Ballet Nebraska’s fifth season of professional dance will be a milestone, marking not only the company’s rising stature, but the comeback of dance as a centerpiece of Omaha’s cultural life.
The season will open October 4 at the Orpheum Theater with Giselle, an 1841 masterpiece that is a revolution not just for dance, but for every kind of theater. A classic of another kind, The Nutcracker, will return for its holiday engagement November 22 at the IWCC Arts Center and December 6 and 7 at the Orpheum.
Momentum, which will wrap up the season May 1 at Joslyn Art Museum and May 3 at the IWCC Arts Center, showcases a sparkling mix of short ballets in a wide range of styles. Subtitled “International Masters,” this year’s edition features a trio of breakthrough ballets: 20th century titan George Balanchine’s Valse Fantaisie; Marius Petipa’s 19th-century hallmark, Paquita; and On My Mother’s Side, a modern-dance classic by groundbreaking choreographer (and Nebraska native) Charles Weidman.
Ballet Nebraska is the region’s only professional dance company. Operating support for Season 5 includes a $35,000 grant from the Peter Kiewit Foundation; a Nebraska Arts Council and Nebraska Cultural Endowment grant of $18,745; and additional operating support from The Sherwood Foundation and Union Pacific. Programming support includes a recent grant for $25,000 from Iowa West Foundation, with additional support from Lincoln Financial Foundation and Omaha Steaks. Season subscriptions for Ballet Nebraska’s Season 5 are on sale now. For information about Ballet Nebraska, visit balletnebraska.org/tickets.