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LAGUNA DANCE FESTIVAL PRESENTS PARSONS DANCE AND ASPEN SANTA FE BALLET

Laguna Dance Festival will bring two nationally noted companies for four performances onstage at Laguna Playhouse. For its ninth season, Laguna Dance Festival will present New York-based Parsons Dance, with its bold, modern repertory, on Thursday, Sept. 5 and Friday, Sept. 6 at 7:30 p.m.  The popular, energetic Aspen Santa Fe Ballet will perform on Saturday, Sept. 7 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Sept. 9 at 2 p.m.

In addition to the four theatre performances, the festival includes pre-performance talks one hour before each show and two master classes:

•  Wednesday, Sept. 4 from 6 to 8 p.m. taught by David Parsons onstage at the Laguna Playhouse

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• Sunday, Sept. 8 from 10 a.m. to noon taught by Aspen Santa Fe Ballet executive director Jean-Philippe Malaty at the Laguna Beach High School Dance Studio

Audience members are invited to meet the dancers and support Laguna Dance Festival at a post-performance artist reception with food and beverages on Saturday, Sept. 7 at the Playhouse.  

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Parsons Dance will deliver its sexy, athletic style of dance on Sept. 5 & 6. Audiences will see the West Coast premiere of Round My World featuring music recorded by San Francisco-based cellist and composer Zoë Keating, David Parsons’ strobe-lighted masterpiece Caught, a brand-new piece commissioned piece, and three other stunning Parsons works. Founded in 1985 by David Parsons and Tony Award-winning lighting designer Howell Binkley, Parsons Dance is known for its upbeat, vigorous ensemble work. www.parsonsdance.com

Aspen Santa Fe Ballet dancers will perform three unique works by master choreographers: Trey McIntyre’s popular Like a Samba, Jorma Elo’s bright Over Glow, and Last by Alejandro Cerrudo. Described by The New York Times as “a breath of fresh air,” Aspen Santa Fe Ballet Company stands out as a model of what a small ballet company should be, with its “musicality, athleticism, and technique-conscious delivery.” For 16 years, the company has served as a prestigious incubator and a showcase for choreographic invention to popular and critical acclaim. It enjoys solid support from its two home cities. www.aspensantafeballet.com

Jodie Gates, Laguna Dance Festival founder and artistic director, noted, “These two companies exemplify the variety that the Laguna Dance Festival always brings to the stage at the Laguna Playhouse. Aspen Santa Fe Ballet has a sophisticated European influence, and Parsons represents the best of exuberant American modern dance.”

All performances will be held at Laguna Playhouse, 606 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach. Tickets for Sept. 5-8 are $60 general admission, $35 with valid student ID. Master class students may purchase class and performance packages for $50 per person. Reception tickets are $75 each, with a specially priced package of Saturday performance and reception ticket for $125, a value of $135.

Tickets can be purchased by online at www.lagunadancefestival.org by phone at 949-497-2787, or at the Laguna Playhouse during box office hours at 606 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach. Box office hours are 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Tuesday – Sunday, and until 8 p.m. on Playhouse performance days.  For additional information, call the Laguna Dance Festival office at 949-715-5578.

Regarded as one of Orange County’s major cultural events, Laguna Dance Festival continues to be an important showcase for new and established dance companies and artists. Its mission is to support and promote the development of dance creation, presentation and education, and to increase public appreciation of the art form in Orange County and beyond.

FALL 2013 LAGUNA DANCE FESTIVAL

Complete Schedule of Events

• Wednesday, Sept. 4 – Master class 6 to 8 p.m. taught by Parsons Dance founder and artistic director David Parsons onstage at the Laguna Playhouse. Dance technique, company repertory, Q&A with Mr. Parsons. Class: $25. Class audit: $15. Master class and performance ticket package: $50.

•  Thursday, Sept. 5 – Pre-show talk for ticket holders at 6:30 p.m. 

Performance by Parsons Dance at 7:30 p.m. at Laguna Playhouse

• Friday, Sept. 6 –  Pre-show talk for ticket holders at 6:30 p.m.

Performance by Parsons Dance at 7:30 p.m. at Laguna Playhouse

Saturday, Sept. 8 – Pre-show talk for ticket-holders at 6:30 p.m.

Performance by Aspen Santa Fe Ballet at 7:30 p.m. at Laguna Playhouse

Post-performance fundraising reception at Laguna Playhouse. Tickets: $75.

Discount package for Saturday performance and reception ticket, $125; Reception only: $75

•  Sunday, Sept. 8 – Master class 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. taught by Jean-Philippe Malaty, dancer, choreographer, executive director of Aspen Santa Fe Ballet. Ballet class, company repertory, Q&A with Mr. Malaty. Laguna Beach High School Dance Studio, 625 Park Avenue, Laguna Beach. Class: $25. Class audit: $15. Master class and performance ticket package: $50.

- Pre-show talk for ticket holders at 1 p.m.

- Matinee performance by Aspen Santa Fe Ballet at 2 p.m. at Laguna Playhouse

Laguna Playhouse: 606 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach. Tickets: $60 general; $35 with valid student ID. Master class/performance student packages $50. Saturday reception $75; reception and performance package $125. www.lagunadancefestival.org  or 949-497-2787, Laguna Playhouse box office hours: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Tues.– Sun.  Laguna Dance Festival office phone:  949-715-5578.

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