Configuration Dance Theatre is a "Living Art Gallery" in Classical Ballet and Contemporary Dance

American ballet photos, contemporary dance performances by the choreographers and dancers of CONFIGURATION DANCE THEATRE, the people's choice for ARTVOICE Best Dance Company in 2008, 2009, 2010. Video features the original song, "Circles" by New York, Grammy bound, cello rock group "Break of Reality."

ARTVOICE described Configuration Dance Theatre and its choreographers in "Balanchine and Beyond" (9/20/2009): "As their name implies, their emphasis widens the scope of dance and dramatic, a certain noir-ness, they lay bare emotions, startle senses, and make one think," qualities DANCE MAGAZINE experts saw early, and gave CDT its descriptive moniker, "A LIVING ART GALLERY."

CDT was featured in "DANCE SPECTACULAR" (9/22/09) by its producer, New York City Ballet star, Daniel Ulbricht, with Boston Ballet and New York City Ballet stars in "Apollo," "Who Cares, "Diamond," "Tarantella" authorized by the George Balanchine Foundation, with Michael Shannon's WHAT'S THE POINTE, Susan Jaffe's ROYENNE, Joseph Cipolla's BREATHLESS, "whose acclaimed company," said Ulbricht, "is known for its cutting-edge contemporary dance choreography."

After Configuration premiered a series of 15 new ballets from 2005 to 2009, THE BUFFALO NEWS (1/02/09) named co-Founder, Artistic Director Joseph Cipolla, and Resident Choreographer Michael Shannon, THE DREAM TEAM, both American stars of ballet with illustrious international careers with legendary dance institutions. Cipolla and Shannon were principal stars for England's BIRMINGHAM ROYAL BALLET founded by Sir Peter Wright under the patronage of HRH Queen Elizabeth II, Prince of Wales, Lady Sarah Chatto, and led by Artistic Director, David Bintley.

JOSEPH CIPOLLA was a principal star for Dance Theatre of Harlem co-founders, Arthur Mitchell (New York City Ballet) and Karel Shook (Dutch National Ballet), Sadler's Wells Royal Ballet and Birmingham Royal Ballet for Artistic Directors Sir Peter Wright, David Bintley. He was a 1993 Lawrence Olivier Award Nominee; 2006 St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute Wall of Honor Awardee; 2008 and 2009 Artvoice Best Dance Company Awardee; co-founded the Configuration School of Ballet in 2009.

Forty MICHAEL SHANNON contemporary ballets have been premiered by companies since 1995, in addition to his plays, films and opera in Europe and USA. He has created 11 new works for CDT since 2005, and revised "Yumeji" (2007) and "Madame Bovary" (1996) for CDT co-Founder, Catherine Batcheller, principal star for the Birmingham Royal Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, and Stuttgart Ballet, who portrayed Emma Bovary with Momchil Mladenov, principal star for Suzanne Farrell Ballet, and National Ballet of Bulgaria, as Léon Dupuis, literature's most famous illicit lovers.

In 2007, SUSAN JAFFE, principal star for American Ballet Theatre, and guest artist for the Kirov, Vienna State Opera Ballet, Royal Swedish Opera Ballet, Royal Danish Ballet, Royal Ballet of Covent Garden, English National Ballet, Stuttgart Ballet, Munich State Opera Ballet, La Scala Ballet in Milan, is a Dance Magazine Awardee, author, actress, television host, educator, Advisor to ABT's Board of Governing Trustees Chairman from 2002-2007, member of the faculty at Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School from 2002 to present, Duke Corporate Education Lecturer on Excellence, member of CDT's National Advisory Board, and Principal Guest Choreographer. In 2010, Susan Jaffe was appointed Ballet Mistress of American Ballet Theatre.

Michael Shannon danced (1979-2002) his last roles for Birmingham Royal Ballet as Lancelot in David Bintley's "Arthur" and Prince Siegfried in Sir Peter Wright's "Swan Lake. He was a principal star, and ballet competition judge for Bolshoi Ballet legends, Artistic Director Yuri Grigorovich; Stars of the Bolshoi for Maya Pliesetskaya, Madame Sophia Golovkina, Natalia Bessmertnova, Ekatrina Maximova, Vladimir Vasiliev; star of Vienna State Opera Ballet for Artistic Director Elena Tchernichova (ABT, Kirov); Kremlin Palace Ballet for Director Andrei Petrov, Vladimir Vasiliev, Ekatrina Maximova; and others, i.e., Royal Ballet 1979; Los Angeles Ballet 1980, American Ballet Theatre 1981; Boston Ballet 1983; National Ballet of Canada 1984; Royal Swedish Opera Ballet 1986; Hungarian State Opera Ballet; Awarded Silver Medals in Paris France 1992 and Budapest Hungary 1993 International Ballet Competitions; Honored by Town Hall of California 1986, 1990; President George H. W. Bush 1990, President William J. Clinton 1993; Best Play of 1995, "Monday After the Miracle" televised at the Moscow Art Theatre of Anton Chekhov; Awarded Professor of Choreography, Ukrainian State Academy of Ballet 1999; YAGP Outstanding Choreographers Award 2008; Artvoice Best Dance Company Awardee 2008, 2009, 2010. In 2010, Michael Shannon was appointed Artistic Director of the Royal Ballet School of Antwerp in the Kingdom of Belgium.

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[yldayta]

awesome music and photographs

[styxway]

oh what beautiful bodies - i'd love to see them in motion.

[Annie2205]

does anyone know the nema of the music which playes here? will be very grateful

[ballerinasurge]

REALLY Brilliant N QUITE Wonderful!!! Magnificent!!

[xBusNutter]

would love to see these well done photos in motion...

HARRISON McELDOWNEY is so BRILLIANT. So clever in choreography. Would love to see his work with the rest of the dream team and these masterful looking dancers.

(I envy you pka520!)

[pka520]

We wanted to see a Broadway show, but our daughter begged us to see them. Her teacher loves them. We saw one Jaffe ballet, and like her dancing, it was wonderful. We saw three Shannon ballets and wow. He is a genius. We were surrounded by Jaffe and Shannon fans. One couple told us they saw Shannon dance when he was a star of the Bolshoi and Birmingham Royal Ballet. Our daughters teacher was right. We really enjoyed ourselves. We highly recommend them.