelan was promoted to the rank of soloist, and in October 2021, she was promoted to principal dancer.
Unity Phelan will be dancing the role of The Sugar Plum Fairy at both performances of THE NUTCRACKER at The Palace Theater in Stamford on Saturday, December 14 at 2pm & 6pm followed by Meet & Greets in the lobby! Get your tickets now: https://www.palacestamford.org/events/detail/ctb-nutcracker
13/11/2024
Friends of Connecticut Ballet Nov. 3rd Soiree at Trimper Gallery in downtown Greenwich featured several company dancers performing contemporary duets, trios, and solos by Anna Sokolow and Brett Raphael. Advanced students from Connecticut Ballet Center closed the program with a stirring Horton-based contemporary piece by their instructor, Rio Kikuchi.
Stay tuned for more Friends of Connecticut Ballet events in the New Year. Friends of CB are entitled to 10% discount on public performance tickets for The Palace/Stamford and The Bushnell. If interested, please become a member by visiting www.connecticutballet.org/friendsofconnecticutballet
12/11/2024
Connecticut Ballet's 40th anniversary production of THE NUTCRACKER is returning to Stamford Center for the Arts - The Palace Theatre for four performances only, December 14 and 15! Conceived and choreographed by Brett Raphael, this magical and breathtaking production features celebrated guest stars PLUS meet and greets in the lobby after every performance!
Saturday, December 14 at 2pm & 6pm - New York City Ballet principal dancers Unity Phelan and Jovani Furlan
Sunday, December 15 at 1pm & 5pm - Philadelphia Ballet principal dancers Oksana Maslova and Jack Thomas
Friends of Connecticut Ballet will gather on Sunday, November 3rd at the intimate Trimper Gallery in Greenwich to enjoy some contemporary pieces performed by company dancers and toast the new season all while enjoying seasonal nibbles from Aux Delices.
On deck are excerpts from Anna Sokolow's "Magritte, Magritte," two new solos by Artistic Director Brett Raphael for soloists Carla Hernandez and Ava Prentice and a special presentation by advanced students at Connecticut Ballet Center.
Tickets are $125/person. For reservations, call Connecticut Ballet at 203-964-1211 or 860-293-1039. The event will take place from 3:00-5:00pm.
P.S. Remember to turn your clocks back on Saturday night!
03/08/2024
Thanks to all who attended the BALLET UNDER THE STARS performances. It was a pleasure to present some of our repertory favorites!
Let us know what you thought....
Photos by Sean Bemand
25/07/2024
Three more BALLET UNDER THE STARS shows to go: July 29 (Richter Park, Danbury), July 30 (Levitt Pavilion, Westport), and July 31 (Mill River Park, Alive at Five Stage, Stamford). All are free and suitable for all ages.
Pictured: Carla Hernandez & Jose Rojas in Eve Chan's 'Del Buen Ayre.'
21/07/2024
After the deluge..... Tonight's Elizabeth Park performance of BALLET UNDER THE STARS has been rescheduled for tomorrow evening at 7:00pm.
We'll perform two company works and three beautiful duets with music by Gotan Project, Dan Bern, and Guiseppe Verdi.
Please join us... weather forecast is perfect!
15/07/2024
Greater Danbury: We're coming to dance for you! After an absence of three years, BALLET UNDER THE STARS returns to Danbury under the auspices of Musicals at Richter at Richter Arts Center. The performance is Monday, July 29th at 7:00pm. Bring a picnic and join us... Supported in part by Danbury Cultural Commission. For all upcoming dates, visit
01/07/2024
Outreach shows to seniors and others spur fond memories of good times and bring joy to many.... Last week, we reconnected with former Rockette Cynthia Schwartz at Mozaic Jewish Home in Bridgeport. In her day, she studied with both George Balanchine and Merce Cunningham. She made our day!
29/06/2024
Connecticut Ballet has a longstanding marketing sponsorship with Rosco, global purveyor of amazing dance flooring, theatrical gel, gobos, and instrumentation vital for the production side of any performing company or venue.
Check out this recent Rosco blogpost about our recent experience with their new Duette floor:
Connecticut Ballet dancers react after the company upgrades their touring marley floor to Rosco's new Duètte dance floor.
21/06/2024
Wednesday Concert Series at Wadsworth Mansion in Middletown opens with BALLET UNDER THE STARS next Wednesday, June 26 at 7:00pm. Enjoy an evening of classical and contemporary ballets with music from Giuseppe Verdi to Dan Bern to Gotan Project to Bix Beiderbecke. Something for every taste! Kick off the summer in style...bring a picnic and join us.
2024 BALLET UNDER THE STARS opens two weeks from today (Wednesday, June 26th) at the gorgeous Wadsworth Mansion in Middletown. Come out and enjoy and evening of professional dance (classical, contemporary, and dramatic works) performed by Connecticut's professional ballet company. 7:00pm curtain... Bring a picnic and stay after for the meet-and-greet with the cast.
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Connecticut Ballet's 40th anniversary production of THE NUTCRACKER is returning to Stamford Center for the Arts - The Palace Theatre for four performances only, December 14 and 15! Conceived and choreographed by Brett Raphael, this magical and breathtaking production features celebrated guest stars PLUS meet and greets in the lobby after every performance!
Saturday, December 14 at 2pm & 6pm - New York City Ballet principal dancers Unity Phelan and Jovani Furlan
Sunday, December 15 at 1pm & 5pm - Philadelphia Ballet principal dancers Oksana Maslova and Jack Thomas
Tickets on sale now! https://www.palacestamford.org/events/detail/ctb-nutcracker
Enjoying our new Rosco Duette Dance Floor
Many thanks to the folks at Rosco with whom we have a decade-long collaborative relationship around marketing our work and their products. We love our new performance flooring!
Check out the video of the dancers experiencing the Duette Dance Floor for the first time at The Bushnell in Hartford last week.
Connecticut Ballet's THE NUTCRACKER
Don't miss a magical minute of Connecticut Ballet's THE NUTCRACKER today at 2pm & 6pm and tomorrow at 1pm & 5pm at the Palace Theatre in Stamford, CT or next weekend, December 22 & 23, at The Bushnell in Hartford! Featuring world-class guest artists, opulent sets and costumes, and a few new surprises, this is THE NUTCRACKER you won't want to miss!
Tickets & Info: ConnecticutBallet.org
The company has completed work on guest choreographer Yamini Kalluri's new work, 'Panchama' (Sanskrit for 'five').
Here's CB dancer Anastasiia Fedorova discussing the experience of working in a different genre from her classical upbringing....
The work will be streamed on March 6th as part of the Digital Dance Series 2022. Subscriptions are now available ($50 for individuals and $75 for families) by visiting www.connecticutballet.org.
Check us out this week and next at Westport's Levitt Pavilion, West Hartford's Elizabeth Park (now confirmed on 7/25), and Middletown's Wadsworth Mansion!
All shows are free and family-friendly.
If you care to support your state's professional ballet company, we'd love your help in making these outdoor performances possible. Make a tax-deductible contribution today at www.connecticutballet.org.
Connecticut Ballet Community Outreach Docu-Short 2019
Alyssa Strezoski talks about dancing the role of Clara!
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Connecticut Ballet Mission
Connecticut Ballet was founded in 1981 by choreographers Brett Raphael and Luk de Layress. Its official debut took place (under the company's former title, Ballet Today) at Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival. In her New York Times review, Anna Kisselgoff called it 'a very promising troupe.' The company made its Connecticut debut at the Stamford Center for the Arts, where it became a resident performing company in 1986. Striving for continuous artistic growth, Artistic Director Brett Raphael has made the commissioning of new works by today's choreographers a hallmark of the company's repertoire alongside stagings of the great story ballets. Now numbering 60+ works, the repertoire spans the gamut from masterworks by Bob Fosse to George Balanchine to commissioned works from Darrell Grand-Moultrie to Lila York.
The company has performed at the Lincoln Center Out-of-Doors Festival, New York's Riverside Dance Festival, Cape Cod Performing Arts Festival, Harbourfront Festival in Toronto, Grand Central Station in New York City, Goat Island Dance Festival in Newport, Rhode Island, and many other venues. The list of guest artists who have appeared with the company reads like an encyclopedia of dance luminaries: Fernando Bujones, Cynthia Gregory, Cecilia Kerche, Lynne Charles, Katherine Healy, Johan Renvall, Yoko Ichino, Susan Jaffe, Ross Stretton, Gennadi Saveliev, Les Ballets Trockadero, Pilobolus, Limon Dance Company, Larisa Lezhnina, Yyacheslav Samadourov, Stephanie Saland, Ask la Cour, Lauren Lovette, Veronika Part, David Hallberg, Julie Kent, Jose Manuel Carreno, Amar Ramasar, Vitor Luiz, Maia Wilkins, Gillian Murphy, Carmen de Lavallade, Dudley Williams, Serge Lavoie, Ashley Bouder, Charles Askegard, and more.
In 2005, the company established a home in the state's capital, performing at Hartford's Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts. In 2008, the company initiated an annual Summer Dance Caravan, providing free performances across the state and inviting emerging companies and choreographers to open for them on tour. Throughout its history, the organization has presented educational assembly programs, conducted residencies and outreach classes in public schools, community centers, and residential treatment centers. It is estimated that over 300,000 students have attended such performances since 1991. With the support of The Tow Foundation, the organization began offering programming at the state's five juvenile detention centers in 2004, resulting in a five-year contract with the Judicial Branch's Court Support Services Division.
The company's professional dancers are under seasonal contracts as are the many teaching artists engaged in community-based programs. The professional and volunteer staff work year-round to promote and produce the educational programs and public performances. The Friends of Connecticut Ballet comprise audience members and dance lovers who support the organization via annual fund appeals and special events during the season.
