New Mexico Set Designer Will Display Artwork at Premiere of Springtime Ballet “Thumbelina”

California Contemporary Ballet Delighted to Host After-Performance Displays of Miniaturized Set Pieces

La Canada, CA — Kurt Bowker, a New Mexico artist and owner of Advanced Concept Group, has created several large set pieces for the upcoming premiere of California Contemporary Ballet's (http://www.CalBallet.com) new springtime production “Thumbelina” on June 29 and 30. And he will be displaying beautiful, functional display art in the lobby after the show.

With the use of a huge trailer, Kurt Bowker is packing up 10ft metal flowers and 5ft metal toadstools that will be featured onstage in the ballet, along with several works he also has prepared for display and sale in the lobby at Glendale Community College Theater, June 29 & 30. He will also pack up his four year old daughter, Kyrah, who will appear in the ballet as a Dew Drop. They will travel from Moriarty, New Mexico where Mr. Bowker lives on a large horse ranch and will arrive in La Canada this week. 

The performance of “Thumbelina” will be filled with his colorful flowers. Adapted from the classic fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen, this new ballet will tell the story of the thumb size girl, Thumbelina, who is born from a tulip and undergoes various adventures in her quest for love. Set pieces are designed large in order to make the cast appear small, and will include beautiful flowers & toadstools made of painted sheet metal.

Bowker, a general contractor who has performed a variety of jobs for his community, discovered that he could use the scrap metal on his property that was left over from odd jobs to create many different types of functional and display art of all size. Mr. Bowker states, “Creating art has been a sideline until Aerin Holt asked if I could make huge flowers and toadstools for her ballet.” Bowker's daughter appeared in Ms. Holt's ballet of Snow Queen last December. “After seeing that production, I was excited to be involved with a new creative endeavor collaborating with Aerin. For the past several months, I’ve not been getting much sleep. It’s been a big project to design, weld and shape all these over-sized toadstools and flowers.”

Mr. Bowker has also built the large metal Tulip that will open (with use of hydraulics) to reveal the tiny Thumbelina (aka, Jaclyn Stryker who will perform the role). He notes, “The upside of using sets made of metal is that Thumbelina will be able to slide down a flower petal to get to the dance floor and some of the fairies will be able to sit on leaves of the tall flowers.” Mr. Bowker is as excited as anyone to see his creations on stage with the dancers. Once Bowker delivers these giant beauties his work won’t be done as he directs the crew on the use of the sets backstage during the show.

Lead choreographer and art director Aerin Holt says, “We are very excited about working with Kurt’s creations. This ballet will be a melding of contemporary dance, classical ballet and aerial arts, and a perfect choice for the entire family.” A further description of the ballet can be found at http://goo.gl/D2eVQ

For more information about Kurt Browker and his company, visit http://advanceconceptgroup.com/ His sheet metal sculptures will be on display at the premiere of “Thumbelina” by California Contemporary Ballet, which will be at Glendale Community College (1500 N. Verdugo Road, Glendale, CA) on June 29th at 7:30 PM, and on June 30th at 2:00 PM. Tickets are $20–$30 at http://www.CalBallet.com/tickets. Group tickets are also available.

Local Sculptor Will Display Artwork at Premiere of Springtime Ballet “Thumbelina”

California Contemporary Ballet Delighted to Host After-Performance Display of Nature-Themed Ceramic Creations

Los Angeles, CA — Anne Tryba, a La Cañada artist and professional designer, will be displaying her beautiful ceramic flower sculptures at the upcoming premiere of California Contemporary Ballet's (http://www.CalBallet.com) new springtime production “Thumbelina.”

Drawing from more than 20 years experience as a graphic designer for Walt Disney Imagineering, Anne Tryba has had a passionate focus on clay forms for the last decade. The fruits—or the “flowers”—of her work will be available for viewing and for purchase at the opening performance of “Thumbelina,” coming at the end of this month.

“My experience as a professional designer has influenced the expression of the art I create for my own pleasure, but when I am working on a piece of sculpture, there is an inner and extremely personal urge that directs my hand,” says Ms. Tryba. “My experimentation with unique textures on different types of clay, combined with under- and over-glazes, allows me to create an endless variety of surface decoration. My current floral garden sculptures can be attributed to a love of nature, as well as lots of trial and error with techniques. Combining the various pieces is like assembling a colorful puzzle. I hope you find the results as delightful as I do!”

The performance of “Thumbelina” will not be without its own colorful flowers. Adapted from the classic fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen, this new ballet will tell the story of the thumb size girl, Thumbelina, who is born from a tulip and undergoes various adventures in her quest for love. Set pieces are designed for fairies (scaled to human size) and will include beautiful flowers & toadstools made of painted sheet metal. Lead choreographer and art director Aerin Holt says, “The piece will be a melding of contemporary dance, classical ballet and aerial arts, and a perfect choice for the entire family.” A further description of the ballet can be found at http://goo.gl/D2eVQ

For more information about Anne Tryba and her artwork, visit http://www.annetryba.com/. Her floral ceramic sculptures will be on display at the premiere of “Thumbelina” by California Contemporary Ballet, which will be at Glendale Community College (1500 N. Verdugo Road, Glendale, CA) on June 29th at 7:30 PM, and on June 30th at 2:00 PM. Tickets are $20–$30 at http://www.CalBallet.com. Group tickets are also available.

The Music and Dance Behind Thumbelina

By FRANZ A.D. MORALES
Published in Pasadena Now: Wednesday, June 12, 2013 | 12:11 PM

We took some time with Dwight Mikkelsen and Jaclyn Stryker to talk about their life and work experiences

If the heart of a ballet is the music, the lifeblood are the dancers. We take some time to have a chat with composer Dwight Mikkelsen and dancer Jaclyn Stryker to get an inside look on the people behind California Contemporary Ballet’s Thumbelina.

The Musician

“I like classical music. That’s the first music I ever started writing and I’ve never stopped and I keep doing and doing it,” says Mikkelsen. “I’m also a writer. I have a book that’s coming out in July, in the middle of July,” he adds.

Mikkelsen’s book is called Freedom’s Rush and it’s about his travels throughout the Western half of the United States on a motorcycle. But making music is who he is.

Mikkelsen has been working with Aerin Holt, the Company’s Artistic Director, since “I think two or three years ago,” says Mikkelsen. The dynamic between Holt and Mikkelsen is one brought on by years of friendship, and is evident in how the two work together.

“If she has an idea, it’s clear when she can let me take off with it. And sometimes I’m not quite sure about something and so I just let Erin take off with it,” says Mikkelsen.

With the Company’s latest production, Thumbelina, Mikkelsen says his job is to write and record the music. “I decided on an orchestra; 9 woodwinds, 11 brass, 2 percussions, and 2 harps and strings. So I just kept it with that, and it’s been a bit of a challenge not having a piano but honestly, piano doesn’t really belong in an orchestra,” he says.

Mikkelsen is handling both the writing/composing and recording aspects of the ballet, and as a result, he isn’t getting much sleep. But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t love what he does.

“It’s just the nature of that kind of work when you’re orchestrating, arranging and even copying, it’s always last minute. you’re merely totally restless when you do something. That’s part of the gig. If sleep is that important to you, you need to find another line of work,” says Mikkelsen.

“I like to have fun, I just like to have a good time, that’s why we’re doing it and having a good time doing it. Sometimes you have a good time playing pool and drinking beer and then when you get to work it’s sort of boring. I like to have fun doing the music, that’s what I like to do,” adds Mikkelsen.

The Dancer

Jaclyn Stryker is the lead dancer in Thumbelina. To appreciate the art, sometimes it’s necessary to understand the artist.
Dancing is in Stryker’s blood. She tells us: “I started dancing when I was about five, 20-plus years. I started dancing with Aerin (Holt) at California DanceArts when I was about 9 and I grew up with her in her school and then also I graduated from the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts and so I was dancing for both her and that school during high school.”

After getting a bachelor’s degree for Fine Arts and Dance at UC Santa Barbara, Stryker returned to join Holt and California Contemporary Ballet, dancing with the company for two years until she “moved up to San Francisco and danced professionally with Mark Foehringer Dance Project and Napoles Ballet Theater,” says Stryker.

Stryker talks about her lead role as Thumbelina, saying “It’s been wonderful. Since I was younger, Aerin always talked about wanting to do a big production of Thumbelina and so when she contacted me back in February, it was an opportunity to get back into working with her again.”

When asked of the working relationship between Holt and Mikkelsen, Stryker says both “have a really great collaboration going and they’re very open to adjusting things that may not be working for the other person which is really nice because the end result is going to be exactly what they wanted it to be.”

The Show

Mikkelsen and Stryker have their own views about the production of course, with one looking at things from a musician’s standpoint while the other as a dancer.

Mikkelsen says, “I think this ballet is very unique. It’s just unique. It’s going to be a sound phenomenon. Once I record this stuff, I’m going to have it mastered and with the back tracks and the story itself; it’s unique, it’s never been done before.”

Stryker, on the other hand, says, “It’s all very, very grand. So it’s fun. Thumbelina meets all these different animals and characters so it’s definitely action-packed throughout.”

Mikkelsen adds, “Thumbelina has been done before but it’s a ballet on a grand scale. It’s over 90 minutes of music. And as I said, in these days, doing 90 minutes of music with no piano that alone is great; it makes it unique. No rhythm section, no guitars, no electricity, no electronics.”

When asked about her favorite scene, Stryker tell us, “I love the scene with the beetles. All these dancers are up on this large apparatus and it just looks like this huge swarm of beetles and I’m kind of getting thrown all over the place and covered with these different beetle characters. It’s just a very fast-paced, fun, exciting number in the show that kind of shows some different elements other than just dance.”

Thumbelina will be performed at Glendale Community College at 1500 N. Verdugo Road, Glendale and show dates will be on June 29th at 7:30 pm, and June 30th at 2:00 pm.

Tickets are available at $20 to $30 and can be purchased at www.calballet.com. Group tickets are also available.

To learn more about California Contemporary Ballet, you can visit www.calballet.com or call (818) 790-7924.

A Thumbs-Up Spring-time Ballet Production

By FRANZ A.D. MORALES
Published in Pasadena Now: Tuesday, June 4, 2013 | 12:55 PM

On June 29 and 30, California Contemporary Ballet will perform Thumbelina, a classic fairy-tale adapted for ballet that will endear kids and adults alike

Kick off the Spring season with a dose of fairy dust, as California Contemporary Ballet performs Thumbelina at Glendale Community College this June 29 and 30. Adding to the company’s tradition of performing Hans Christian Andersen classics, California Contemporary Ballet’s adaptation of Thumbelina is designed to appeal to both young and adult audiences.

“We perform two big productions a year. Our biggest production is the Snow Queen Ballet which we perform every December at Glendale Community College and then we deliver a spring show, featuring members of our professional company, which is normally a much smaller production, and usually features choreography that is experimental and contemporary,” says Aerin Holt, the Company’s Artistic Director.

“This year, we decided on a spring performance that would provide opportunities for our professional dancers to perform the principal characters within the story and cast members of our Youth Company in supporting roles. Students from the associated school, California DanceArts were given the opportunity to audition for roles and some of the children were cast in roles of Dew Drops and Younger Fairies. We found that the young dancers really benefit from working along-side more experienced dancers.” Holt explains.

“What’s a story about Fairies without young children,” she adds.

Just because the story is about a diminutive fairy, does not mean the production will be. Holt also tells us that aside from her direction, the production also utilizes the talents of guest choreographer, Lynn Bryson Pittenger.

“She’s working on certain areas of the ballet and that’s going really well and she’s great to work with,” says Holt.

Ballet fans will notice that Thumbelina is not your typical ballet production. Far from the usual Romeo & Juliet or Nutcracker Suite performances, the Company decided to be a little more adventurous. Why choose Thumbelina?

“Thumbelina is a story that I always felt would make a great ballet. As a young dance student, I often daydreamed about Thumbelina dancing in her giant tulip. I envisioned huge flowers and toadstools but was unsure how I would be able to develop all that I envisioned on stage. Through the years of creating choreography and directing ballets my ideas have evolved. Dwight agreed to compose the music and volunteers came forward to create the huge set pieces. The time is right and everything has come together nicely,” says Holt.

In the spirit of the ever popular Cirque du Soleil culture, Holt tells us, “in Thumbelina, we have an aerialist who performs as the spider and it’s very exciting to see her perform on her net. It’s also challenging as she performs 20 feet in the air.”

Many might think that Thumbelina will be geared towards younger audiences, but Holt tells us otherwise.

“The more I’m working it, the more I really, really love how it’s developing. Together with the choreography that we are developing and with Dwight’s music that he’s producing for us and the talents that we have on the stage, this is a really cool ballet,” she says.

Holt also adds that the production will “utilize a lot of different dance styles as well as the viewpoint, the perspective of a tiny little dancer and making my entire company look like little tiny people, and I think that’s exciting. It will be a show that both children and adults will enjoy.”

Tickets are $20 to $30 and can be purchased at www.calballet.com. Group tickets are also available for purchase.

Glendale Community College is located as 1500 N. Verdugo Road, Glendale and show dates will be on June 29th at 7:30 pm, and June 30th at 2:00 pm.

To learn more about California Contemporary Ballet, you can visit www.calballet.com or call (818) 790-7924.

California Contemporary Ballet Announces Fundraising Campaign for Summer Performance of “Thumbelina”

Local Ballet Company Soon to Premiere Latest Production; Requests Support from Patrons of the Arts

La Cañada, CA — Aerin Holt of California Contemporary Ballet (www.CalBallet.com), the originator of the celebrated ballet “The Snow Queen, has initiated a campaign on the www.Indiegogo.com web site to raise funds for the upcoming June 29 premiere of their newest major original ballet production of “Thumbelina.”

Ms. Holt, who first adapted Hans Christian Andersen’s tale of “The Snow Queen” into a highly successful seasonal ballet fifteen years ago, felt it was time to create a new ballet for her company—and it was only fitting that the inspiration sprang from the same classic source. When she mentioned the ballet to her friend Mikkelsen, a prolific classical composer, she was surprised and delighted with his immediate enthusiasm for the idea. He began work at once on compositions, and Ms. Holt admitted herself “delighted with his musical interpretations.”

The surprises continued when she received an offer from a family member to make the large flowers using scrap metal from his property in New Mexico. A series of conversations ensued about the design of the set pieces, ultimately leading to the creation of ten-foot tall flowers, five-foot toadstools, and the famous tulip from which Thumbelina is born. The newly-designed tulip will operate by means of a hydraulic system, enabling its petals to open at the appropriate moment. To crown the bright reality of Ms. Holt's dreamed-of set, these expensive pieces were offered as a donation, giving Ms. Holt the impetus needed to go forward with her production immediately.

In an effort to secure additional much-needed financial support for the ballet, the Company is working on a broad fundraising campaign. “Expenses for a production like this are considerably greater than many people recognize,” says Ms. Holt. “Theater costs, sets, costumes, promotion—it all adds up to much more than you might expect.” To help in funding all these costs, the Company has established a donation page where anyone may make a donation:
http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/new-production-of-thumbelina-by-california-contemporary-ballet

Jaclyn Stryker, the star in the upcoming premiere of the Thumbelina ballet received her core dance training from Ms. Holt's dance academy and tells us, “It's been Aerin's dream to create this ballet for as far back as I can remember. She made it sound fantastic, and I wanted to be a part of it. I'm very happy that the time for it has finally come!”

“Thumbelina” by California Contemporary Ballet Los Angeles premieres at Glendale Community College (1500 N. Verdugo Road, Glendale, CA) on June 29th at 7:30 PM, and on June 30th at 2:00 PM. To donate in support of the production, visit
http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/new-production-of-thumbelina-by-california-contemporary-ballet

Tickets are $20–$30 at http://calballet.com/tickets/. Group tickets are also available.