Nevada Ballet Theatre offers ‘tried and true and new’

They've got their balletic bases covered.

Titling their program "The Tried and True and the New" pretty much guarantees that from Nevada Ballet Theatre, whose weekend performances will go around the horn -- forgive the baseball metaphor -- at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas' Artemus Ham Hall.

Tried and true? Balletwise, that's defined by George Balanchine, whose classical one-act ballet, "Donizetti Variations," will be danced by the NBT troupe. The piece celebrated the 100th anniversary of Italy's unification.

After that high-caliber opening, the program moves on to guest artist Matthew Rushing of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, performing "A Song For You" from Ailey's signature work, "Revelations." Rushing also will be joined by fellow Ailey dancer and guest performer Clifton Brown for the duet, "Concerto Six Twenty-Two" by contemporary choreographer Lar Lubovitch, set to Mozart's "Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra."

Injecting "the new," NBT artistic director James Canfield presents his world-premiere pas de deux, "Still," set to the music from "Elegy," performed live by composer/cellist Adam Hurst and pianist Vince Frates. Concluding the program, courtesy of Matthew Neenan, choreographer of the Pennsylvania Ballet, will be "At The Border," featuring 14 dancers and set to John Adam's "Hallelujah Junction."

That, we're pretty certain, dances over all the bases.

Catch the balletic action today and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. at the campus at 4505 S. Maryland Parkway. Tickets range from $10-$75. Call 895-2787.

Contact reporter Steve Bornfeld at sbornfeld@ reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0256.