On March 3, high level donors of UCSB Arts & Lectures (A&L) enjoyed a reception and dinner at Villa & Vine, sponsored by Northern Trust, before the first of two performances of the Joyce Theater’s Ballet Festival: Jerome Robbins, curated by Tiler Peck.
Over dinner, UCSB Arts & Lectures Miller McCune Executive Director Meghan Bush thanked donors, with a special shout-out to Lead Sponsors Jody and John Arnhold and Dance Season Sponsors Margo Cohen-Feinberg, Barbara Stupay, Sheila Wald, and an anonymous sponsor. Bush noted that without these generous individuals, A&L could not offer the programming that it does.
Arts & Lectures was a co-commissioner of the Ballet Festival, which allowed Santa Barbara audiences to experience these amazing performances by principal dancers from the New York City Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Houston Ballet, and Paris Opera Ballet. The Granada Theatre performances were the only ones other than at the Joyce Theater itself. Bush explained that initiating work is very important, even fundamental, to Arts & Lectures. They don’t want to just present one-offs, Bush related, but rather, they want to be a part of putting new pieces of work out into the world.
Joyce Theater Producer Ross LeClair, who produced the Ballet Festival, shared that the genesis of the festival was the wish of the Jerome Robbins Foundation to create a festival highlighting the legendary choreographer’s work, with New York City Ballet principal dancer Tiler Peck acting as curator. With Peck on board, the festival became a reality, and with Arts & Lectures’ offer to co-commission, a West Coast edition was added.
Jerome Robbins is known for the creation of a distinct dance style, fusing ballet and jazz, and making liberal use of speed and athleticism. Peck is one of the most celebrated ballerinas of our era, and has also made her mark as a choreographer and actor.
The two-night festival, with a different program each night, included Peck exquisitely performing A Suite of Dances, a piece created for Mikhail Baryshnikov and never before performed by a woman.
While in town, two of the dancers engaged in educational outreach activities, in addition to their performances. New York City principal dancer Adrian Danchig-Waring conducted a masterclass for UCSB dance students and spoke to students in both undergraduate and graduate dance seminars. Fellow N.Y.C. Ballet principal dancer Roman Mejia did a masterclass for State Street Ballet company members.
Another accompanying learning experience, co-presented by The Granada Theatre, was the free screening at the Granada of Tiler Peck: Suspending Time, with a post-screening talk by UCSB Professor Ninotchka Bennahum on Jerome Robbins.
This season, most of the speakers and performers whom Arts & Lectures is bringing to Santa Barbara are participating in outreach activities, extending the benefit out into the community. This takes the form of masterclasses, lecture-demonstrations, open rehearsals, and discussions at UCSB, K-12 schools, and community venues.
Community support is integral to Arts & Lectures, a fact recognized by dinner sponsor Northern Trust. Senior VP Tim Nightingale shared that Northern Trust is “proud to support UCSB Arts & Lectures because it brings an incredible range of artists and ideas to the community. The programming is consistently world-class, and it creates moments that bring people together in a really meaningful way.”
On April 27, Arts & Lectures is hosting a benefit for its arts education programs, An Evening of Song and Conversation, featuring Jonathan Groff, at the Rosewood Miramar Beach. All proceeds will go to its Access for ALL arts education program, which serves 30,000 students and other community members. Groff was Tony-nominated for his role in Hamilton and is known for his roles in Frozen, Glee, and Mindhunter.
Guests enjoy the dinner at Villa & Vine. | Isaac Hernández de Lipa
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