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Annual Appeal Challenge

New Haven Ballet Is Starting the Fall with a Challenge!

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

Suddenly it’s fall. The leaves are turning color, the air has a new crispness, Nutcracker rehearsals are in full swing—and New Haven Ballet has a challenge for you.

As we launch our annual appeal, a generous donor has offered a $5,000 matching challenge grant. For every dollar that is donated between now and October 31 up to $5,000, NHB will receive two dollars. Your gift of $20, $25, $50, $100—any amount—will be doubled.

That’s twice as much support for the programs that are so important to you. Twice as much to help NHB offer the finest pre-professional ballet training in the Greater New Haven area and beyond. Twice as much to enable students of every age, ability, and level of interest to experience the joy of dance with superb teachers. Twice as much to allow NHB to reach out to our community with programs such as DanceAir, which offers ballet training and scholarships to underserved elementary-school children in Greater New Haven, and Shared Ability, which pairs differently abled students with core NHB students for an experience that enriches both.Tuition covers only a fraction of the costs of these programs, so NHB relies on the support of its generous donors. This year, your support can go twice as far.

Won’t you please rise to the challenge?

Thank you for your generous support!

My very best wishes,

Lisa Sanborn, Artistic Director

Nutcracker Auditions

NEW HAVEN, CT, September 12, 2019 – New Haven Ballet is looking for boys and girls ages 5 to 19 years (Kindergarten through High School Senior) who wish to enroll in classes and perform in The Nutcracker at the Shubert Theatre New Haven. To audition for The Nutcracker boys and girls must be registered for classes at New Haven Ballet.

Auditions are scheduled for September 21-22, 2019. This is an amazing performance opportunity. New Haven Ballet’s The Nutcracker will perform at the historic Shubert Theatre New Haven on Saturday and Sunday, December 14-15, 2019 at 1:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.

Eligibility: To audition students must be enrolled in CB2 or higher at New Haven Ballet and have submitted an audition registration form and applicable fee.

Audition Dates/Times (Please arrive on time):

Saturday, September 21, 2019 —

Boys Primary-Level 6: 1:45-2:30 p.m.

Girls (en pointe) Level 6/7/8: 2:00-4:30 p.m.

Girls Level 5: 4:00-5:00 p.m.

Sunday, September 22, 2019 —

Girls Level 3/4: 12:00-1:15 p.m.

Girls Level 1/2: 12:45-1:45 p.m.

Boys & Girls CB2/Primary: 1:15-2:15 p.m.

Girls Primary: 1:15-2:15 p.m.

Widely regarded as the standard for classical ballet training throughout the greater New Haven region, New Haven Ballet is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, which offers classes to students, ages 3 years to adult in Bethany, Branford and New Haven. New Haven Ballet’s programs are made possible in part by the generosity of New Haven Ballet’s devoted patrons and supporters, including: State of Connecticut Department of Economic Community Development, Office of the Arts, City of New Haven Department of Arts, Culture & Tourism, National Endowment for the Arts, Ethel & Abe Lapides Foundation, Theresa Foundation, The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, United Illuminating, Lighting Up the Arts, The Frankel Foundation, and Bank of America.

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If you would like more information about registering for classes at New Haven Ballet and auditioning for The Nutcracker please call Ruth Barker at tel. 203-782-9038 or email: administrator@newhavenballet.org.

Laura Manzella Joins Faculty

Laura Manzella received her MFA in Choreography from Sarah Lawrence College and her BFA from The Boston Conservatory. Originally from Connecticut, she began her formal training at The School of Hartford Ballet. She danced with Jose Mateo’s Ballet Theatre, Ken Pierce Baroque Dance Co, Ballet New England, and Kathy Westwater, among others. Her choreographic, film, and collaborative work has been presented at several venues throughout NYC and beyond. In October 2019 she will co-present at the 2019 NDEO conference, The Creative Process: Choreography, Choice-Making, and Communication. Ms. Manzella is currently a faculty member at ACES/Educational Center of the Arts in New Haven and will join the faculty of New Haven Ballet in September 2019.

Kaitlyn Gilliland Joins Faculty

Kaitlyn Gilliland began her dance training at the Minnesota Dance Theatre and continued her studies at the School of American Ballet, where she received the Mae L. Wien Award for outstanding promise in 2004. From 2006 to 2011, Ms. Gilliland performed corps, soloist, and principal roles with the company and was named the New York City Ballet’s Janice Levin Dancer Honoree for 2009­-2010. Following her departure from NYCB, Ms. Gilliland appeared with several New York City-­based dance companies, joining Twyla Tharp for her 2015 50th Anniversary National Tour and two subsequent performance seasons and Benjamin Millepied’s L.A. Dance Project for their 2017-2018 season. Ms. Gilliland served on the faculty of the School of American Ballet and as an instructor for The New York City Public School for Dance (The Ballet Tech School). In May of 2015, she graduated summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa from Columbia University with a degree in Psychology. She is currently an MBA candidate at the Yale School of Management and Program Director for Minnesota Dance Theatre’s CAN Dance Education Program. Ms. Gilliland will join the faculty of New Haven Ballet in September 2019.