One of the World’s Premier Dance Companies, The Joffrey Ballet Continues the 21st Season of Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at The Music Center with Stunning Production of Leo Tolstoy’s Epic 19th-Century Novel
LOS ANGELES (May 8, 2024) — The Music Center's boldest dance season yet, featuring a number of works about strong, dynamic women, continues when The Joffrey Ballet's breathtaking rendition of Anna Karenina commands the stage of The Music Center's iconic Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, June 21–23, 2024. The Chicago-based company, celebrating 68 years of artistic excellence, is one of the premier dance companies in the world today and will enrapture Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at The Music Center audiences with its spectacular rendition of Leo Tolstoy's 19th-century masterpiece, considered one of the most famous stories in all of literature. The Los Angeles premiere of Anna Karenina unravels the profound power and desire of a life-changing affair between the beautiful but married Anna and the dashing Count Vronsky.
“The Music Center is thrilled to welcome back The Joffrey Ballet, which last graced our stages in 2018 with a beautiful and modern rendition of Romeo and Juliet, and with which we have had a long and treasured relationship. For the 21st season of Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at The Music Center, the esteemed company will perform an equally powerful story about forbidden love,” said Rachel S. Moore, president and CEO of The Music Center. “Works about strong, dynamic women are at the essence of our current dance season; Anna Karenina, as the alluring protagonist of this visually stunning ballet, is icing on the cake. Her torrid yet tragic love affair and the choreography of this incredible piece will leave Angelenos breathless and wanting more.”
Recipient of the 2019 Benois de la Danse International Prize for Best Choreography (considered the “Oscars of Dance”), Anna Karenina had its world premiere in Chicago. This production, created by acclaimed Ukrainian-born choreographer Yuri Possokhov and set in late 19th-century Imperial Russia, is heightened by impeccable costume design, captivating choreography that exemplifies the highest standards in classical dance training and a live orchestra performing an original score by award-winning composer Ilya Demutsky. Chicago Tribune lauds “Anna Karenina is a feat of artistic genius…and some of the best narrative choreography created for a 21st century ballet.”
“Great stories like Tolstoy's Anna Karenina bridge time, geographical boundaries, and politics. They reflect our shared humanity,” says The Mary B. Galvin Artistic Director Ashley Wheater MBE. “Bringing this beloved, full-length ballet to The Music Center for its Los Angeles premiere marks a significant moment for the Joffrey. Anna Karenina is a production of massive scale that will not only inspire audiences through its visually striking display of set designs, costumes, choreography, and sweeping score, but also fill the hearts of so many through its incredibly moving story.”
Extending its residency beyond the theatre, The Joffrey Ballet will lead dance workshops at four senior centers in Los Angeles County’s unincorporated communities. A professional teaching artist with Joffrey will lead four one-hour workshops, on June 12–13, 2024, that engage and inspire Angelenos through dance and movement with lessons tailored to older adults of all mobility levels. The health-affirming dance workshops, arranged through a partnership between the Los Angeles County Aging & Disabilities Department and The Music Center, will be held at various locations, from East L.A. to South Los Angeles, from Whittier to Altadena. Participating older adults will be invited to attend The Joffrey Ballet’s dress rehearsal on June 21, 2024.
Tickets to The Joffrey Ballet’s Anna Karenina are available for purchase now by visiting musiccenter.org/joffrey or calling
(213) 972-0711.
CALENDAR LISTING
The Joffrey Ballet
The Music Center’s Dorothy Chandler Pavilion
Friday, June 21, 2024, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, June 22, 2024, 2:00 p.m.
Saturday, June 22, 2024, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, June 23. 2024, 2:00 p.m.
Live orchestra
Last company appearance at The Music Center: 2018
Anna Karenina
Choreography: Yuri Possokhov
Music: Ilya Demutsky
Libretto: Valeriy Pecheykin based on the novel by Leo Tolstoy
Costume & Set Designs: Tom Pye
Lighting Design: David Finn
Projection Design: Finn Ross
Restaged: Adam Blyde & Suzanne Lopez
World Premiere: February 13, 2019, Auditorium Theatre (Chicago)
ABOUT GLORYA KAUFMAN PRESENTS DANCE AT THE MUSIC CENTER
Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at The Music Center, a TMC Arts program, is one of the leading presenters of dance on the West Coast. The celebrated series offers significant works by prestigious ballet and contemporary dance artists from around the world. Now entering its 21st year, Dance at The Music Center is a powerful force, supporting new works and artists-in-residence projects by today’s most influential companies and choreographers. Performances are complemented by special experiences for both ticket buyers and the public with opportunities to learn more about the choreography and the themes explored, including panels, master classes, dance film festivals, interactive experiences and more. The 21st season of Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at The Music Center is generously supported by Glorya Kaufman Foundation, Center Dance Arts, Dorothy B. Chandler Program Fund and Elisabeth Katte Harris.
ABOUT CENTER DANCE ARTS
Center Dance Arts is a dynamic community of patrons with a passion for dance. Center Dance Arts members bring dance to life in Los Angeles by promoting The Music Center’s world-class dance performances, extensive educational outreach and free and low-cost community experiences so all may experience the transformative power of dance. For more information, visit musiccenter.org/cda.
ABOUT THE MUSIC CENTER
The Music Center convenes artists, communities and ideas with the goal of deepening the cultural lives of every resident in Los Angeles County. Celebrating its 60th year in 2024, the $70 million non-profit performing arts organization has two divisions: TMC Arts and TMC Ops. TMC Arts, The Music Center’s programming engine, provides year-round programming inside The Music Center’s four theatres, on Jerry Moss Plaza, outside at Gloria Molina Grand Park—a 12-acre adjacent green space—in schools and other locations all over Los Angeles County and on a digital platform called The Music Center Offstage. TMC Arts presents world-class dance with Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at The Music Center, free and low-cost public concerts and events, as well as live and digital K–12 arts education programs, workshops, performances, interactive experiences and special events. TMC Ops manages the theatres, the Plaza and Gloria Molina Grand Park, which comprise $2 billion in county assets, on behalf of the County of Los Angeles. The Music Center is also home to four renowned resident companies—Center Theatre Group, Los Angeles Master Chorale, LA Opera and LA Phil. For more information, visit musiccenter.org. Follow The Music Center on social media @MusicCenterLA.
ABOUT THE JOFFREY BALLET
The Joffrey Ballet is one of the premier dance companies in the world today, with a reputation for boundary-breaking performances for more than 68 years. The Joffrey repertoire is an extensive collection of all-time classics, modern masterpieces, and original works.
Founded in 1956 by pioneers Robert Joffrey and Gerald Arpino, the Joffrey remains dedicated to artistic expression, innovation, and first-rate education and engagement programming. The Joffrey Ballet continues to thrive under The Mary B. Galvin Artistic Director Ashley Wheater MBE and President and CEO Greg Cameron.