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Friday reservation deadline for Detroit ballet trip

Oct. 18, 2007

KALAMAZOO--Partners in Dance of Western Michigan University is sponsoring a trip to see the Miami City Ballet perform at the Detroit Opera House Sunday, Nov. 4.

The cost of the trip is $100 for Partners in Dance members and $110 for non-members. The price includes orchestra seats on the main floor, round-trip motor coach transportation, and a boxed lunch and lecture en-route by David Curwen, WMU associate professor of dance. On the way back to Kalamazoo after the performance, the group will dine in Ann Arbor, Mich. The meal will be about $30 and will be in addition to the trip cost.

Under the leadership of founding artistic director Edward Villella, former principal dancer with the New York City Ballet, the Miami City Ballet has quickly soared to the ranks of the nation's greatest ballet companies. The evening's performance will mark the company's highly anticipated Detroit Opera House debut, and will feature works by legendary choreographers George Balanchine and Twyla Tharp. Seating is limited and reservations will be taken on a first-come, first-served basis. The registration and payment deadline is Friday, Oct. 19.

The program will begin with George Balanchine's abstract ballet, "Agon," which was created in collaboration with Igor Stravinsky. Another Balanchine work, "Raymonda Variations," is a playful and uplifting classical ballet set to a score by Alexander Glazunov. The evening will conclude with Twyla Tharp's energy-packed, one-act ballet, "In the Upper Room," featuring music by Philip Glass. The ballet features dancers in both pointe and tennis shoes, and uses smoke and lighting effects. Tharp describes the choreography as "fierce, driving and relentless moves that burn the retina."

For more information about Partners in Dance, which supports WMU Department of Dance programs, visit www.wmich.edu/dance/pid. For more information about the trip to Detroit, or to register for the event, contact Jill Dailey, Department of Dance, at jill.e.dailey@wmich.edu or (269) 387-5830.

Media contact: Tonya Hernandez, (269) 387-8400, tonya.hernandez@wmich.edu

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