REUNITED IN DANCE — A One-Night-Only Performance featuring a Cast of International Ballet Artists

Presented by the Henry T. and Elizabeth Segerstrom Foundation in Association with Segerstrom Center for the Arts

COSTA MESA, CA (October 12, 2022) – On November 12, 2022, renowned ballet dancers from around the world will gather for an intimate one-night-only special ballet performance, Reunited in Dance, in the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall. Reunited in Dance brings together dancers with ties to Ukraine and Russia. Many formerly danced with Russia’s preeminent companies, including the Bolshoi Ballet, Mariinsky Ballet, Mikhailovsky Ballet, Stanislavsky Theatre, and others and left Russia following the invasion of Ukraine. The program, under the artistic direction of British dancer Xander Parish, former principal dancer at the Mariinsky, is made possible by Elizabeth Segerstrom and the Henry T. and Elizabeth Segerstrom Foundation and presented in association with Segerstrom Center for the Arts.

Reunited in Dance will feature new choreography as well as beloved classics:

• The world premiere of a new ballet choreographed by Parish to Tchaikovsky’s Children’s Album performed by special guest artist pianist Behzod Abduraimov, who appears in collaboration with the Philharmonic Society of Orange County
• A performance of Christopher Wheeldon’s After the Rain
• Selections from Le Corsaire, Raymonda, Paquita, La Bayadere, Don Quixote and more

“On this special evening, all these artists, wherever they came from, will become a single remarkable group, not just standing up for what we believe but dancing for it,” Xander Parish said. “We are deeply grateful to Elizabeth Segerstrom for giving us this unprecedented opportunity to perform together and bring the light of our art to new audiences, despite the difficulties of the past months.”

Elizabeth Segerstrom said “I know the arts have always had the power to bring people together. I am humbled to be able to play a role in bringing together these artists, who come from many different countries and backgrounds to bring unification to us all.”

Participating dancers, in addition to Xander Parish, will be Jacopo Tissi (Italy, formerly with the Bolshoi), Svetlana Bednenko (Ukraine, formerly with the Mikhailovsky), Christine Shevchenko (Ukraine, currently with ABT), Andrea Laššáková (Slovak Republic, formerly with the Mikhailovsky), Adrian Blake Mitchell (U.S., formerly with the Mikhailovsky), Boris Zhurilov (Russia, formerly with Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Theatre), Ilya Jivoy (Russia, formerly with the Mariinsky), Lizi Avsajanishvili (Georgia, formerly with the Mariinsky), David Motta Soares (Brazil, formerly with the Bolshoi), Jasmine Sophie Henry (Australia, formerly with the Mariinsky), Vsevolod Maevsky (Ukraine, formerly with the Mariinsky), Anastasia Demidova (Russia, formerly with the Mariinsky), Katia Raj (U.S., formerly with the Saint Petersburg State Academic Leonid Yacobson Ballet Theatre), Veronika Selivanova (U.S., formerly with the Mariinsky), Alexis Tutunnique (Ukraine, formerly with National Opera of Ukraine and currently with The United Ukrainian Ballet), Joy Womack (U.S., formerly with Astrakhan Opera and Ballet Theatre), Maxim Zenin (Russia, formerly with the Mariinsky), and Laura Fernandez (Switzerland and Ukraine, formerly with Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Theatre).

Many of the dancers who will perform in Reunited in Dance have appeared over the years at Segerstrom Center for the Arts. This extraordinary performance is in part a tribute to Judy Morr, the Executive Vice President behind the longstanding tradition of world-class ballet programming at Segerstrom Center.

“We are delighted to bring this new, special, one-night performance for our patrons and to honor Judy’s contributions,” said Casey Reitz, President of Segerstrom Center for the Arts. “Judy has been instrumental in growing and cultivating our dance and education programming with great ardor over the past decades. Judy gets it; dance connects us in numerous ways for various reasons, as is evident in the dance programming she has created for the Center for the past decades. Her understanding for the art of dance performance, her passion to bring talented performers and choreographers, and her commitment to bolstering and advancing the development of new works with international and national dance companies, season after season, is the driving force that continues to unite and bring people together at the Center.”

Jane Fujishige Yada, Chairwoman of Segerstrom Center’s Board of Directors, said “Judy has built a globally-respected dance audience at the Center over the years. Without her, our Center would not have the foundation or infrastructure to welcome these beautiful dancers to our side of the world and bring them back together in this most unexpected way. She dedicated her life to introducing patrons to new cultures and traditions through music and the art of physical dramatic movement that expresses cultural heritage and identity in a unique, storytelling way. Judy is always a step ahead, knowing what will entertain our audiences. We are excited to welcome this new performance at Segerstrom Center for the Arts that so meaningfully encapsulates Judy’s lifetime work for the Center.”

Gavriel Heine, formerly of the Mariinsky, is the music director. Christopher Minev, formerly an international tour producer for the Mariinsky, is the executive producer. The performance will feature digital scenic design created especially for the evening by The Hettema Group.

For Editors:

Reunited in Dance
Saturday, November 12
Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall
8:00 p.m.

Program to include (subject to change):

World Premiere
Tchaikovsky’s Children’s Album
Choreographed by Xander Parish
Performers include Andrea Laššáková, Veronika Selivanova, Anastasia Demidova, Svetlana Bednenko, Katia Raj, Joy Womack, Laura Fernandez, Jasmine Sophie Henry, Jacopo Tissi, Vsevolod Maevsky, Boris Zhurilov, Alexis Tutunnique, and Ilya Jivoy
Music Performed by Pianist Behzod Abduraimov

North American Premiere
BA//CH Solo
Choreographed by Ilya Jivoy
Music by J.S. Bach
Performed by Ilya Jivoy

Repertoire to include:
Adagio, La Bayadere
Choreographed by Marius Petipa
Music by Ludwig Minkus
Performed by Christine Schevchenko and Xander Parish

The Dying Swan
Choreographed by Mikhail Fokine
Music by Camille Saint-Saëns
Performed by Svetlana Bednenko

Pas des Deux, Don Quixote
Choreographed by Marius Petipa
Music by Ludwig Minkus
Performed by Lizi Avsajanishvili and David Motta Soares

Pas des Quatre, Raymonda
Choreographed by Marius Petipa
Music by Alexander Glazunov
Performed by Vsevolod Maevsky, Boris Zhurilov, Alexis Tutunnique

After the Rain
Choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon
Music by Arvo Pärt
Performed by Andrea Laššáková and Adrian Blake Mitchell

Ballet 101
Choreographed by Eric Gauthier
Voiceover by Eric Gauthier

Performed by Xander ParishPas des Deux, The Nutcracker
Choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov
Music by P.I. Tchaikovsky
Performed by Laura Fernandez and Boris Zhurilov

Pas des Deux, The Flames of Paris
Choreographed by Vasily Vainonen
Music by Boris Asafyev
Performed by Joy Womack and Vsevolod Maevsky

Selections from Paquita
Choreographed by Marius Petipa and Pierre-Frédéric Malavergne
Music by Édouard Deldevez
“Humpbacked Horse” performed by Jasmine Sophie Henry
“Sylphide” performed by Katia Raj
“Le Pavillon d’Amide” performed by Anastasia Demidova
“Male Solo” performed by Boris Zhurilov
“Dulichina” performed by Lizi Avsajanishvili
“Anna Pavlova” performed by Veronika Selivanova
“Male Solo” performed by David Motta Soares

Pas des Deux, Le Corsaire
Choreographed by Marius Petipa
Music by Adolphe Adam
Performed by Christine Shevchenko and Jacopo Tissi

Additional program works to be announced.

Tickets start at $59 and will be on sale at scfta.org on October 11, 2022 at 10 am PT.

Artist Biographies

Xander Parish (OBE), Artistic Director
Xander was born in East Yorkshire and began dancing in Hull. He graduated from the Royal Ballet School with honors in 2005 joining The Royal Ballet along with his sister, Demelza. In 2010 Xander became the first British dancer to be employed by The Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg. Xander was promoted to Principal dancer in July 2017 after the opening night of Swan Lake during the Mariinsky Ballet’s London season at Covent Garden.

His awards include the Positano Premia La Danza Léonide Massine Emerging Dancer on the International Scene Award (2014), Best Young Male Dancer at the 1st Taglioni European Ballet Awards (2014) and Outstanding Male Performance (Classical) for Apollo at the UK’s Critics’ Circle National Dance Awards (2014). In 2017 the University of Hull awarded Xander an Honorary Doctorate and in 2019 he was awarded an OBE in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours list for services to dance and UK-Russia Cultural Relations.

Xander has been a guest artist with companies including Stanislavsky Ballet, English National Ballet & ABT. In 2021 Xander launched balletclass.com, a website showcasing leading dancers demonstrating their own ballet and training classes. In August 2022 Xander joined the Norwegian National Ballet as a Principal.

Behzod Abduraimov, pianist
Behzod Abduraimov’s performances combine an immense depth of musicality with phenomenal technique and breath-taking delicacy. He performs with renowned orchestras worldwide including Philharmonia Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, San Francisco Symphony, The Cleveland Orchestra, Orchestre de Paris and Concertgebouworkest, and with prestigious conductors such as Juraj Valčuha, Vasily Petrenko, Lorenzo Viotti, James Gaffigan, Jakub Hrůša, Santtu-Matias Rouvali and Gustavo Dudamel.

2022/23 North American engagements include returns to The Cleveland Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony and the Los Angeles Philharmonic amongst others. In Europe performances include concerts with Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Wiener Symphoniker, SWR Symphonieorchester, Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, Philharmonia Orchestra, Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra and as part of Belgian National Orchestra’s Rachmaninov Festival. He will also return to NHK Symphony Orchestra under Gianandrea Noseda to perform Prokofiev Piano Concerto No.2. Other conductor collaborations include Semyon Bychkov, Karina Canellakis, Constantinos Carydis, Aziz Shokhakimov and Xian Zhang. Behzod studied with Stanislav Ioudenitch at the International Center for Music at Park University, Missouri, where he is Artist-in-Residence.

In recital Behzod has appeared a number of times at Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium, Queen Elizabeth Hall in London and Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, and has recently been presented by Alte Oper, Frankfurt; Amare Hall, The Hague, Vancouver Recital Society and at The Conrad Center, La Jolla. In 2022/23 recitals will include Meany Hall, Seattle; Spivey Hall, Atlanta and La Società dei Concerti di Milano to mention a few. Regular festival appearances include Aspen, Verbier, Rheingau, La Roque Antheron and Lucerne Festivals.

Gavriel Heine, Music Director
Formerly a resident conductor of The Mariinsky Theatre, Gavriel Heine performs with renowned orchestras worldwide, appearing in some of the world’s greatest venues including London’s Royal Opera House Covent Garden; the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden in Germany; Teatro Regio Torino in Italy, LAC in Lugano, Switzerland, Moscow’s Bolshoi Theater and Saint Petersburg’s Mikhailovsky Theater; Tokyo’s Bunka Kaikan, the Tianjin Grand Theater in China and the Kennedy Center in Washington, D. C.

Born and raised in the USA, Heine travelled to Russia at the age of 17 to study and became the first ever American citizen to graduate from the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory. Following his 2007 debut at The Mariinsky Theater he was appointed resident conductor of the theatre.

Gavriel Heine’s repertoire encompasses a wide range of symphonic, ballet and operatic repertoire including Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro and Die Zauberflöte; Rossini’s Il barbiere di Siviglia and La Cenerentola; Verdi’s Macbeth, La forza del destino and Otello, Puccini’s La bohème, Madama Butterfly, Tosca, and Il Trittico, The Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, Raymonda, La Bayadere, Le Corsaire, La Sylphide, Don Quixote, Paquita Grand Pas, Sylvia, The Firebird, Petrushka, Rite of Spring, Le Spectre de la Rose, The Swan, Chopiniana, Carnaval, Scheherazade, Romeo and Juliet, Cinderella, Apollo.

About Segerstrom Center for the Arts
Segerstrom Center for the Arts is an innovative, nonprofit arts organization committed to supporting artistic excellence, creating impactful educational programs, and dedicated to engaging a culturally connected, inclusive and vital Orange County community for all, through the power of live performance.

As the leading cultural arts hub, the Center presents a variety of programming with performances by international dance companies, Broadway national tours, jazz and cabaret musicians, chamber orchestras and ensembles, comedy, and speaker series. Through the Education and Community Engagement departments, the Center also delivers family-friendly programming and performances on the Julianne and George Argyros Plaza; these events include outdoor movie screenings, concerts, dance classes, diverse festivals and more.

With six venues on a beautiful multi-disciplinary campus, Segerstrom Center for the Arts proudly serves as the artistic home to three of the region’s major performing arts organizations: Pacific Symphony, Philharmonic Society of Orange County and Pacific Chorale as well as two independently acclaimed organizations: Tony Award®-winning South Coast Repertory and a site opening this fall as the home of the Orange County Museum of Art. Segerstrom Center is also home to the American Ballet Theatre William J. Gillespie School and Studio D, Arts School for All Abilities.

About Philharmonic Society of Orange County
Founded in 1954 as Orange County’s first music organization, the Philharmonic Society of Orange County presents national and international performances of the highest quality and provides dynamic and innovative music education programs for individuals of all ages to enhance the lives of Orange County audiences through music.

Since its inception, the Philharmonic Society has evolved and grown with the county’s changing landscape, presenting artists and orchestras who set the standard for artistic achievement from Itzhak Perlman, Gustavo Dudamel, Yo-Yo Ma, and Renée Fleming to the Berlin Philharmonic, Vienna Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and many others. In addition, the Philharmonic Society celebrates multi-disciplinary performances under its Eclectic Orange brand and embraces music from a wide range of countries with its World Music performances. Its celebrated family concerts introduce children to classical music with creative and inspiring performances, instilling music appreciation for future generations.

The Philharmonic Society’s nationally recognized Youth Music Education Programs, offered free of charge, engage more than 100,000 students annually through curriculum-based music education programs that aim to inspire, expand imaginations, and encourage learning at all levels. These programs are made possible by the Committees of the Philharmonic Society comprised of 700 volunteer members who provide more than 90,000 hours of in-kind service each year. As a key youth program, the exceptional Orange County Youth Symphony and String Ensemble provide top-tier training to the area’s most talented young musicians through multi-level ensemble instruction, leadership training, touring opportunities, challenging professional repertoire, and performances in world-class venues. The Philharmonic Society also promotes life-long learning by connecting with colleges and universities to conduct masterclasses and workshops and providing pre-concert lectures to introduce audiences to program selections.

Photo: Andrea Laššáková and Jacopo Tissi rehearsing Le Corsaire at Segerstrom Center for the Arts. Photo by Karolina Kuras, Courtesy of Henry T. and Elizabeth Segerstrom Foundation.

Media Contacts

Todd Bentjen, Polskin Arts todd.bentjen@finnpartners.com
Carla Cruz, Segerstrom Center for the Arts
ccruz@scfta.org