NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. – American Repertory Ballet is pleased to announce that it is the recipient of a grant from the New Jersey Council for the Humanities, a state partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities.  The grant money will be used in support of a three-part seminar series aimed at engaging the community through the exploration of humanities and dance.

ARB’s program revolves around its new production of the ballet Romeo and Juliet, and is designed to give audiences insight into how various humanities disciplines interpret and communicate specific themes of the human condition.  The three lecture-demonstrations will feature the expertise of local humanities scholars in the areas of musicology, literature and dance.  It will also explore the three key themes of love vs. hate, passion vs. apathy, and familial and community responsibilities vs. individual desires, found in Shakespeare’s play, Romeo and Juliet, which inspired the creation of the ballet of the same name.

The first program will take place at 5:15 PM on Friday, Jan. 6, 2012 at the Princeton Ballet School in Princeton, N.J.  Professor Simon Morrison, Professor of Music at Princeton University, will be discussing the humanities subjects of musicology and music history in relation to Prokofiev’s score for the ballet, Romeo and Juliet.

The second program will take place at 6:00 PM on Wednesday, March 21, at the Rider University Theater in Lawrenceville, N.J.  The program will discuss the literature and dance history of Romeo and Juliet.

The last installment of ARB’s humanities program will take place at 1:00 PM on Saturday, May 19, at the Victoria J. Mastrobuono Theater at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, N.J.  ARB Company Director, Douglas Martin, will lead this third presentation, which will focus on the key themes as presented in Romeo and Juliet, the ballet. 

This three-part seminar series is free and open to the general public.  For more information regarding American Repertory Ballet’s humanities program, performances or other events, please visit www.arballet.org.
These programs are made possible by a grant from the New Jersey Council for the Humanities, a state partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities.  Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities or the New Jersey Council for the Humanities.”

About American Repertory Ballet
American Repertory Ballet's mission is to bring the joy, beauty, artistry and discipline of classical and contemporary dance to New Jersey and nationwide audiences and to dance students through artistic and educational programs.  The organization is comprised of: American Repertory Ballet, the preeminent contemporary ballet company in the state; Princeton Ballet School, one of the largest and most respected non-profit dance schools in the nation; and the Access and Enrichment initiatives, ranging from the long-running and acclaimed DANCE POWER program to the newly launched On Pointe series.  The professional company is a classical and contemporary ballet company committed to presenting ballets from the 19th and 20th century alongside new and existing works by choreographers from today.  The company is now in its 37th Season and is currently under the artistic leadership of Douglas Martin, former principal dancer with the Joffrey Ballet.  The company's rich history of repertory includes established masterpieces by distinguished American choreographers such as George Balanchine, Gerald Arpino, Alvin Ailey, Paul Taylor and Twyla Tharp; cutting edge works by choreographers such as Val Caniparoli, Kirk Peterson, Dominique Dumais, Harrison McEldowney, Amy Seiwert, Susan Shields and Melissa Barak; and former Artistic Directors Dermot Burke, Marjorie Mussman, Septime Webre and Graham Lustig.

ARB has been designated a "Major Arts Institution" by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts consistently for the past two decades, and has repeatedly been awarded a Citation of Excellence by the Council.  ARB was voted People's Choice for Best Dance Company in 2008.