6
ABOUT SAINT LOUIS BALLET
Saint Louis Ballet is a professional and innovative ballet company under the
direction of former New York City principal ballet dancer Gen Horiuchi.
Established in 1975, the company presents both classic and contemporary
ballet in the beautiful 1,600-seat, state-of-the art Touhill Performing Arts Center.
The company is comprised of 20 professional dancers, many of whom
completed apprentice programs elsewhere before winning a national audition
to dance in St. Louis. They hail from all over the United States and as far away
as Japan and Slovakia; they live and train in St. Louis for the full season (Sep-
tember through May.)
The company’s repertoire includes extravagant productions of full-length bal-
lets such as
Swan Lake, Don Quixote, Romeo and Juliet
,
Sleeping Beauty
and
Cinderella
.
The Nutcracker
is a regional favorite and attracts more than 10,000
to the Touhill each holiday season. Complementing those traditional ballets are
contemporary pieces by the nation’s leading choreographers such as George
Balanchine, Christopher d’Amboise, Francis Patrelle, Emery LeCrone, and Pam
Tanowitz. This contemporary work is presented in an annual winter concert
and as part of festivals and programs such as Dance St. Louis’
New Dance
Horizons
and
Spring to Dance
. In addition to public performances that attract
more than 16,000 audience members, Saint Louis Ballet operates a training
program for young dancers.
Artistic Director Gen Horiuchi is an internationally recognized ballet dancer
and choreographer who dedicates the majority of his time and talents to
Saint Louis Ballet, which he joined in 2000. His reputation among choreog-
raphers all over the world has resulted in many original works created for the
company and St. Louis audiences.
“Gen Horiuchi’s choreography brings out some remarkable performances
from his company of talented dancers.” ~ Christopher Reilly, ALIVE Magazine
“Our vision is that by supporting artists and dancers,
celebrating expression, and engaging the community,
Saint Louis Ballet will be the preeminent institution in the region
for creating, performing, and teaching ballet.”
Gen Horiuchi, Executive and Artistic Director
Pictured: SLB in “Don Quixote”, May 2015, Touhill Performing Arts Center
Photo by Kelly Pratt
