Nashville Ballet’s 2022-23 Season to Highlight Female Artists and Creators
NASHVILLE, TENN. (August 9, 2022) Known for their emphasis on collaboration and creativity, Nashville Ballet will be working alongside an all-star line-up of both local and nationally renowned female artists for their 2022-23 season. The highly anticipated repertoire will include brand-new works by multi-award winner Sidra Bell, international dancer and artistic visionary Cathy Marston, local composer and producer Larissa Maestro, multi-cultural creator Windship Boyd, and newly appointed Resident Choreographer Mollie Sansone.
“One of the most extraordinary elements of dance is the connection between the creator and the audience,” shared Nashville Ballet Artistic Director Paul Vasterling. “When we bring in new voices, fresh ideas and visions, we are creating opportunities for more people in our community to resonate with something they see on stage, and ultimately change how they experience the artform. We are so honored to be working with a group of such incredibly talented women and can’t wait for audiences to see what they have in store for them this season.”
Vasterling’s Anthology, which will premiere at TPAC’s Polk Theatre in February of 2023, will feature stories of Music City’s past choreographed by Bell, Boyd, and Sansone. Bell and Nashville Ballet received the prestigious Dance/USA’s BIPOC Female Choreographers in Ballet initiative grant, which aims to amplify the voice and vision of BIPOC female choreographers, to fund her commission in the project. A Yale University alumnus, Bell has choreographed for companies such as MTV, Revlon, and Paris Fashion Week, along with some of the country’s most prestigious dance institutions, including The Julliard School and New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.
Joining Bell on the project will be the Company’s first ever female Resident Choreographer, Mollie Sansone. A seasoned dancer with more than 17 years of experience with Nashville Ballet, Sansone is only the second individual to take on the role in Company history. In February of 2022, Sansone’s Fortitudine premiered during the Company’s annual Attitude series to rave reviews, with Music City Review calling it, “a moving representation of the emergence of self-expression and the liberation it canmodel for others.”
Throughout the season, the Company will also be collaborating with local multi-instrumentalist and producer Larissa Maestro, international violin sensation Yvette Kraft, acclaimed composer Jessie Montgomery, renowned stagers Diana White and Sarah Van Patten, Washington Post acclaimed creator Gabriela Lena Frank, and international costume designer Holly Hynes.
In addition, School of Nashville Ballet Professional Division and Academy Day Program students will work with newly-promoted Professional Programs Manager Anaïs Chalendard for their production of The Sleeping Beauty, which will run at the Martin Center for Nashville Ballet May 5–14, 2023. An internationally renowned artist, Chalendard is a former Boston Ballet principal and was named one of the 100 Best Dancers in the World by Dance Europe Magazine.
Nashville Ballet will kick off their 2022-23 season on October 6 with Cinderella at TPAC’s Polk Theater. To learn more about their upcoming performances and purchase tickets, please visit nashvilleballet.com.
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About Nashville Ballet
Nashville Ballet is the largest professional ballet company in Tennessee. Nashville Ballet presents a varied repertoire of classical ballet and contemporary works by noted choreographers, including original works by Artistic Director Paul Vasterling. Nashville Ballet and the second company, NB2 (a pre- professional training company), provide more than 55,000 arts experiences to adults and children annually through virtual and in-person season performances and its Community Engagement programming. Curriculum-based Community Engagement programs bring hybrid learning dance education to community centers, colleges, public libraries, and public elementary, middle, and high schools across the state. School of Nashville Ballet brings world-class dance instruction to students ages 2 and up. To learn more about Nashville Ballet, please visit nashvilleballet.com.
Nashville Ballet receives public funding from Metro Arts, Tennessee Arts Commission, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Contributions from local, regional, and national institutional funders and community partners, as well as hundreds of generous individuals, provide ongoing support of Nashville Ballet’s mission-critical programs.
Photo credit: Karyn Photography, courtesy of Nashville Ballet.
