Vitacca Ballet Celebrates The 2023/24 Season With BRAVA BALLET In May

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

VITACCA BALLET CELEBRATES THE 2023/24 SEASON WITH BRAVA BALLET IN MAY

Elevating Houston’s cultural landscape by investing in youth enrichment, professional artist employment, & community connection

Brava Ballet is Vitacca’s New Spring Performance Series & Gala

HOUSTON, TEXAS [May 3, 2024]: Vitacca Ballet fuels Houston’s cultural landscape each season with diverse ballet productions designed to invest in Houston’s community from youth to professional. The inaugural Brava Ballet Gala is a full weekend celebration culminating Vitacca’s most ambitious 2023/24 Season. Join us in supporting the expansion of Houston’s art scene for all (or one) of the programs May 23-25 at MATCH Matchbox 4 (3400 Main St., Houston, TX 77002) featuring the artists of Vitacca in a three-program series:

• Program A SOIREE featuring Vitacca School for Dance
• Program B ONE featuring Vitacca Ballet in premieres by Garrett Smith, Ethan Colangelo, Sean Aaron Carmon, and original work by Tina Kay Bohnstedt
• Program C BRAVA featuring Vitacca Ballet + Studio Company featuring Vitacca Ballet performing works by Garrett Smith, Ethan Colangelo, Sean Aaron Carmon, Alana Jones, Tina Kay Bohnstedt and Vitacca Ballet Studio Company joins the stage with signature works.
• BRAVA GALA featuring a pre-show Cocktail Hour, Program C BRAVA performance, and post-show Dinner and Dancing

Extend your Saturday, May 25 experience with the purchase of the BRAVA GALA experience for two, four or ten guests, including a pre-show cocktail hour, Program C BRAVA performance and post-show dinner, dancing, and celebration!

BRAVA GALA
Vitacca’s BRAVA GALA will take place Saturday, May 25 from 5:30–11:00PM at MATCH. Join us for a night of celebration and dance at our culminating gala event for Brava Ballet! With a performance by Vitacca Ballet and the Vitacca Studio Company, delicious food and beverages, a silent auction, raffles, and a dance party, it’s a night dedicated to the arts you won’t want to miss! The event schedule includes:

• Cocktail Hour pre-show from 5:30–6:30PM on the Landing
• Program C BRAVA performance from 6:30–8:15PM in MATCHBOX 4
• Dinner and Dancing post-show from 8:15–11:00PM in the Gallery

Table seats are sold in two $500, four $1,000 or ten $2,500 guests. Proceeds from Brava Gala help:

• Generate equitable pay for Houston professional dancers
• Provide world-class training for aspiring ballet dancers in Houston
• Support sustainable growth for current and future Houston artists
• Commission award-winning choreography for both Vitacca students and Vitacca Ballet

Vitacca Ballet’s Success
Vitacca Ballet is ranked amongst the most prestigious companies in the country. Pointe Magazine’s Nancy Wozny called out Vitacca Ballet and in specific company artists, Jordan Hooks and Joshua Ponton’s performance in Hypnotic Forces from brilliant Resident Choreographer Garrett Smith as one of the “12 Standout Performances of 2023.” Wozny states,

“Jordan Hooks and Joshua Ponton delivered a powerful concluding duet that oscillated between tenderness and anxious watchfulness, with a tension that never let up even during its most intimate moments.”

Artistic Director and Founder Kelly Ann Vitacca comments, “We are thrilled to have Vitacca Ballet and our Resident Choreographer Garrett Smith featured in Pointe Magazine’s “12 Standout Performances of 2023.” This contemporary ballet by Smith incapsulates the type of fresh, progressive and quality artistry Vitacca Ballet brings to the greater Houston area and beyond.”

Vitacca Ballet’s performances so far, this 2023/24 have entertained over 5,000 arts patrons in Houston and The Woodlands, Texas. The season opener titled SOWN had two sell out performances. The holiday favorite, The Nutcracker Gala, which features gala-style seating at The Woodlands Resort had five sell out performances.

Artists work with internationally renowned choreographers each season. This seasons choreographers include Tina Kay Bohnstedt, Sean Aaron Carmon, Ethan Colangelo, Alana Jones, Hélène Simoneau, Garrett Smith, and Robyn Mineko Williams. Previous season choreographers include Autumn Eckman, Madison Hicks, Shizu Yasuda, Robbie Moore, Roderick George, and Andrea Dawn Shelley. “The choreographic talent Vitacca Ballet brings to Houston is unique and exploratory,” comments Ms. Vitacca. “From returning audience favorites to new choreographers bringing their distinctive perspective to the stage, each season is transformational for the contemporary ballet scene in Houston. We pride ourselves on offering a space of incubation for choreographers to collaborate with our dancers as the creation takes form. This allows for an enriching process and unencumbered dance on stage.”

Vitacca Ballet grows steadily each season and currently has 14 company members and 35 artistic and administrative staff members. The company offers a 34-week contract on par with the nation’s largest dance organizations. Vitacca Ballet prides itself on supporting the development of the Texas arts scene by offering a home and supporting income to artists from across the globe. Founded in 2020 Vitacca Ballet is a creation-based repertoire company in the Houston area. As the pandemic brought artists home to Houston, Ms.Vitacca strived to keep artists employed, and the Houston arts scene alive with project-based work. This experience laid the framework for the launch of Vitacca Ballet in 2021.

“I am motivated by the support Vitacca Ballet has received in the three seasons since its inception. Houston’s passionate arts community has allowed for Vitacca Ballet to grow as a leading organization adding the new rank of Apprentice to its company roster ensuring the future of professional contemporary ballet with seasoned dancers in the greater Houston area,” comments Ms. Vitacca. “We have also broadened our reach to different cities in Texas and the United States.”

This season Vitacca Ballet was once again presented in Humble at The Charles Bender Performing Arts Center in February and continues its up/CLOSE Series which invites patrons into the studio space to encounter rehearsals and artist Q&A’s. Vitacca Ballet has been selected for tours to RAD Fest in Kalamazoo, MI this March, a return to connec(TX)ions in Austin, TX in June TX, plus the Austin Dance Festival. Past tours included Contemporary Dance Choreography Festival in Florida, Versatility Dance Festival in Utah, Bailindo Dance Festival, and headlining the Red Rock Dance Festival in Utah. In addition to touring Vitacca Ballet supports philanthropic organizations through dance such as Trees of Hope Gala 2022 Entertainment Sponsor, which raises awareness and funding for Houston’s homeless women and children.

Vitacca Ballet brings five world premieres, plus two unique Houston premieres to stage throughout the 2023-2024 Season. Continue to follow our movement at VitaccaBallet.org.

This season strives to meld patron and artist with a mutual experience on and off the stage to further explore the symbiotic relationship of life and art.  Ms. Vitacca comments, “Vitacca Ballet focuses on creating world premiere contemporary ballets that are thought provoking and allow patron and artist to share in a relatable experience. This provides a rebirth of dance awareness and the progression of ballet for all. Our goal is to root our company into the Houston dance community while we grow and mature along with our patron base.”

This season brings diverse, artistic minds together with the exciting growth of our company including the return of our beloved company artists, Maddie Medina, Coltin Snyder, Fiona Dorr, Jordan Hooks, Joshua Ponton, , Elissa Fonesca, International Guest Khen Kurulkar and new company artists Megumi Nishimori, Aidan Wolf, Nikolas Darrough, Elena Damiani, Ava Dempster, Zephaniah Casey, and Carrington Moser.

Vitacca Ballet is a proud to be a fiscally sponsored project through Fractured Atlas. This allows tax-deductible donations to be made toward VB’s vision and artistic growth.

For more information about Vitacca Ballet, visit www.VitaccaBallet.org.  

Vitacca Ballet BRAVA BALLET Information
Tickets & Gala Tables:
www.VitaccaBallet.org

• Program A SOIREE: $25-40
• Program B ONE: $25-50
• Program C BRAVA performance only: $25-40
• BRAVA BALLET GALA (performance + gala events): $500-$2,500

Performance Series Dates & Times:

• Program A SOIREE on Thursday, May 23 at 7:00PM with Vitacca School for Dance, Houston
• Program B ONE on Friday, May 24 at 7:30PM with Vitacca Ballet
• Program C BRAVA on Saturday, May 25 at 6:30PM with Vitacca Ballet & Vitacca Studio Company
• BRAVA BALLET GALA on Saturday, May 25 from 5:30–11:00PM in the MATCH Gallery

Description:
Vitacca Ballet fuels Houston’s cultural landscape each season with diverse and original classical, plus contemporary ballet productions designed to invest in Houston’s community from youth to professional. The inaugural Brava Ballet Gala is a full weekend celebration culminating Vitacca’s most ambitious 2024/25 Season. Join us in supporting the expansion of Houston’s art scene for all (or one) of the programs May 23-25 at MATCH featuring the artists of Vitacca in a three-program series: Program A SIOREE featuring Vitacca School for Dance, Program B ONE featuring Vitacca Ballet and Program C BRAVA featuring Vitacca Ballet + Studio Company.  Extend your May 25th experience with the purchase of the BRAVA GALA experience for two, four or ten guests, including cocktail hour, Program C Performance and post-performance dinner, dancing + celebration!

Venue:
MATCH Matchbox 4