Ballet Hartford Launches Fall Season

Ballet Hartford is brimming with exciting news as the Fall season gets underway. Topping the list is the arrival of Claire Kretzschmar as Resident Choreographer, leading the development of a premiere performance of “A Ceremony of Carols,” which will be performed onstage at the Hoffman Auditorium on the campus of the University of Saint Joseph on December 9 at 3:00 pm and 7:30 pm. This premiere will be the climax of a wondrous season – filled with engaging performances from a company that has grown from 15 to 25 dancers in one year, the largest number since the inception of Ballet Hartford.

Claire Kretzschmar is a dancer, teacher, choreographer, podcast host and former soloist with New York City Ballet (NYCB). She grew up in Winston-Salem, NC where she began her dance training. As a teenager, she continued her training at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and the School of American Ballet in NYC. In 2010, she joined NYCB as an apprentice and progressed through the ranks to become a soloist dancer in 2018, and was a member of the NYCB through last fall.

Ballet Hartford Resident Choreographer Claire KretzschmarPhoto bySean McCullough

With New York City Ballet, Claire Kretzschmar performed featured roles in works by George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, Alexei Ratmansky, Justin Peck, and Kyle Abraham. She has a bachelor’s degree in communications from Fordham University and currently co-hosts the "The Rosin Box" segment of NYCB's podcast. She has choreographed on multiple occasions for the New York Choreographic Institute and for “The Tiny Garage Show” – a performance series born out of the pandemic and set from inside her family's garage. Claire currently teaches creative movement and ballet in New York while also organizing and curating programs for a NY-based arts collective called Arthouse2B. She is also the recipient of the 2017 Janice Levin Award and the 2015 Martin E. Segal Award for rising artists.

Claire worked with Ballet Hartford in the Spring resetting the choreography of the well-received Peter and the Wolf. Having enjoyed her time with the company last season, Kretzschmar is enthusiastic about spending more time this year on the world premiere of A Ceremony of Carols.

“I’m really excited to be choreographing a new ballet set to Benjamin Britten’s music, A Ceremony of Carols, which will showcase the talented dancers of Ballet Hartford while illuminating scenes from the nativity story,” Kretzschmar said.

“It is with great humility that I eagerly pursue this opportunity, and it is awesome to work with Leyna, costume designer Nicole Elaine, and the very talented, innovative and elegant dancers in the company,"

Kretzschmar continued. “I just fell in love with this music, and I want to make this something special associated with the holiday season. I believe it will really grab your heart, tapping into the joys and sorrows of motherhood, and so much more.”

“We are thrilled that Claire is returning to work with us as our Resident Choreographer,” said Leyna Doran, Artistic Director of Ballet Hartford. “Our company is already hard at work with her and developing an entertaining and invigorating program for this Fall. We have a lot of exciting new events to offer to our community and audiences.”

As the reputation of Ballet Hartford has grown, dancers have been attracted to the company by the skill, creativity and camaraderie that characterizes Ballet Hartford, led by Artistic Director Leyna Doran, who is beginning her fifth season. Throughout the year, with professional dancers from across the United States, Ballet Hartford produces engaging programs that uphold tradition and celebrate innovation, highlighted by technically and artistically diverse choreographic works. The company has received national and international recognition, and continues to grow in stature with increasing acclaim from local and regional audiences.

“We are enthusiastic about the upcoming season, energized by our talented returning dancers and our new additions to the company, and excited about the individual artistry they bring,” said Doran. “It is truly a joy, bringing our collective talents and creativity to timeless works and the premiere of a newly choreographed work led by such a dynamic and accomplished professional.”

Preparation is now underway for the Fall season; Ballet Hartford featured performances will be:

• Friday, October 6, “Works in Progress” - 224 EcoSpace, Hartford

• Saturday, October 14, “Classics” - Friends of Ballet Hartford, Avon

• Sunday, October 22, “Homage to Balanchine” - 224 EcoSpace, Hartford

• Sunday, November 19, “The Nutcracker: Short and Suite” - Wadsworth Mansion, Middletown

• Saturday, December 9, “A Ceremony of Carols” - Hoffman Auditorium, University of Saint Joseph campus, West Hartford

Ballet Hartford's home at the 224 EcoSpace holds great significance within the Connecticut dance community as this facility once housed the Hartford Ballet. Overseen by Reverend Lydell Brown, the 224 EcoSpace is a premier arts, health and wellness social enterprise located on Farmington Avenue in Hartford. With its spacious studios, sprung floors and intimate, in-person performances, the building enables Ballet Hartford to carry on its mission of providing high-caliber art for audiences in the Greater Hartford region and beyond.

For more information about Ballet Hartford, visit www.ballethartford.com.