Velvet Gala launches 2009-2009 Season

September 15th, 2009

Moncton, New Brunswick CANADA – Atlantic Ballet Theatre of Canada will open its 2009-2010 season in a big way on Wednesday, October 7, when it presents the Sixth Grant Thornton Velvet Gala. The Company and its key corporate partners gave a brief rundown of the season and the Gala lineup at a Launch this morning at the Company’s home at 68 Highfield Street, the refurbished building which originally housed Moncton’s first YMCA.

Company Founder and CEO Susan Chalmers-Gauvin commented on the decision to begin the 2009-2010 season with what has become a sold-out event over the years. “We believe the Gala is a fitting way to begin another landmark season for the Company because our continued and growing success owes much to the committed and continual support we receive from our corporate sponsors and partners,” she said. “This year’s Gala theme, ‘Enriching our home...Embracing the world’, reflects our continued commitment to enhancing the quality of life in our home region and our growing presence and reputation on the international stage,” she continued.

Ms. Chalmers Gauvin went on to list several new developments that will keep both Company administrative and artistic staff very busy over the next year. These include:
• the decision of the prestigious European dance agency Norddeutsche Konzert Direcktion, to add Atlantic Ballet Theatre of Canada to its roster. This agency handles many of the world’s great dance companies including Ballet Biarritz, Stuttgart Ballet, Cullberg Ballet, Paul Taylor Dance Company, Hubbard Street Dance and Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet and Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan;

• the September 2010 world premiere of a new ballet created by Company Artistic Director Igor Dobrovolskiy at the world-famous Beethovenfest in Bonn, Germany;

• the world premiere of a new ballet in Canada in November 2010. Created by Mr. Dobrovolskiy the work is inspired by the true stories of women who have died at the hands of a partner. The ballet will be the linchpin of a panCanadian initiative to raise national awareness of the issue of domestic violence. The project involves women’s groups, family protection and social agencies in every province of the country.

Michelle Carinci, President and CEO of Atlantic Lottery Corporation, 2009-2010 Season Sponsor of Atlantic Ballet Theatre of Canada, gave a brief rundown of the season which includes the first international world premiere of a new ballet – ROMEO AND JULIET FANTASY. Conceived and choreographed by Mr. Dobrovolskiy, and set on Tchaikovsky’s Fantasy Overture Romeo and Juliet Fantasy”, the ballet will premiere in Florida in February 2010, and have its Canadian premiere at the Capitol Theatre on April 15, 2010. A Maritime tour will follow.

Ms. Carinci also announced that the Company would take last season’s monumental ballet, KING LEAR to Quebec. The Company will perform AMADEUS in France and Switzerland in March 2010.

Commenting on the packed year ahead for Mr. Dobrovolskiy and his dancers, Ms. Carinci said, “ The arts are woven into the fabric that is Atlantic Canada, enriching our communities and telling our story to Canada and the rest of the world. That is why Atlantic Lottery is pleased to continue its support of arts and culture in Atlantic Canada through our partnership with Atlantic Ballet.”

John Sanford, Partner, Grant Thornton LLP, Moncton, unveiled details of the Sixth Grant Thornton Velvet Gala which takes place on October 7, 2009. “We, at Grant Thornton are proud of our continuing role as the Lead Sponsor of this exceptional organization and we are happy to lend our name to an event that once again this year, promises to be a spectacular evening,” he said. “The Velvet Gala is the major fundraiser for the Atlantic Ballet Theatre of Canada. Atlantic Ballet has grown deep roots in this community through its outreach and education projects, participation in community events and its generosity in giving 2000 performance tickets a year family and youth organizations, cancer survivor groups, immigrant organizations and families of our armed forces. The Company is a cultural ambassador for our city, our province and Atlantic Canada, as it performs across the country and around the world,” he continued.

Mr. Sanford went on to give rundown of the evening which begins at the Capitol Theatre at 6 pm with a cocktail hour, followed by the Gala performance at 7pm, featuring the dancers of the Company performing original works by Igor Dobrovolskiy. This year Mr. Dobrovolskiy has set works on an eclectic mix of composers who include classical icons Bach and Mozart, jazz great Dave Brubeck, and Canadian poet and musical legend, Leonard Cohen.

The Gala then moves to the Delta Beauséjour for a light supper created specifically for this event, followed by an array of extravagant desserts and a meet-and-greet with the dancers of the Company. Mr. Sanford saved the announcement of the Gala Keynote Speaker till the last – Dr. James Fleck – entrepreneur, business leader, academician, expert on Canadian economic policy, senior public servant and philanthropist. Dr. Fleck is also Chairman of Business and the Arts – a national business association dedicated to increasing the quantity and quality of partnerships between Business and the Arts.

Mr. Sanford described Dr. Fleck as “…a true Renaissance man with accomplishments that form a staggering list which includes: Architecture, Urban Design, Museum Studies, Health Science, Social Work and Management. He was a distinguished M. Wallace McCutcheon Professor of Business Government Relations at the Rotman School of Management and Visiting Professor of Canadian Studies, Business and Public Management, at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University.”

Commenting that “Dr. Fleck has yet another career as a generous patron and an outstanding fund raiser,” Mr. Sanford listed several of Dr. Fleck’s major causes which include: the Fleck clerestory at the Power Plant, Harbourfront; the Fleck Galleries at the Art Gallery of Ontario; the Fleck Atrium at the Rotman School; the Fleck/Tannenbaum Chair in Prostatic Diseases at Toronto General; Studio Prima at the National Ballet; the Paul D. Fleck Marquee in Stratford; the Yo Yo Ma Music Garden on the Toronto waterfront and the Paul D. Fleck Fellows Program at the Banff Centre.

Tickets for the Grant Thornton Velvet Gala in support of Atlantic Ballet Theatre of Canada on October 7, can be purchased by calling: 506-383-5951(102); by e-mailing operations@atlanticballet.ca; or by downloading an order form at AtlanticBallet.ca. Tickets are $150 a person with a tax receipt for $100, and $1,500 for a table of 10 with a tax receipt for $1,000
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Photo above: Atlantic Ballet Theatre of Canada Founder and CEO Susan Chalmers-Gauvin covers the season highlights at the Velvet Gala Launch. Photographer: Aleksandr Onyshenko