OCPAC to premiere new ballet program

COSTA MESA — The Orange County Performing Arts Center has teamed up with a world-renowned Russian ballet company to create a new dance program, titled “Reflections.”

An open rehearsal Friday afternoon at Founders Hall featured the production’s six ballerinas and four male dancers, all of whom studied at or currently perform with Moscow’s Bolshoi Ballet Academy, one of the most prestigious schools of ballet in the world. Work on the production began Aug. 11.

“Reflections” premieres at OCPAC on Jan. 20 and runs through Jan. 23 in Segerstrom Hall. The production then goes to the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow for performances on Jan. 27 to 30.

“With ‘Reflections,’ the center’s goal is to inspire a legion of new dance fans, strengthen our reputation as one of the nation’s premier presenters of great dance, and to contribute to the dynamic cultural scene in Orange County,” said Terry Dwyer, president of OCPAC.

Ardani Artists Management is producing the work. Comprised of Sergei and Gaiane Danilian, natives of Russia, their past collaborations with OCPAC include the 2006 Mariinsky Festival, “Kings of the Dance” and “Diana Vishneva: Beauty in Motion.”

Tickets range from $14 to $110 and are available now for International Dance Season subscribers. Individual tickets for “Reflections” will be sold approximately six weeks before the Jan. 20 premiere.

Free preview lectures will take place one hour before the schedule performances.

“We believe our audiences will be thrilled by the world premieres and breathtaking dance at the heart of ‘Reflections,’” Dwyer said.