Tag Archives: James Sofranko

GR Ballet’s SoFranko, Del Vecchio named Festival of the Arts’ first honorary co-chairs

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Grand Rapids Ballet Executive Director Glenn Del Vechicco, Festival of the Arts Executive Director David Abbott, and Grand Rapids Ballet Artist Director James SoFranko (Photo courtesy of Festival of the Arts)

By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma

joanen@wktv.org

 

Fifty years ago, the Grand Rapids Ballet made its professional debut at the Festival of the Arts. In 2019, the state’s only professional ballet company will be helping to celebrate the event’s 50th anniversary with the company’s Artistic Director James SoFranko and Executive Director Glenn Del Vecchio serving as honorary co-chairs.

 

“I don’t know if everyone understands it but this was one of the first performances we ever did as a professional company, dancing at Festival,” said Del Vecchio during a recent news conference early announcing the honorary co-chairs. “So to to bring it full circle 50 years later and be a part of Festival 2019 is so exciting to us.”

 

Festival Executive Director David Abbot said having honorary co-chairs is a big change for the organization which has have community individuals represent the leadership of Festival over its 49-year history. 

 

“This year what we wanted to do in taking us into our next 50 years is always chose a pairing from a leading arts institution so that we can show the community that we are about collaboration in the arts and we are about partnering,” Abbot said.

 

Abbott said representatives from the Grand Rapids Ballet serving as honorary co-chairs seemed a natural fit given the organization’s history with Festival.

 

The 2019 Festival of the Arts will take place June 7, 8 and 9.

“They are leaders in the community for the arts and in the State of Michigan, this is the only professional ballet company,” Abbott said.

 

Festival of the Arts is a regional celebration of the arts that traditionally takes place the very first weekend in June. Next year it will be June 7, 8 and 9

 

“We are expanding back our Festival so it is on the full footprint of downtown Grand Rapids running from Calder Plaza all the way to Rosa Parks Circle,” Abbott said. “We will have six main stages as well as our five pop up stages that we had last year. So you are going to see performance and music in every corner of our Festival.”

 

And one of course, the Grand Rapids Ballet is already planning its performance for the 2019 Festival of the Arts.

 

“One of the things that we have always wanted to do is to bring a really high quality performance to Festival and so we are going to have our professional dancers dance at Festival, free to the public. It is going to be an unbelievable evening,” Del Vechicco said. 

 

Abbott said Festival of the Arts recently has revamped is website, festivalgr.org, with application process for performance, art sales, the regional arts exhibition, and food sales expected to begin in November. 

Snapshots: Fun news you need to know from Wyoming and Kentwood

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WKTV Staff

joanne@wktv.org

 

 

Quote of the Day

 

"Being the Queen is not all about singing, and being a diva is not all about singing. It has much to do with your service to people. And your social contributions to your community and your civic contributions as well." _ Aretha Franklin

 

Making a difference

 

Having lived in Wyoming all of his life — except for a short time when he was away at college — Chris Hall felt he knew a lot about the community he lives in. Then in 2003, he joined Wyoming’s Community Development Committee and discovered even more about his city. “It is really cool because you hear from folks who have been a part of [the Community Development Committee] and they’ve learned about stuff — me included — of things that I didn’t know existed and ways that I can help out, and I think I am a better resident, a better citizen. Because of my involvement in this committee, I am able to serve my neighbors better.”

 

 

 

Time to Sparkle

 

The Grand Rapids Ballet will celebrate the arrival of its newest artistic director, James Sofranko with a gala Oct. 18. The Wild Sweet Love Welcome Gala, so named after a ballet that will be performed that event, will start at the L3VEL at The B.O.B. and then head to the company’s Peter Martin Wege Theatre. To find out why “Wild Sweet Love” was selected and how it connects to Sofranko, click here.

 

Opa!

 

Or rather Yassou!, which is the Holy Greek Orthodox Church’s annual celebration of the culture and traditions of the Greek Orthodox community. The event takes place Aug. 17 – 19 and includes music, dancing, and of course, lots of Greek food favorites. This year’s event will be supporting the Children’s Advocacy Center of Kent County (CAC). The church is located at 330 Lakeside SE.

 

While My Guitar Gently Weeps

 

Also this weekend is the popular JazzFest taking place in downtown Grand Rapids at Rosa Parks Circle. The event, which is Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 18 and 19, features a host of jazz musicians from noon to dusk both days. Edye Evans Hyde, Kevin Jones, Grupo Ayé, and Marcus Anderson are just some of the performers slated for the seventh annual event. The entire two days are free, although if you plan on sitting, you might want to bring your own chair.

 

Fun Fact:

300,000 bulbs

That is how many tulip bulbs are planted in Holland every year for the annual Tulip Time, of which 50,000 are hand planted on the Window on the Waterfront Park. Organizers for Tulip Time just recently announced submission dates for the annual Art In Bloom competition, which are Sept. 29 - Oct. 4.

Grand Rapids Ballet preparing for new season with new artistic director

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By Kirie Quackenbush, WKTV Intern

ken@wktv.org

 

James Sofranko, the newly appointed artistic director to the Grand Rapids Ballet, has a lot in store for the upcoming 2018-19 season. Having only started his work with the company and having moved to Grand Rapids last month, Sofranko has still managed to find adjusting easy.

 

“It’s been really easy so far to get to know everyone,” Sofranko said to WKTV. “Everyone’s really welcoming and happy. I already feel like Grand Rapids is a nice place to live.”

 

Sofranko was most recently a featured soloist for the San Francisco ballet, and has a unique background that should bring a special flavor to the Grand Rapids Ballet.

 

James Sofranko. (© Erik Tomasson)

“I studied at the Juilliard School in New York City and then I spent 18 years in a classical ballet company in San Francisco (the San Francisco Ballet) where I was a soloist,” he explains, “So I have kind of a foot in both contemporary and classical traditional ballet worlds. … As a dancer I was versatile and I could do both of those well, and I’d like to bring that out of the dancers here in Grand Rapids.”

 

When asked about his current projects, Sofranko explained that currently he is teaching the summer program and preparing for the dancers to arrive around the end of the summer.

 

“The summer program is going on right now so I’m teaching class for them,” he said. “So for now it’s just a lot of office work and meetings and planning and scheduling. But I’m really eager to get back in the studio. That will happen when the dancers come.”

 

And when the dancers do come, Sofranko has a lot in store for the Grand Rapids Ballet.

 

The season will open with a gala dedicated to his arrival, featuring “Wild Sweet Love”, a ballet that Sofranko is particularly enthusiastic about, as well as his first choreographic work for the company.

 

James Sofranko. (photo by Andrew Weeks)

“I’m really excited about ‘Wild Sweet Love’. It’s from a choreographer named Trey McIntyre and it’s a great piece. It’s set to music from Queen, The Partridge Family, Roberta Flack, Lou Reed; a lot of different pop music so that already makes for a very fun evening, and you leave the theater singing some tunes, and it’s kind of a romp through the world of love.”

 

Other ballets that are slated for Sofranko’s Welcome Gala include “Allegro Brilliante” and “Ghost Light”, and Sofranko will be presenting a new piece as well.

 

The gala is sure to be a night to remember, complete with “an elegant seated dinner with James, local dignitaries, VIPs, and fellow ballet lovers at L3VEL at The B.O.B in downtown Grand Rapids,” according to the ballet’s website. The event will be concluded with “a glamorous, glitter-filled champagne after-party with beautiful and talented dancers at Peter Martin Wege Theatre.”

 

Tickets for the gala can be purchased via Ticketmaster through the Grand Rapids Ballet website. The event will take place on the evening of Thursday, October 18.

 

Sofranko, while receiving a warm welcome from Grand Rapids, concluded his interview with WKTV by expressing his belief that ballet is for everyone.

 

“If you’ve never experienced a ballet performance before, you should come on out and see one,” he said. “You don’t need to be nervous that you’ve never seen anything like this before. You don’t have to have any pre-knowledge about what ballet is or what art is. There’s so many different ways to enjoy this art form.”

 

And with the Grand Rapids Ballet ready for an exciting new start this fall, there will be many chances to enjoy it, as well.

 

Dancing into area, Grand Rapids Ballet finds new artistic director in San Francisco

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Skyla Schreter and James Sofranko in Forsythe’s “Pas/Parts”, part of the San Francisco Ballet’s 2016 season. (© Erik Tomasson)

By K.D. Norris

ken@wktv.org 

 

The Grand Rapids Ballet has named James Sofranko, currently a featured solo dancer with the San Francisco Ballet and an advocate for contemporary dance and social causes, as its new artistic director.

 

Sofranko will officially join GRBallet on July 1, after his final production with the Bay Area dance company, and will replace Patricia Barker, who is leaving Grand Rapids to lead the Royal New Zealand Ballet.

 

James Sofranko. (by photo Andrew Weeks)

“I am very grateful for the opportunity to lead Grand Rapids Ballet into their next chapter,” Sogranko said in supplied material. “Upon my visits, I was impressed with the dancers, the board, the staff, and the city of Grand Rapids. The company works easily in both contemporary and classical styles, which makes them a natural fit for me. I’m excited to begin working to continue to bring great dance to the city of Grand Rapids, as well as to continue my growth as a choreographer.”

 

The naming of Sofranko comes after a nationwide search by the Grand Rapids Ballet Artistic Director Search Committee, led by co-chairs Dana Baldwin and Leah Voigt.

 

“On behalf of the Board of Directors, staff, and dancers of Grand Rapids Ballet, we are excited to welcome James Sofranko to Grand Rapids,” Baldwin and Voight stated in supplied information. “He is a true star and brings a passion for dance along with the sophistication, grace, and knowledge required for this leadership position. We expect great things as we move forward in an incredible new era of the Company’s history.”

 

Sofranko is originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, received his dance training at The Harid Conservatory in Boca Raton, Florida, and The Juilliard School in New York City, where he received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance, according to supplied information. Upon graduation in 2000, he joined San Francisco Ballet and was promoted to soloist in 2007.

 

He comes to West Michigan with a glowing recommendation from the leadership of the San Francisco Ballet.

 

James Sofranko. (© Erik Tomasson)

“James is an intelligent, thoughtful, and versatile dancer who has dedicated so much to the company over the last 18 seasons,” San Francisco Ballet Artistic Director and Principal Choreographer Helgi Tomasson. “He has also made a lasting impact on the Bay Area dance community through performances he has produced himself. With his vision, I have no doubt that he will bring Grand Rapids Ballet to new heights, and I wish him all the best on this exciting new chapter. We will miss him.”.

 

Sofranko’s last performance as a dancer with San Francisco Ballet will take place during the Company’s Unbound Festival in May. He will officially join Grand Rapids Ballet July 1.

 

Along with his duties to Grand Rapids Ballet, Sofranko will continue to develop SFDanceworks, currently presented in San Francisco each summer, and may continue his Dance For A Reason (DanceFAR) a dance event supporting cancer prevention, a cause Sofranko strongly believes in.

 

At GRBallet, Sofranko will be responsible for all artistic direction and artistic planning including programming and hiring of dancers and choreographers, production staff, touring, and outreach efforts.

 

He also plans to choreograph new works for Grand Rapids Ballet, as well as hire outside-the-company choreographers, so he will have an important role in development of 2018-2019 season programming, to be announced in early Spring 2018.

 

For more information visit GRBallet.com .