Grand Rapids Ballet Company

Romeo & Juliet

A Passionate World Premiere!

Choreography by Mario Radacovsky Music by Sergei Prokofiev

Sneak peek at Romeo & Juliet rehearsal:

May 13 at 7:30 pm - SOLD OUT
May 14 at 7:30 pm - SOLD OUT
May 15 at 2:00 pm - SOLD OUT
May 19 at 7:30 pm
May 20 at 7:30 pm - SOLD OUT
May 21 at 7:30 pm - SOLD OUT
May 22 at 2:00 pm - SOLD OUT

Peter Martin Wege Theatre

Tickets available at the Ballet Box Office or through Ticketmaster.
$40 (seniors $30, children $20)

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FOX 17 interview with choreographer Mario Radacovsky:

Grand Rapids Ballet Company proudly presents the world premiere of Mario Radacovsky’s Romeo & Juliet this Spring. Six performances in the Peter Martin Wege Theatre May 13 – 15 & 20 – 22 will leave the audience breathless and prove a dramatic close to the Company’s 2010 – 2011 season.

Mario Radacovsky’s brilliant career as a dancer, Artistic Director and choreographer has taken him around the world. His choreography has been performed in Germany, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Mexico and Brazil. This May, Radacovsky makes his US choreographic debut with a stunning re-imagining of Shakepeare’s timeless tragedy of love, sacrifice and loss. Invited to Grand Rapids by Acting Artistic Director Patricia Barker, Radacovsky been working with the Company since September to bring this stunning premiere to life.

“With this Romeo & Juliet I would like to show passion and love and hate - many aspects of our lives and emotions,” says Radacovsky. “I am also intrigued by the small details of life that many often overlook. For example, the importance of Juliet’s letter - and of communication in general. How different this tragic ending would have been, had Romeo received the letter and known of Juliet’s intentions. I hope to convey to the audience how this classic story is relevant to all of us. We have all had our Juliets or Romeos, and struggled with barriers. I believe this ballet can be a truly unique experience for all of us – dancers, directors and audience - as we explore with such honesty the passion, love and tragedy of Romeo & Juliet.”

Another rich element of Radacovsky’s Romeo & Juliet is the casting of Patricia Barker as Lady Capulet. Currently the Acting Artistic Director of GRBC, Ms. Barker is considered one of the world’s most gifted ballerinas. A highly acclaimed principal dancer with Pacific Northwest Ballet for 25 years, Ms. Barker has graced the cover of numerous dance magazines; staged, rehearsed and coached ballets for professional companies around the world; and been a mentor and role model for countless young dancers. West Michigan audiences, and the dance world, are lucky to see her back on stage this May in Romeo & Juliet.

Learn more about Mario Radacovsky here

Romeo & Juliet Casting:

May 13, 14, 20 & 22

Rachael Riley, Juliet
Stephen Sanford, Romeo
Leonid Flegmatov, Tybalt
Kyohei Giovanni Yoshida, Mercutio
Patricia Barker, Lady Capulet
Chelsea Clow & Dawnell Dryja, Juliet's Friends

Ensemble: Martha Bellamy, Katie Brown, Sadie Brown, Kateryna Derechyna, Marisa Fazzari, Anton Kandaurov, Alexey Kulpin, Francis Lawrence, Oksana Maslova, Attila Mosolygo, Laura McQueen Schultz, Nicholas Schultz, Larissa Tanis

May 15, 19 & 21

Sadie Brown, Juliet
Nicholas Schultz, Romeo
Attila Mosolygo, Tybalt
Alexey Kulpin, Mercutio
Dawnell Dryja, Lady Capulet
Marisa Fazzari & Larissa Tanis, Juliet's Friends

Ensemble: Martha Bellamy, Katie Brown, Chelsea Clow, Kateryna Derechyna, Leonid Flegmatov, Anton Kandaurov, Francis Lawrence, Oksana Maslova, Rachael Riley, Stephen Sanford, Laura McQueen Schultz, Kyohei Giovanni Yoshida

casting subject to change