Ventana Ballet & Vitacca Ballet join hands to co-present connec(tx)ions, an intimate experience bringing dancers together from across Texas.
The evening schedule includes pre-show refreshments generously provided by Pinthouse Brewing and Tito’s Handmade Vodka. Inside the studio, Ventana Ballet & Vitacca Ballet will present a one-hour performance, presenting three works each, with a special Prelude performance presented by The Austin Dance Conservatory. Guests are invited after the show to join the cast for a post-show mixer, filled with dancing and music provided by DJ Wyldflower.
7:00pm – BREWS
7:30pm – BALLET
8:30pm – BEATS
The performances take place at First Street Studio, an East Austin performing-arts-workspace-turned-white-box-theater and home to Ventana Ballet. Guests are invited and encouraged to arrive when the doors open 30 minutes before each showtime.
Kelly Ann Vitacca, the Artistic Director of Vitacca Ballet, said “Vitacca Ballet is thrilled to make its Austin debut in connec(tx)ions. We are delighted to join forces with Ventana Ballet to build a weekend of unique offerings for artists and interested audience members from across Texas. This diverse, festival-like program and lively, post-performance mixer is designed for all to enjoy. Come on out and dance with us Austin!”
As part of the connec(tx)ions weekend, the companies will also host a dance masterclass series on Saturday, March 4th. Classes will run from 2–5:00pm and include Ballet Technique, Limón Technique, and Repertory—a chance to learn Vitacca Ballet Repertoire by guest choreographer, Garrett Smith. Classes are geared towards advanced and professional dancers, and observers are welcomed.
Tickets to the show are available through Eventbrite: ctx2023.eventbrite.com
First Row Seats – $35 + taxes / processing fee
Second Row Seats – $30 + taxes / processing fee
Refreshments and complimentary onsite parking included.
Tickets to the masterclasses are available through Eventbrite: ctx2023masterclasses.eventbrite.com
First Street Studio Theater is located at 701 Tillery St, Unit A7B, Austin, TX 78702
Artists featured:
Pre-show piano accompaniment provided by: Michael Brown. Ventana Ballet presenting artists:
AJ Garcia-Rameau, Navaji David Nava, Rachel Culver, Ty Graynor, Kanami Nakabayashi, Isabelle Green, Kirsten Kemp, Mariana Alonso. Vitacca Ballet presenting artists: Jordan Hooks, Fiona Dorr, Maddie Medina, Coltin Snyder, Elissa Fonseca, Joshua Ponton, Khen Kurulkar, Annika Dalbratt. Prelude Performance by The Austin Dance Conservatory:
Mya Davis, Jordan Powers, Ashley Gundy , Ellie Coleman, Ellie Tostenrude, Emery Crouse, Kaci Foster, Victoria Vowels, Gabby Thomas, Fernanda Vela Cortés. Post-Show Beats by: DJ Wyldflower
ABOUT VENTANA BALLET
Ventana Ballet is a professional dance company based in Austin, TX, specializing in contemporary ballet dance performance. The word ventana, meaning window, embodies the company’s organizational mission and vision, seeking to provide artistically relevant, technically proficient, and publicly accessible dance performance and education opportunities to the community. Ventana Ballet’s mission is to inspire, entertain and educate audiences through disciplined and innovative approaches to presenting next-generation choreographic works. More information about Ventana Ballet can be found on the company website at VentanaBallet.com.
ABOUT VITACCA BALLET
Vitacca Ballet (Vitacca) founded in 2020 by Kelly Ann Vitacca is a creation-based repertoire company in the Houston area. As the pandemic brought artists home to Houston, Vitacca strived to keep artists employed, and the Houston arts scene alive with project-based work. This experience laid the framework for the launch of Vitacca Ballet in 2021, which now works diligently to operate a 31-week season and employ local, national, and international artists. Vitacca has had the honor to work with regional and international choreographers including Tina Kay Bohnstedt, Sean Aaron Carmon, Andrea Dawn Shelley, Garrett Smith, Autumn Eckman and Madison Hicks. Vitacca Ballet has been seen on stage within performance and outreach community events such as The Nutcracker, Night at the Ballet, Vitacca Ballet World Premiere, Contemporary Dance Choreography Festival, Florida and Versatility Dance Festival, Utah. This season you can see Vitacca Ballet at the Bailindo Dance Festival, ANDIOMO Presented by Charles Bender Performing Arts Center, Trees of Hope Gala as 2022 Entertainment Sponsor, LAUNCH at Match Houston, Ventana/Vitacca Ballet Austin Collaboration and the Red Rock Dance Festival, Utah. Vitacca is a proud recipient of the DanceSource Houston Groundwork Grant and thrilled to share its artistic energy with our 2022-2023 patrons and supporters. Vitacca Ballet is proud to be a fiscally sponsored project through Fractured Atlas. This allows tax-deductible donations to be made toward Vitacca Ballet’s vision and artistic growth.
ABOUT THE AUSTIN DANCE CONSERVATORY
The Austin Dance Conservatory is an internationally recognized training facility that provides professional dance education in a nurturing environment. Each student’s personal and professional development is prioritized, and parents and students can recognize the tangible value of their investment. Led by accredited and accomplished industry professionals, ADC focuses on proper dance education and artistic expression, with a comprehensive and codified curriculum, spanning from beginners to advanced and professional students, in multiple genres of dance. We are not only training world class artists, but confident, competent, conscientious individuals who give back to the community, and are prepared for all aspects of professional and collegiate dance.
This article was provided courtesy of Ventana Ballet.
