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April 22, 2005

Present day ballet is pointe
of Modern Masters

The Sacramento Ballet is set to present Modern Masters at Sacramento State for the eighth consecutive year, offering a collection of dance performances showcasing cutting-edge choreography and some traditional pieces as well.

Sacramento Ballet's Sarah Hinman performs in last year's Modern Masters.

Performances begin at 7:30 p.m., Thursday, May 5 in the University Theatre and continue at 8 p.m. Friday, May 6 and Saturday, May 7. A 2 p.m. matinee will be presented Sunday, May 8.

The show features the works of several acclaimed choreographers and former dancers including "Angels and Clay," a piece by San Francisco choreographer Della Davidson. This poignant work set to the music of Philip Glass and borrowing elements of theater is dedicated to the memory of dancer Tracy Rhoades. The work won Davidson the coveted Isadora Duncan Dance Award for Outstanding Achievement in Choreography in 1989.

Internationally acclaimed choreographer and former Sacramento Ballet company member Amy Seiwert will present "I Want Inside," a piece reflecting the interaction between audience and performer. Set to an original score by John Zeretsky, the work is inspired by a performance of Cirque du Soleil. The Quebec Gazette called the piece "a resounding success, overflowing with Seiwert's sense of adventure and invention."

Dancer and choreographer Bobbi Smith and composer Ricardo Romaniero, both from the prestigious The Julliard School, joined forces to produce the piece, "scry." Romaniero's original music score based on ancient Brazilian folk rhythms plays while dancers feed on its energetic rhythms, propelling themselves into motion.

Sacramento State professor Nolan T'Sani returns to choreograph an elegant pas de deux to Mozart's "Requiem." Sacramento Ballet Artistic Director Ron Cunningham says of the piece, "Mr. T'Sani's superb lyric sensibility and beautiful flowing movement is a profound interpretation of this exquisite musical masterpiece." T'Sani is a former soloist for the New York City Ballet and is currently a character artist with the Sacramento Ballet.

Tickets are $30 general, $24 for students and $15 for children ages 12 and under, and are available from the CSUS Ticket Office at (916) 278-4323 or Tickets.com.

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