Bonnie Dance in Fokine’s ‘The Dying Swan’ from Louisville Ballet’s first production

Our performance story began on March 16, 1952 as Bonnie Dance danced Fokine’s The Dying Swan for our first audience. As dance writer George Hubbard wrote about the experience, “There was one swan and one cello; it was The Dying Swan. It could have easily turned into a wild goose chase or a dead duck, but it was the first public performance by the Louisville Ballet, on March 16, 1952. That was the beginning of the company founded and nurtured by Nancy S. Dysart, Thomas L. Jordan, and William Habich…”

The perfectly named Bonnie Dance went on to become Bonnie Thornton, a committed supporter of Louisville Ballet and the wider Louisville arts community.

Read more about her legacy here.

SWAN LAKE

November 11-14 2021
The Brown Theatre
Choreography by Robert Curran
Music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchakiovsky

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The Brown-Forman Nutcracker

December 11-23, 2021
Whitney Hall, Kentucky Center
Choreography by Val Caniparoli
Music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

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ChorShow

January 12-22, 2022
Louisville Ballet Studios

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Spotlight Series: Impressionism to Jazz

March 3-5, 2022
The Brown Theatre
A mixed repertory evening featuring:

Emeralds

Choreography by George Balanchine

Music: "Pelléas et Mélisande" + "Shylock" by Gabriel Fauré

In G Major

Choreography by Jerome Robbins
Music: "Piano Concerto in G Major" by Maurice Ravel

World Premiere Work

Music by Louisville-based Jazz Composer and Musician, Dick Sisto

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Sleeping Beauty

March 31 - April 2, 2022
The Brown Theatre
Choreography by Adam Hougland
Music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchakiovsky

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