Carmina Burana at The Granada, May 31 and June 1

Audiences in Santa Barbara will be treated to a rare full-collaboration performance of Carl Orff's Carmina Burana, featuring world premiere choreography by William Soleau and performances by State Street Ballet and Santa Barbara Choral Society and Orchestra, under the baton of Music Director JoAnne Wasserman.

"This event brings together our area's highest caliber talent, to perform what many consider to be a multimedia masterpiece," says Santa Barbara Choral Society Music Director JoAnne Wasserman. "We are all very proud of this accomplishment and what it means to the Santa Barbara arts community and our audiences."

Carmina Burana is familiar to both contemporary culture and the classical world. Its opening and closing movement, O Fortuna, has been used in hundreds of films and television commercials and is a mainstay of classical music performances. The piece was selected for its appeal to modern audiences and to showcase the collaborative talents of The Granada's resident companies, State Street Ballet and Santa Barbara Choral Society.

Based on a selection of poems, ballads, songs and tavern tales transcribed by monks in the 12th Century, Carmina Burana is a rich blend of movement and sound that combines original choreography with music, voices and visual design. Unlike performances solely featuring music, this event stays true to Orff's concept of Theatrum Mundi, in which music, movement, and song blend to provide a holistic theatrical experience.

Performances are Saturday, May 31, at 8 p.m., and Sunday, June 1, at 2 p.m., at The Granada (1216 State St). Tickets are $20, $30, and $50, and can be purchased through The Granada box office by calling 805.899.2222, or online at granadasb.org.

"This will be a unique staging of an important work that appeals to all audiences because it reaches beyond the stereotypical choral, ballet, or orchestral performance," State Street Ballet Artistic Director Rodney Gustafson. "Soleau's choreography honors traditional ballet movement while featuring multimedia effects to create contemporary entertainment. All of this - combined with the talents of the Choral Society and Orchestra - makes for a must-experience event."

Carmina Burana consists of three major sections: Spring, In the Tavern, and The Court of Love. The work addresses a wide range of human emotions and stages of life, from passion, and simple pleasures to worldly pleasures. "The choreography is not a literal rendition of the songs but an impressionistic account of the words depicted within the songs," says Gustafson.

State Street Ballet's Summer Intensive Program

Summer Intensive 2008
Santa Barbara, California
Monday, June 23 - Friday, July 18, 2008

See our National Audition Tour 2008 schedule
Application Fee: $20
Tuition: $1,700
Housing/Food/Supervision/Transportation: $1,750*
Non-Refundable Deposit Due Friday, April 11: $500
Tuition/Housing balance due Friday, May 9, 2008: $2,950
*Deduct $1,750 for housing if you have other arrangements.

The State Street Ballet Summer Intensive is for serious ballet students from 12-21 years of age with a minimum of three years of dance experience, who wish to work with professional dancers and nationally recognized instructors. [Read More or find out How to Apply]

State Street Ballet 2nd Annual Gala "Dancing with the Stars" Honoring Patricia Gregory

Date of Event: Saturday, June 14, 2008
Location: Fess Parker's Doubletree Resort Grand Ballroom
Address: 633 Cabrillo Blvd, Santa Barbara
Time of Event: 5:30 PM

Local popular individuals are paired with our professional ballet dancers for Hot Cha Cha Cha. Special well known judges elect "best of Hot Cha Cha Cha" couple. Cocktails, dinner, dance competition, State Street Ballet dancers performance, and then your chance to dance.

Table Host: $2,500 for 10
Ticket/Donation: $250 per person
Contact Name: Ana Zaferris
Phone: 805-965-6066
Email: Anassbdance@aol.com

SSB's Blog: Get Behind the Curtain
Whether you've watched hundreds of ballets, a few, or even none, we'd like to take you behind the red curtain to see how it's actually done. And whether you're trying to figure out the finer points of temps de cuisse or just peeking in to see what the fuss is all about, we've got something for you.

Get to know some dancers. They've been described as normal people with extraordinary jobs. Why do these normal and presumably sane people keep dancing when it's the least respected performance art, with the lowest pay, and the shortest career span? Maybe there's something about the art of dance no one's ever told you.

We'll tell you where you can actually see all this wonderful stuff we've been writing about. Of course, we'll tell you when State Street Ballet is performing, but we'll also let you know about can't-be-missed shows that happen in nearby and sometimes not-so-nearby places. If we create a mob of rabid, ballet-loving jetsetters, the world will just have to deal with us.

So join us on a journey of discovery by subscribing to our feed or via email to be notified of updates to the State Street Ballet Blog, and get to know one of the world's best kept secrets: ballet.

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