NASHVILLE BALLET 3HISTORY AND MISSION

Our mission is to create, perform, teach, and promote dance as an essential and inspiring element of our community.

Nashville Ballet’s history of consistent growth and steady expansion is a credit to the dedicated artists and philanthropists who worked have tirelessly to bring the art of ballet to Nashville. Those visionaries worked diligently to bring this classical art form to a city that was already well on its way to becoming a cultural hub.

Nashville Ballet officially became a professional company in 1986, but its beginnings started a decade prior.

Artistic Vision

For more than two decades, Nashville Ballet has been guided by the steady leadership of Artistic Director Paul Vasterling to become the largest professional ballet company in Tennessee. With an artistic vision rooted in diversity, paying homage to the classical aesthetic, and illuminating relevant social topics, Nashville Ballet develops each dancer as an individual artist through its unique repertory.

Inspiration

Vasterling’s programming is designed to inspire and educate audiences while simultaneously challenging and pushing dancers into the next level of their abilities. Influenced by the social and cultural issues of the day, Vasterling presents ballets that spark questioning, conversation, and reflection for both the artists and audience. Using the art form as a vehicle to communicate, Vasterling ultimately seeks to highlight our connection and responsibility to one another.

Notably, Vasterling’s 2019 boundary-pushing Lucy Negro Redux in collaboration with Grammy Award winner Rhiannon Giddens examined themes of otherness, equality, and self-worth, which was dubbed a “Nashville miracle” by The New York Times. Other recent works have explored relevant topics such as gender identity, the resiliency of the human spirit, and the role of the community.

Diversity

Nashville Ballet is committed to diversity—from the artists that comprise the company to the stories represented on stage. We are pleased to work with The Equity Project led by Dance Theatre of Harlem, The International Association of Blacks in Dance, and Dance/USA to support the advancement of racial equity in professional ballet companies.

Repertory

Nashville Ballet acknowledges the classical tradition with such works as Giselle, The Sleeping Beauty, and Swan Lake to enable the artistic staff to share the roots of the art form while continuing to challenge our dancers’ classical technique. Vasterling characteristically adds unique touches to modernize the classics (for instance, by creating a strong female character in control of her fate in the iconic Cinderella).

Nashville Ballet also infuses contemporary works into its repertory to build off the strength of the dancers and allow them to stretch their movement limits into unchartered territories. In addition to our annual contemporary Attitude series, we present renowned ballets by modern masters such as George Balanchine, Twyla Tharp, and Christopher Wheeldon along with debuts by up-and-comers.

Live Music

Located in the heart of Music City, Nashville Ballet collaborates with musicians across all genres for every live performance. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Paul Vasterling, Nashville Ballet has commissioned 22 original scores for brand-new ballets. The Nashville Symphony accompanies each of Nashville Ballet’s classical productions and our contemporary performances provide us the opportunity to partner with acclaimed local musicians, including Ben Folds, Maren Morris, Rayland Baxter, Louis York, and Sugar + The Hi-Lows.

Nashville Ballet Company

Nashville Ballet’s company is comprised of dancers from around the country and world who contribute their unique talents, backgrounds, and experiences to the stage. The diversity of the company can be seen in dancer tenures, ranging from the first season to the seventeenth.

Organizational Role

Nashville Ballet dancers experience immeasurable growth working with a diverse mix of stagers and choreographers, many of whom create new works on the company. In addition to growing inside the studio, Nashville Ballet offers company dancers a seat at the table as internal stakeholders within the organization. Through regular meetings with Nashville Ballet leadership, participation in company-wide retreats, and more, company dancers are given the opportunity to express their unique perspectives and play an important role within the organization.

Dancer Resources

Dancers are encouraged and given the resources to explore interests outside of the studio. For example, dancers have the opportunity to teach within School of Nashville Ballet and area studios, guest perform with other companies, pursue artistic endeavors such as choreography, run businesses, and seek higher education. Nashville Ballet champions our dancers’ choreographic voices by regularly showcasing their work within season programming. Through our partnership Belmont University, dancers can pursue their bachelor’s degree in a convenient, part-time format conducive to our work schedule.

Health and Wellness

Nashville Ballet is committed to the health and wellness of our dancers as evident through our many partnerships such as Susan Underwood Physical Therapy, Tennessee Orthopedic Alliance, and more. In response to COVID-19, Nashville Ballet assembled a task force including a panel of trust medical advisors along with dancer representation to advise on a safe return-to-work strategy.

NB2

NB2, the official second company of Nashville Ballet, provides world-class training to dancers who wish to refine their classical and contemporary technique, develop artistry, build strength, and prepare for a career in a professional environment.

Performance Opportunities

NB2 dancers regularly rehearse with the main company and are given performance opportunities alongside them in diverse classical and contemporary repertory during the season. In addition to works by Artistic Director Paul Vasterling and Associate Artistic Director Nick Mullikin, NB2 members have also had world premiere works created on them by choreographers such as Gina Patterson, Charlotte Boye-Christensen, and Christopher Stuart.

Additionally, Nashville Ballet is committed to presenting NB2-specific repertory throughout the year to provide dancers the experience of performing leading roles on the main stage at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center to enhance their training even further.

Career and Education Guidance

NB2 dancers are given additional guidance inside the studio such as instruction from master teachers, customized strength training, and choreography and workshop opportunities. Dancers are encouraged to explore and experiment inside the studio to help develop their unique artistic voices during this critical time in their training.

Outside of the studio, dancers receive 1:1 goal-setting and evaluations from artistic staff, resume guidance, audition preparation, and career advice to ultimately prepare them for a main company position. In partnership with Belmont University, NB2 dancers also have the opportunity to pursue their bachelor’s degree through part-time enrollment and flexible class schedules.

Concerto , Paul Vasterling

Concerto, Paul Vasterling

 

Dancing the Lottery

Preview of Paul Vasterlin’s Lucy Negro Redux

Nashville Ballet Associate Artistic Director Nick Mullikin debuts his newest work He Loved Big Brother on the artists and trainees of NB2, Nashville Ballet’s official second company. The title inspired by George Orwell’s dystopian classic 1984, Mullikin’s latest choreographic endeavor explores the struggle between longing for individuality and freedom, yet craving the security and comfort that comes from being part of a group. This contemporary piece is set to nationally-recognized composer and dance collaborator Michael Wall’s 3 147.

Nashville Ballet’s New Full-Length Shows What Inclusion in Ballet Could Look Like

Nick Mullikin’s He Loved Big Brother with NB2 Artists

Nashville Ballet Associate Artistic Director Nick Mullikin debuts his newest work He Loved Big Brother on the artists and trainees of NB2, Nashville Ballet’s official second company. The title inspired by George Orwell’s dystopian classic 1984, Mullikin’s latest choreographic endeavor explores the struggle between longing for individuality and freedom, yet craving the security and comfort that comes from being part of a group. This contemporary piece is set to nationally-recognized composer and dance collaborator Michael Wall’s 3 147.

Chris Stuart’s Under the Lights Featuring Kayla

https://www.dropbox.com/s/adzgpdasjcjjk83/I%27ve%20Got%20You%20Covered%20Pas%20v3.m4v?dl=0
Password: N@shB@llet21

Paul Vasterling’s Fresco with NB2 Artists
https://www.dropbox.com/s/sgd53l6riou9kpv/Fresco%20Final%201-4-21.m4v?dl=0

 

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