Busy, busy, busy. New Jersey Ballet dancers never stop.

New Jersey Ballet dancer Christina Theryoung meets a young fan, Ksenia Nakonechny, who was visiting the Livingston studios in July.

The season was barely over in May when principal dancers David Tamaki and Andrei Jouravlev took off to perform Rodeo with the Metropolitan Ballet in Minneapolis. Tamaki and Jouravlev reprised their outstanding performances as the Champion Roper and the Wrangler, which brought the audience to its feet for four curtain calls at NJPAC in April. NJB Production Manager Brian Coakley designed the lighting for the Minneapolis production.

Upon returning to New Jersey, Andrei Jouravlev joined Christina Theryoung at an invitation-only event in Edgewater where they performed the Sleeping Beauty pas de deux.

Principals Julia (Vorobyeva) and Konstantin Dournev have organized a summer student exchange which will bring 6 young Russians to New Jersey School of Ballet for two intensive weeks of training beginning July 2. As soon as that is finished, the Dournevs will return to Russia with 6 American students who will take ballet classes at the world-famous GITIS Academy of Arts, and explore tour highlights and cultural events in and near Moscow.

Much-in-demand Mari Sugawa began the summer performing excerpts of Sleeping Beauty with Tuvshin Bold at Kingsborough College in Brooklyn. The next week found Mari doing the Corsaire pas de deux with Vladimir Roje at a performance in Elmwood Park.

By now, Vladimir Roje has arrived home in Bulgaria where he will spend the summer completing his Master’s Degree in Dance Pedagogy and Choreography.

In July, Saule Rachmedova has arranged for Mari and Violeta Angelova to join her in a glittering Gala in Kazakhstan for that nation’s president and an audience of international VIPs. Earlier this year, President Nazarbeyev recognized Miss Rachmedova as an Honored Artist of Kazakhstan, an award which carries with it an apartment for life in that nation’s shiny new capital city, Astana.

Yuki Clark returned to Japan for a month-long visit with family. While there, she will work with Wilfred Jacobs, soloist from National Ballet of Finland, to set Nutcracker at Kubota Ballet in Mie, Japan. Yuki will also fit in some guest teaching at Kubota, where she received her early training.

The company will perform an evening of repertory favorites at Sullivan County Community College, Loch Sheldrake, New York, on August 9 at 8PM. For information, call 973-597-9600.

New Jersey Ballet will open its fall season with a weekend of ballet at Centenary College, Hackettstown on November 3 and 4, and follow that with performances on November 10 and 11 at Kean University and November 17 at The Community Theatre at Mayo Center for the Performing Arts in Morristown before launching its annual statewide Nutcracker tour.

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