New Orleans Ballet Association

Houston Ballet brings brand new full-length ballet inspired by the life of the notorious Marie Antoinette!

Production Tours to New Orleans after Premiering in Houston

NEW ORLEANS--After a successful reopening performance at the Mahalia Jackson Theater, the New Orleans Ballet Association returns to its home venue with the most lavish production presented in more than 20 years. On March 27 and 28, the Houston Ballet brings rumor, scandal, and intrigue to New Orleans with Marie, a new three-act ballet inspired by the life of the legendary French queen Marie Antoinette.

Choreographed by acclaimed artistic director Stanton Welch, the world premiere ballet features more than 70 dancers and recounts the life and times of history�s favorite villainess. Famously known as the eighteenth-century teen queen whose excesses have become legend, Marie Antoinette was both idealized and vilified for her decadent yet turbulent lifestyle. Born an Austrian arch duchess in 1755, she married the future French King Louis XVI at the age of fifteen, and was executed by guillotine in 1793 after being blamed for instigating the French Revolution.

�I was intrigued to learn that Marie Antoinette wasn�t as superficial as she is often portrayed and found a true character arc in her transition from young princess to spoiled queen to mother to Revolutionary victim,� said Welch. �That gives me a lot of material to work with. Cinderella was the last adventure I had in storytelling, and it was a romantic comedy. I wanted to do something a little darker. I also was intrigued by the way all the intense gossip and scrutiny of the queen�s life mirrors our society: how we become fixated on some pretty girl and how through gossip and tabloids, we create a distorted image of someone.�

The recent reopening of the Mahalia Jackson Theater of the Performing Arts allows NOBA to once again bring in large scale productions, such as Marie, for the first time since Hurricane Katrina. �In the fall of 2006, Houston Ballet created a specific program with 22 dancers for our stage at Tulane�s Dixon Hall. Normally they travel with over 50 dancers, so their concessions made it possible for us to maintain the quality of dance presented, even on the smaller stage,� said Jenny Hamilton, Executive Director for NOBA. �We�re excited to bring them back, not only because of the superiority of their work, but also because of how generously they gave of their time and resources after the storm.�

The production also features elaborate costumes and sets by London-based designer, Kandis Cook, who will create over 150 costumes for the ballet based on the style and designs from 1770-1795 Austria and France with powdered wigs and perukes, corsets, panniers, silks, lace, jewels, braided waistcoats and jackets, jabeuxs, the strict formal dress of the ancient regime of France, and the rags of the public. The designs for the ballet were inspired by a visit to Versailles as well as portraits from the era painted by Jean-Baptiste Charpentier and Joseph Ducreux, among others. The score for Marie, arranged by Houston Ballet Music Director Ermanno Florio, features music by Dmitri Shostakovich and is set to be performed by the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra.

As one of the most sought after choreographers of his generation, Stanton Welch has created ballets for such prestigious international companies as San Francisco Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, The Australian Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet in the United Kingdom, and Royal Danish Ballet. His new work for Houston Ballet will be his thirteenth ballet for the company. Marie is the second original evening-length work Mr. Welch has created for Houston Ballet, after Tales of Texas in March 2004. Mr. Welch has staged a number of full-length story ballets including Swan Lake (2006) for Houston Ballet; The Sleeping Beauty (2005), Cinderella (1997), and Madame Butterfly (1995) for The Australian Ballet.

In celebration of the brand new ballet, the New Orleans Ballet Association and BRAVO (Ballet Resource And Volunteer Organization) will also host The Marie Antoinette Ball. Chaired by Charlotte Bollinger, the gala will be held on Saturday, March 21, 2009, at the New Orleans Museum of Art. Muriel�s on Jackson Square will host a Benefactor Party on Wednesday, March 18. Proceeds from the evening will support NOBA and the return to the newly renovated Mahalia Jackson Theater of the Performing Arts.

Houston Ballet recommends this performance for children ages 12 and older. Both performances will begin at 8pm; ticket prices range from $10 to $100. Students and seniors (65 and older) receive a $7 discount off the regular ticket prices of $35 and higher. Group discounts also are available. For tickets or information, call the New Orleans Ballet Association Box Office at (504) 522-0996. Tickets may be purchased online through www.nobadance.com, or via Ticketmaster at (504) 522-5555 or www.ticketmaster.com.

This event is sponsored by the Betty S. and James A. Noe Jr. Foundation, and Superior Energy Services.

This project is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), which believes that a great nation deserves great art; a grant from the Louisiana Division of the Arts, Office of Cultural Development, Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism, in cooperation with the Louisiana State Arts Council as administered by the Arts Council of New Orleans (ACNO); a Community Arts Grant made possible through the City of New Orleans as administered by ACNO; a grant from the Louisiana State Arts Council through the Louisiana Division of the Arts and the NEA.

###