New Haven Ballet Presents Caprice No. 4 and Caprice No. 5

New Haven Ballet has announced a collaboration with visiting artists Polina Nazaykinskaya and Nathaniel Strothkamp to present Caprice No. 4 and Caprice No. 5 at the Shubert Theatre in New Haven on Saturday, May 24, 2025, at 1:00 p. m. and 5:00 p. m. Recently, both artists rehearsed for the upcoming mixed repertory performance at New Haven Ballet's downtown studio. Artistic Director Lisa Kim Sanborn states, “We are excited to work with these incredibly talented artists. Polina‘s compositions are intricate and resonate with the brilliant works of her predecessors while adopting an entirely novel and uniquely feminine contemporary focus. Nate is like our dancers; he is tremendously talented and brings wonderful energy to the studio. It has been a pleasure to choreograph, work with the dancers, and collaborate with Polina and Nate.”

Award-winning composer Polina Nazaykinskaya's music is in high demand worldwide. Her recent concert season highlights include the premieres of two new ballets, “The Rising” and “Emily,” performed by the San Francisco Ballet and MorDance in New York City. Many of Polina's musical works reflect the tragedies of humanity's collective history.

Yale University's Nate Strothkamp will perform Caprice No. 4 and Caprice No. 5 with New Haven Ballet at the Shubert Theatre on May 24, 2025. He is a student of Wendy Sharp and has performed as a soloist with the Oregon Symphony, Beaverton Symphony Orchestra, and Portland Youth Philharmonic. In 2023, Nate won the William Waite YSO Concerto Competition and currently performs with the Yale Symphony Orchestra.

The New Haven Ballet Company comprises advanced-level pre-professional students from the New Haven Ballet School. New Haven Ballet will present two mixed repertory concerts featuring Caprice Nos. 4 and 5 at the Shubert Theatre on Saturday, May 24, 2025, at 1:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. To purchase tickets, please contact the Shubert Box Office at 203-562-5666.

New Haven Ballet is the premier school for classical ballet training in Greater New Haven, offering the highest caliber of professional classical ballet training and dance education in southern Connecticut for nearly forty years. As one of New Haven’s major arts organizations, New Haven Ballet plays a vital role in the community through outreach and school programs, a student performance ensemble, and collaborations with artists within and beyond. New Haven Ballet students have been accepted into prestigious summer ballet intensive programs, including the School of American Ballet, Boston Ballet, Chautauqua Institute, The Rock School, Pennsylvania Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Miami City Ballet, and many others.

In addition to New Haven Ballet’s annual production of The Nutcracker, the Company boasts a vast classical repertoire that includes excerpts from Sleeping Beauty, La Sylphide, Raymonda, La Bayadère, Giselle, Le Corsaire, Swan Lake, and Paquita. Artistic Director Lisa Kim Sanborn has also choreographed several full-length children’s ballets, such as Beauty and the Beast, which premiered at the historic Shubert Theatre in 2018, Peter Rabbit in 2019, a children’s version of Don Quixote in 2022, and Coppélia in 2023. Neo-classical ballets include Bach Suite, Symphonic Nonsense, and Joplin Suite by former New York City Ballet's TomGold.

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Photo 1: Composer Polina Nazykinskaya consults with violinist Nate Strothkamp.

Photo 2: New Haven Ballet dancers rehearse while Nate Strothkamp accompanies them on violin.

Photo Credit: © 2025 Kelsey Paff Photography.

If you would like more information about this event or New Haven Ballet, please call Ruth Barker at 203-782-9038 or email: administrator@newhavenballet.org.