World Famous Joffrey Ballet to Debut in Thousand Oaks on March 13

The Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza Foundation presents THE JOFFREY BALLET in the Fred Kavli Theatre at 7:00 pm on Sunday, March 13, 2011. The Company will perform four different works, entitled "Reflections" (Arpino) with music of Tchaikovsky, "...smile with my heart" (Lar Lubovitch) with music of Richard Rodgers, "Sea Shadow" (Arpino) with music of Ravel, and "Age of Innocence" (Edwaard Liang) with music by Philip Glass and Thomas Newman. The Joffrey will also perform at the Granada Theatre in Santa Barbara on March 7.

The Joffrey Ballet has been hailed as "America's Ballet Company of Firsts." The Joffrey Ballet's long list of "firsts" includes first dance company to perform at the White House at Jacqueline Kennedy's invitation, first to appear on television, first American company to visit Russia, first classical dance company to go multi-media, first to commission a rock 'n roll Ballet and first and only dance company to appear on the cover of Time Magazine.

For more than a half-century, The Joffrey Ballet's commitment to taking world-class, artistically vibrant work to a broad and varied audience has created a solid foundation that continues to support the company's unprecedented capacity for achieving important "firsts". Today, the Joffrey, which has been hugely successful in its former residencies in New York and Los Angeles, lives permanently in a brilliant new facility, Joffrey Tower, in the heart of America, Chicago, Illinois. The company's commitment to accessibility is met through the most extensive touring schedule of any dance company in history, an innovative and highly effective education program and collaborations with myriad other visual and performing arts organizations.

Classically trained to the highest standards, The Joffrey Ballet expresses a unique, inclusive perspective on dance, proudly reflecting the diversity of America with its company, audiences, and repertoire that includes major story ballets, reconstructions of masterpieces and contemporary works. Founded by visionary teacher Robert Joffrey in 1956 and guided by celebrated choreographer Gerald Arpino from 1988 until 2007, The Joffrey Ballet continues to thrive under internationally renowned Artistic Director Ashley C. Wheater who was recruited as a dancer in 1985 by Joffrey and Arpino before returning to lead the company in 2007 after a heralded tenure at San Francisco Ballet. The Joffrey Ballet has become one of the world's most revered and recognizable arts organizations in America and one of the top ballet companies in the world.

Single tickets are $45-75 with group discounts available. Tickets are available from Ticketmaster (800-745-3000 or www.ticketmaster.com) or the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza Box Office, located at 2100 Thousand Oaks Boulevard. For information call 805-449-ARTS (2787) or visit www.civicartsplaza.com.