PVCC to Host Charlottesville Ballet’s Salute – Celebrating Veterans

Charlottesville, Va. – October 24, 2024 – Piedmont Virginia Community College (PVCC) will host Charlottesville Ballet for a special performance to celebrate veterans with an afternoon of honor, remembrance, music and dance. "Salute" will take place in the Main Stage Theatre of the V. Earl Dickinson Building, November 9, at 3 p.m. Free tickets will be handed out at the PVCC Box Office beginning two hours prior to the performance.

Salute is dedicated to honoring veterans through the beauty of music and dance. This work by Charlottesville's professional ballet company features patriotic music selections and over 100 dancers, students and singers. The program includes guest performances by pianist Dr. Shelby Sender and The Oratorio Society of Virginia, conducted by Michael Slon.

Charlottesville Ballet’s Resident Choreographer and Director of Diversity & Inclusion Keith Lee has created two new works for this year’s Salute program:  

  • “The Tender Land” is an intimate piece set to the choral music of Aaron Copland and sung by over 90 singers. 
     

  • Ray Charles’ gospel rendition of “America the Beautiful” accompanies Lee’s other new work, which celebrates all veterans who have fought, served, and died protecting freedoms. 

    Also featured in the program:

  • “A Military Fanfare,” choreographed by Mary Hein, is a new commissioned work celebrating those who have served in the United States Armed Forces. This piece pays homage to our veterans with a joyful, dazzling spirit reflected through the dancers’ powerful yet precise movements. Accompanied by patriotic classics and choreographed by a former Army Ranger spouse, “A Military Fanfare” aims to both honor and uplift.
     
  • “Room of Angels,” originally created for Charlottesville Ballet in 2018 by internationally acclaimed dancer and choreographer Shannon Alvis, is set to the haunting music of Ezio Bosso. This work was deeply inspired and dedicated to those we have lost, but who surround us and guide us in our tangible world, especially during times of transition.
     
  • “Amaryllis” is a multi-generational piece created by Co-Founder Sara Clayborne that features both the professional company and pre-professional students from Charlottesville Ballet Academy. Set to Béla Bartók’s "Romanian Folk Dances, Sz 56” (1915), this lively work for solo piano is performed by Dr. Shelby Sender. The amaryllis flower is symbolized both in the custom costumes (designed by former CB dancers Kate Arnson and Derek Lauer) and in the dancing that represents the flower’s strength, resilience, and beauty.
     
  • Ty Cooper Grace’s "Intaglio" premiered at Charlottesville Ballet’s 2024 Outdoor Series in collaboration with the Oratorio Society of Virginia. Set to the choral piece "Sure on This Shining Night" by Morten Laurisden, this duet gives a glimpse into a moment of reunion felt by those who have been apart.

For Charlottesville Ballet co-founder Emily Hartka, outreach to local veterans' organizations and families is a vital part of the creation of this work. "We are so grateful to PVCC for presenting this important event,” said Hartka. “Salute brings together so many different facets of our community–the students and various veteran groups, both on campus and in the community, plus performers age 10 to almost 80."  

As part of that underlying community spirit, Charlottesville Ballet has invited the public to take part in the program by sharing photos of their family’s veterans in uniform. The photos will be included in a pre-performance slideshow on the big screen in the theatre. Patrons are invited to arrive early and enjoy the slideshow of collected photographs from the community.

Photos may be submitted through a link on the PVCC Arts website. Names will not be included with the veterans' photos. Photos that were contributed during last year's event do not need to be submitted again.

The PVCC Box Office and Main Stage Theatre are in the lobby of the V. Earl Dickinson Building, at the south end of 501 College Drive. Ample free and accessible parking is in front of the building.

For more information, visit www.pvcc.edu/performingarts or contact the PVCC Box Office at 434.961.5376, or boxoffice@pvcc.edu.

Media support provided by CBS19.

About Piedmont Virginia Community College
Established in 1972, Piedmont Virginia Community College is a nonresidential two-year institution of higher education that serves Central Virginia – principally, residents of the City of Charlottesville and the counties of Albemarle, Buckingham, Fluvanna, Greene, Louisa, and Nelson. PVCC is one of 23 community colleges in Virginia that comprise the Virginia Community College System. PVCC is committed to providing access to a college education for all who can benefit, an opportunity for each student to reach her/his potential and excellence in all programs and services. Visit pvcc.edu.

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Photograph: Katie White “Kneel”

MEDIA CONTACT: 
Susian Brooks
Director, Marketing and Media Relations
434.961.6574 | sbrooks@pvcc.edu 

Department

Humanities, Fine Arts and Social Sciences Division