March 2, 2004
Contact: Susan Gwynne
(805) 893-2098
e-mail: gwynne-s@sa.ucsb.edu

UCSB Arts & Lectures presents radiant star Julio Bocca and his dynamic Ballet Argentino at the Arlington Theatre

Summary Facts:

• Julio Bocca & Ballet Argentino
• Julio Bocca is an incandescent star of American Ballet Theater
• He leads a company of brilliant young dancers from his native Argentina
• Tuesday, April 6
• 8 pm / Arlington Theatre, 1317 State Street
• General public: $45, $35 / UCSB students: $25
• $100: priority seating & a pre-performance dinner at Café Buenos Aires
• Tickets & Information: UCSB Arts & Lectures at (805) 893-3535 or the Arlington Ticket Agency at (805) 963-4408

Julio Bocca—one of the finest exemplars of classical and contemporary dance at the international level—and his troupe of talented dancers Ballet Argentino will make their Santa Barbara debut on Tuesday, April 6 at 8 pm at the Arlington Theatre, 1317 State Street. The New York Times has called American Ballet Theatre star Julio Bocca “one of the most dynamic bravura performers of his time.” Bocca leads an extraordinary company—composed of the most brilliant young dancers from Argentina—that infuses classical ballet with fiery Latin drama to create exceptional and vivacious dance. The dynamic and crowd-pleasing ensemble is so popular in its native country that it has danced before 80,000 people at outdoor festivals. After a recent performance the New York Daily News asserted, “The company has youth, verve and elegance.”

Ballet Argentino, originally directed by Lidia Segni, gave its first performance in the summer of 1990. Now under the artistic direction of Julio Bocca, the company performs continuously in the most important theaters in Europe, Asia, Argentina and throughout the American continents. Ballet Argentino is currently on its fourth tour of the United States. The group has commissioned several major new works including Sinfonia Entrelazada by Mauro Bigonzetti, Tarde en la Siesta and Suite Generis by Alberto Mendez, and Blood Grove by Kevin O’Day. Well-known as the training ground for some of the world’s most spectacular dancers, the company has developed over 100 artists that have gone forth to join other ballet companies in Argentina and abroad including Herman Cornejo, the 1997 Gold Medal winner in Moscow.

Julio Bocca has permanently enriched the field of contemporary dance with his artistry while also realizing a dancer’s greatest aspiration by interpreting works created exclusively for him. After years of training and performance in Argentina, he competed in the 1985 International Competition in Moscow and established his worldwide reputation by winning the Gold Medal in his category. The following year the American Ballet Theater in New York engaged him as a Principal Dancer. During his first season Bocca was honored by The New York Times as Dancer of the Year, a position that has been confirmed by an admiring press and an adoring audience to this day. He performs with ABT every season at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York. Bocca has danced in consecutive productions of “The Giants of Dance” in Paris and in the annual festival in Havana, Cuba. In 1997, he made his film debut in Carlos Saura’s Tango and then in February 2000, he made his Broadway debut in the musical Fosse. During the fall of 2001 he starred in the successful Buenos Aires show BoccaTango at the Maipo Theater.

Ballet Argentino’s program for the April 6 performance will open with “Le Corsair” pas de deux. The second work will be its magical interpretation of The River, Alvin Ailey’s major collaboration with Duke Ellington from 1970. The evening will conclude with The Man in the Red Tie, a new ballet by acclaimed Argentine choreographer Ana Maria Stekelman. A homage to creation, obsession and possession, The Main the Red Tie is inspired by a short story by Natalia Kohen and features artwork by Antonio Segui and music by Lito Vitale.

As part of its residency one of the dancers of the company will teach an Argentine Tango Class on Monday, April 5 at 7:30 pm at The Peppers, 430 Hot Springs Road, Montecito. This class, co-sponsored by the Santa Barbara Dance Alliance and Tango Santa Barbara, will cost $15 for participants and $5 for observers. To make a reservation, call (805) 966-6950.

Julio Bocca & Ballet Argentino are presented by UCSB Arts & Lectures and sponsored by Tinta Latina, Café Buenos Aires, and the Artes America Program of the University of Texas at Austin, funded by the Altria Group, Inc. The evening is funded in part by the National Dance Project of the New England Foundation for the Arts, with lead funding from the National Endowment for the Arts and Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. Additional funding provided by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and Philip Morris Companies Inc. Tickets are $45 and $35 for the general public and $25 for UCSB students. A $100 ticket includes priority seating and a pre-performance dinner at Café Buenos Aries.

For tickets or more information,
call UCSB Arts & Lectures at (805) 893-3535.

Editor: For photos, please call
Susan Gwynne at (805) 893-2098.