News & Events

#GIVINGTUESDAY

Tuesday, November 27, 2018, is Giving Tuesday!

#GivingTuesday is a day where groups of individuals, communities and organizations around the world connect for one common purpose: to celebrate and encourage giving.

At New Haven Ballet you are an integral part of a tremendous community and our working together is truly impactful to so many lives. Your support makes it possible for us to achieve our Mission of providing the greater New Haven Community with exceptional classical ballet training, performances, and outreach programs, which nurture appreciation of ballet and foster the joy of dance.

In fact last year 6,679 children and adults experienced dance through our pre-professional dance training, recreational dance classes, performances, and community programs, including:

• Approximately 500 children, teens and adults who studied classical ballet through NHB’s School and Outreach Programs; and
• Eight performances — four public performances of The Nutcracker at the historic Shubert Theater and a Nutcracker matinee for school groups, the Spring Performance at the Shubert Theater featuring students from NHB School and our Shared Ability program, a performance at ACES ECA featuring children in our in-school DanceAIR program, and a performance by the NHB Company of advanced students and pre-professional dancers at the International Festival of Arts & Ideas.

Your support makes it possible for us to achieve this. Please consider lending your time or making a monetary Gift to NHB’s Annual Appeal!

FREE Raymour & Flanigan Performance

Come celebrate the beginning of the most magical time of year with NHB and Raymour & Flanigan!

Sunday, November 25, 2018 at 2:00 p.m.

Raymour & Flanigan, 70 Universal Drive, North Haven

New Haven Ballet will perform a preview of The Nutcracker.

Special saving incentives offered by Raymour & Flanigan.

Please join us. This event is FREE and open to the public!

Messmer and Hanna Return to Star in Nutcracker

Simone Messmer and Stephen Hanna star in NHB’s The Nutracker. Photo: Thomas Giroir Photography (c) 2018

NHB is thrilled to announce that Simone Messmer and Stephen Hanna will return to star as the Sugar Plum Fairy and Cavalier in NHB’s 2018 Nutcracker!

Simone Messmer:

Born in Minneapolis, Minn., Simone Messmer began studying dance at the age of nine at Ballet Arts Minnesota. At 14, she continued her training at The HARID Conservatory in Boca Raton, Fla., and was awarded the Jeannot B. Cerrone Award for Excellence in Dance. At 16, she resumed her training at Ballet Arts Minnesota under the direction of Bonnie Mathis. Messmer participated in American Ballet Theatre’s Summer Intensive Program in 2001 and joined ABT Studio Company in that same year.

Messmer danced with ABT for over a decade, rising to the rank of soloist in 2010. While in the company, Messmer originated major roles in new works by Alexei Ratmansky such as Firebird, Symphony #9, On the Dnieper, as well as by Christopher Wheeldon and Benjamin Millepied. Her extraordinary range extends from Twyla Tharp’s Baker’s Dozen to Giselle’s Myrtha. Messmer was awarded the Leonore Annenberg Arts Fellowship in 2010.

Messmer joined San Francisco Ballet in 2013 performing principal roles in Balanchine’s Agon and Brahms-Schoenberg Quartet, and Ratmansky’s From Foreign Lands and Chamber Symphony. Other major roles included “The Man I Love” in Balanchine’s Who Cares?, The Firebird in Passokov’s The Firebird, and appearances in works by Mark Morris and Liam Scarlett.

She joined Miami City Ballet as a principal in 2015.

Stephen Hanna:

Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he trained under Roberto Munoz, Mr. Hanna entered the School of American Ballet (SAB) and studied with esteemed teachers Stanley Williams, Andre Kamervsky, and Richard Rapp. At SAB Mr. Hanna was awarded the Mae L. Wein Award for outstanding promise. Mr. Hanna became an apprentice with New York City Ballet in 1997, and later that year hey joined the Company as a member of the corps de ballet. Mr. Hanna was promoted to the rank of soloist in February 2004 and in January 2005 he was promoted to principal dancer. He has performed principal roles in ballet by Peter Martins, George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, Richard Tanner, and Albert Evans.

Mr. Hanna has appeared in the movies Center Stage (2000), Disney Royals (2017), and Forever (2014), in addition to several Broadway productions, including Billy Elliot (2008), Silence the Musical (off Broadway 2011), On the Town (2014), An American in Paris (2015), and Hello Dolly (2017).

Henry Seth Master Class

NHB is thrilled to announce that Level 6/7/8 Students are invited to participate in a Master Class taught by former NYCB dancer, Henry Seth, on Thursday, October 11, 4:30-6:00 p.m. in Danspace, 70 Audubon Street, New Haven.

Thank You Daniel Ulbricht

New Haven Ballet wishes to extend a warm thank you to New York City Ballet Principal Dancer, Daniel Ulbricht, for teaching an amazing ballet technique class to Level 6, 7 & 8 students on Monday, September 24, 2018. We hope Mr. Ulbricbht returns to New Haven Ballet very soon!

NHB Kicks Off Annual Appeal

Yours sincerely,

Lisa Sanborn

Artistic Director

New Haven Ballet

Free Trial Class

You’re Invited… Come on Over!

FREE TRIAL CLASS for NEW STUDENTS through September 30, 2018

Call 203-782-9038 to reserve your spot. Space is limited.

AGES: All students ages 3+ are welcome in our dance classes!

DATES: New students may schedule a FREE TRIAL class any day that we offer classes for your age and class level

HOURS: Classes are offered through the week at our Branford and New Haven studios.

Click here for schedule

LOCATIONS: Click here for class locations

Click here for class descriptions ages 3 to 8 years

Click here for class descriptions ages 9 to 19 years

Click here for Teen/Adult Drop-in Classes (ages 12+)

$10K Matching Pool by Bank of America

Bank of America Charitable Foundation has committed $10,000 to a matching fund pool for performing arts organizations over the 36-hours of The Great Give®.  NHB is one of 46 that qualifies for the match! Unlike other matches from The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven and the Valley Community Foundation, the Bank of America Performing Arts Challenge will pro-rate its funds by the number of donors, not on the dollars raised. Please help NHB win some of these funds by encouraging as many as possible to make a gift during the Great Give on May 1-2. 

NHB to see NYCB

NYC Ballet performs Coppelia. Photo by Paul Kolnik (c) 2018.

Level 6/7/8 students are invited to see New York City Ballet’s production of the beloved classical ballet Coppelia on June 2, 2018!

Students will also have the opportunity to participate in a technique class with one of the dancers from New York City Ballet in their studios at Lincoln Center. The fee is $215 per student. This includes: round-trip train fare, performance ticket to Coppelia, ballet technique class taught by a member of the New York City Ballet Company, and lunch.

NHB is thrilled to sponsor this once in a lifetime opportunity for Level 6/7/8 students. Space is limited. For more information and to reserve your spot contact: administrator@newhavenballet.org