• Miami City Ballet October 24-26, 2008
  West Coast Premiere NIGHTSPOT by Twyla Tharp
• Kirov Ballet's The Nutcracker December 17-20, 2008
• Alvin Ailey® American Dance Theater March 18-22, 2009
  50th Anniversary Celebration
• Ballet Hispanico June 5-7, 2009
• Nederlands Dans Theater I June 26-28, 2009
• American Ballet Theatre Romeo and Juliet July 16-19, 2009

April 28, 2008 - Los Angeles. The Music Center of Los Angeles County announces the sixth season ofthe Dance at the Music Center series. The season opens with the return of Miami City Ballet led byArtistic Director Edward Villella, performing the much anticipated, West Coast premiere of NIGHTSPOT aTwyla Tharp and Elvis Costello collaboration, October 24-26. Known for her innovation and creativity,Twyla Tharp has created some of the most memorable dances in modern repertory. Elvis Costello,whose adventurous musical talents make him one of the most revered artists of our time, provides anoriginal musical composition intertwined with various motifs and quotations from existing songs. Also onthis program are Christopher Wheeldon's Liturgy and George Balanchine's Tarantella and Symphony inThree Movements.

The season continues with a special, limited engagement of Kirov Ballet's The Nutcracker, under theArtistic Direction of Valery Gergiev and Director of the Ballet Makhar Vaziev, December 17 to 20, 2008, tocelebrate the holiday season for six performances only. The choreography is by Vasily Vainonen.

Alvin Ailey® American Dance Theater, celebrating its 50th anniversary, returns March 18-22, markingthe company's fifth visit to the Music Center. Led by Artistic Director Judith Jamison and Associate ArtisticDirector Masazumi Chaya, a highlight of Ailey's 50th anniversary celebration will be the eagerlyanticipated collaboration with Sweet Honey In The Rock (performing live on Opening Night.) All programsinclude the inspirational Revelations.

Ballet Hispanico, led by Artistic Director Tina Ramirez, presents an evening of repertory work at theAhmanson Theatre June 5-7, 2009, that fuses ballet, modern and Latin dance forms into a spiritedrepresentation of contemporary Latino culture. Later that same month, Nederlands Dans Theater I, led by Artistic Director Anders Hellström, will offer a program featuring Jiøí Kylián's Wings of Wax and Shootthe Moon by Paul Lightfoot and Sol León, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion June 26-28, 2009.

Following sold-out performances this year, American Ballet Theatre, America's National BalletCompany®, led by Artistic Director Kevin McKenzie, returns with Sir Kenneth MacMillan's Romeo andJuliet for five performances July 16 -19, 2009. This marks ABT's fifth engagement in the six seasons ofDance at the Music Center.

Renae Williams, Director of Dance Presentations said, "We are thrilled to have audiences join us as wecelebrate our sixth season of dance presentations filled with audience favorites and exciting debuts.Miami City Ballet, Kirov Ballet and Alvin Ailey® American Dance Theater, will all be returning to ourseries this season. Miami City Ballet will perform the West Coast premiere of NIGHTSPOT, TwylaTharp's latest work, set to the music of Elvis Costello. Kirov Ballet will usher in the holiday season ingrand style, with their opulent production of The Nutcracker. Alvin Ailey® American Dance Theatermarks its 50th anniversary of bringing African-American cultural expression and the American moderndance tradition to the world's stages. Both Ballet Hispanico and Nederlands Dans Theater I will bemaking their Music Center debuts. Finally, we welcome back one of the pillars of our series -- AmericanBallet Theatre. As we welcome them to the Music Center for the seventeenth time, we celebrate thecompany, which defines ballet not just for us, but for the entire nation."

All performances will be at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, except Ballet Hispanico, which will perform atthe Ahmanson Theatre.

To receive season ticket information, please call (213) 972-0711 or visit www.musiccenter.org/dance.html.

Single tickets will become available on August 1st at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion Box Office, 135 NorthGrand Avenue. At that time, single tickets will also be available through Ticketmaster Phone Charge at213/365-3500 or 714/740-7878, online at www.ticketmaster.com, and at all Ticketmaster Outlets.

Dance at the Music Center 2008-2009 Season (PDF)