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"History of the Ballet Russe" Lecture by Rochelle Zide-Booth, former soloist with the Ballet Russe Master Class for Intermediate Dancers Ages 10-13 To Immediately Follow When: Thursday, July 24 Where: Maple Conservatory of Dance, Irvine, CA Lecture is at 5:15pm-6:15pm Master Class for Ages 10-13 is at 6:30pm-8pm Fees: $15.00 per person for the lecture and $25.00 per person for the master class Rochelle Zide-Booth began her performing career in 1954 as a soloist with the Ballet Russes de Monte Carlo and continued as Principal Dancer of The Joffrey Ballet and Prima Ballerina of the New York City Opera Ballet. In 1965, she began her teaching career as Ballet Mistress of the Joffrey Ballet and, in 1973, she accepted the position of Artistic Director of the Netherlands Dance Theater. She has also served as head of the ballet program at the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival and Director of the Dance Program at Adelphi University. Ms. Zide-Booth has choreographed & staged ballets for professional and regional dance companies throughout the world, as well as perform teaching residencies in pedagogy, choreography, technique and repertory. The Ballet Russes de Monte Carlo, which began in 1909, is one of the most influential ballet companies of the 20th century, in part because of its ground-breaking artistic collaboration among choreographers, composers, artists, and dancers, including George Balanchine, Anna Pavlova, Picasso, Miro, Debussy and Igor Stravinsky. Its influence in dance, in one form or another, has lasted to this day. Join us as Ms. Zide-Booth shares her experiences and intimate knowledge on the history of the legendary Ballet Russes company. More info: http://mapleconservatory.com/

"Meet The Artist" Lecture With Cynthia Gregory, former principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre When: Monday, July 7 at 3:30pm to 5pm Where: Maple Conservatory of Dance, Irvine, CA Lecture Fee: $25.00 per person Cynthia Gregory is celebrated as one of the world’s greatest ballerinas. Awarded a Ford Foundation scholarship at age 14 to study with the San Francisco Ballet, she quickly rose to soloist and became a principal dancer, while also dancing with the San Francisco Opera. Ms. Gregory joined the American Ballet Theatre in 1965. In 1967, she made an auspicious debut as Odette-Odile in Swan Lake, which marked her emergence as a major ballerina. Ms. Gregory danced in more than 80 works at ABT, which included lead roles in Giselle, The Sleeping Beauty, Coppelia and Raymonda, as well as Balanchine's Theme and Variations, Tudor's Jardin aux Lilas, Ailey's The River and Tharp's Bach Partita. Join us as Ms. Gregory shares her life experiences and career as a former professional dancer with some of the most prestigious dance companies in the world. More info: http://mapleconservatory.com