" Choreographer Andrew Rist's classic interpretation focuses on telling the story through the dramatic flow of the dancing. Notable for its stunning design and energetic performances, this 'Nutcracker' make the children a vital part of the story ."          - PIONEER PRESS -

Ballets by Andrew Rist
Costumes by Cheryl Rist

At The Museum
Ballet School
Beethoven's 9th Symphony
Black Dog Cafe
Elfan
Empress New Clothes
Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue
Italian Symphony
Mozart's 40th Symphony
Nightmare
Nutcracker
Pachelbel's Canon In D
Sorcerer's Apprentice
The Egg
and others...

Classical Ballets
Restaged & Costumed by
Cheryl Rist

Don Quixote (acts 1-2)
Giselle (acts 1-2)
La Bayadere (acts 1-3)
Les Sylphides
Pas de Quatre
Sleeping Beauty
Swan Lake (acts 1-4)
Nutcracker (costumes)

Andrew & Cheryl Rist

    ANDREW RIST
      Artistic Director: BALLET MINNESOTA



Andrew's interests have always been in the areas of teaching, directing & choreography. After dancing professionally for 14 years, Loyce Houltonencouraged Andrew to become Avocational Director of the Minnesota Dance Theater school (1986-87). In 1987 Andrew and his wife Cheryl co-founded the Classical Ballet Academy of Minnesota and in 1990 they co-founded Ballet Minnesota, of which Andrew became artistic director. Under his direction, Ballet Minnesota has developed a strong season which includes Fall Concert, annual Nutcracker, The Youth Concert Series, The Minnesota Dance Festival (which features the restaging of a classical ballet each year) and the River Songs Summer Series. As a choreographer, Anderw prefers working with original scores. He has created works in collaboration with Robert E Hindel, Charlie Maguire (National Park Service "Singing Ranger") and the rock group Mock Duck. His choreographic works include "Pachelbel", "At the Museum", "Nutcracker", "Italian Symphony" and in 2006 "Black Dog Cafe". "Beethoven's 9th Symphony", choreographed in 2008, recieved standing ovations to a sold out opening run. Andrew teaches in the school. He has been nominated and included in three editions of 'Who's Who Among American Teachers.' Only 5% of the nation's teachers are honored in each edition and less than 2% are included in more than one edition.

Cheryl Rist, Andrew's wife, has designed all the costumes for every work he has choreographed. "Most of my works are deeply dependent upon the costume design, which will be quite obvious when you scroll down and veiw the photo gallery below"

In the Fall 2006, Ballet Minnesota launched its Fall Concert Series dedicated to the creation of new choreography. Andrew has created 4 new works for the fall Concert. 'Black Dog Cafe' (2006, 2007), 'Beethoven's 9th Symphony' (2008) and most recently Gershwin's 'Rhaposdy in Blue' and Mozart's '40th Symphony' (2009).

In January 2010, Andrew's first book was published "At The Museum: Adventures of the Ballerina Girls"

    CHERYL RIST
      School Director: CLASSICAL BALLET ACADEMY



Cheryl, a graduate of the Cornish School of Arts in Seattle, was the recipient of (7) Arts Scholarships. Her teachers include Robert Joffrey, Loyce Houlton, Hanya Holm, Flemming Halby and Frank Bourman. She began dancing with Sacramento Ballet under the direction of Jean-Paul Comelin (formerly Paris Opera Ballet). She danced as a principal with the Banff Festival, the Minnesota Dance Theater (under the direction of Loyce Houlton) and Ballet Minnesota. n 1987 Cheryl and her husband Andrew co-founded the Classical Ballet Academy of Minnesota and in 1990 they co-founded Ballet Minnesota. Cheryl has a special gift understanding the art of Classical Ballet. She has restaged many of the classic ballets for Ballet Minnesota which include "Swan Lake", "Giselle", "Sleeping Beauty", "Les Sylphides", "Flower Festival pas de deux", "Coppelia" and "La Bayadere". Cheryl is known for restaging the complete ballets such as 4 acts of Swan Lake. In addition to all of this she designs and costumes all the works presented by Ballet MInnesota. Although she is a sought after designer, she concentrates her engeries on CBA and Ballet Minnesota.

'Classic' NUTCRACKER

"Choreographer Andrew Rist's classic interpretation focuses on telling the story through the dynamic flow of the dancing. Notable for
its stunning design and energetic performances, this 'Nutcracker' makes the children a vital part of the story.     - PIoneer Press -

NUTCRACKER REVIEW

Pioneer Press
Posted on Thursday,
December 14, 2006



'Classic Nutcracker' is rich, vibrant, entertaining

By Linda Shapiro



      "Ballet Minnesota's Classic Nutcracker" wraps the stage of the O'Shaughnessy like a homemade afghan with intricate patterns and rich, vibrant colors. It offers warmth and family feeling. And if it occasionally drops a few stitches, the overall effect is spirited and highly entertaining.

     The first act Christmas party in the 19th century Silberhaus drawing room bristles with celebration as elegant adults, adorable children, bustling maids and dancing boys (sometimes in ragged unison) swirl about in lively, looping patterns. Godfather Drosselmeyer, played with sinister jollity by Robert Cleary, distributes toys to the delighted children, including a spiffy Nutcracker for Clara Silberhaus.

    Freezing the action at various times during the festivities and adding pulsating strobe lights is a terrific way to foreshadow the menacing scene that takes place after midnight, when Clara sneaks downstairs to play with her beloved Nutcracker.  She is soon surrounded by frolicsome little mice and red-eyed rats, who are quickly dispatched by the Nutcracker and his crack regiment in a battle scene marked by carefully orchestrated mayhem.  The victorious Nutcracker, transformed into a handsome young officer, whisks Clara off to the Land of the Sugar Plum Fairy with help from swirling snowflakes and a whole cadre of vivacous little angels.

     Andrew Rist's choreography for the snowflakes is fast and brittle - more a blizzard than a soft, lyrical snowfall - and the ensemble often seems to be racing to keep up with the deluge of steps. More successful is his ravishing waltz of the Flowers in Act II, where lithe blossoms melt in and out of kaleidoscopic patterns with unaffected ease, led by Erin Warn as a prize-winning rose.

     Once in the castle of the Sugar Plum Fairy, Clara and the Nutcracker (danced with vitality and elan by Kathleen Schaefer and Allen Gregory) are entertained by dances from many lands.  These include a saucy "Carmen"-flavored Spanish; a robust Russian; and a piquant Chinese variation with spinning parasols, a dragon, and a smoke-belching demon.

     Most satisfying of all is the pas de deux between the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier, performed with regal eplomb by former Bolshoe soloist Oksana Konobeyeva and Alexey Agudin of American Ballet Theater.  Aside from dazzling dancing, the two exhibit an ardent warmth and generosity of spirit that could serve as a model for the budding Clara and her faithful Nutcracker.

     Cheryl Rist's imaginative costumes and Mary Novodvorsky's richly inventive sets enhanced this animated production.

DEAN OF DANCE
With hard work and dedication, Woodbury's Andrew Rist has built a successful ballet company and academy.

Woodbury Magazine
Written by Nancy Eike
December 2009

    "Have a seat," says Andrew Rist, co-founder of Ballet Minnesota, as he offers me a chair with a perfect view of the company of six dancers, who are beautifully performing the jete and releve in a quaint St Paul studio. "We're working on Mozart's 40th Symphony," he says as he heads for the CD player and the dancers take their places.
     The music begins. "Up; good! Turn!" shouts Rist as he claps in time with the rhythm, his eyes scanning, his body mimicking some of the movements. "Yes, that's it! Good! 1-2-3!"
     The dancers leap and turn. The teacher observes and directs. They are all clearly in their element, one where Rist knew he belonged at a very young age. "I always knewI wanted to teach, and I always knew I wanted to create," he says after the dancers have left and he takes a moment to sit down and chat, a somewhat unusual feat considering he has worked seven days a week for as long as he can remember.
     Rist played football and prticipated in gymnastics before he started dancing at the less-than-youthful age of 18. After earning an associate degree in chemical engineering from the University of Maine (and turning down an apprenticeship with Eastman Kodak), Rist realized that although he found "the creative process to be the same whether you're in science or art," the latter would be where he wanted to linger.
     So, he began dancing professionally and met his wife, Cheryl, also a professional dancer, outside Seattle at a summer dance camp. They moved to Woodbury in 1996 (after 14 years of dancing). Andrew accepted an avocational directorshiop with a Twin Cities dance and theater school, MInnesota Dance Theater in 1986. In 1988, he and Cheryl struck out on their own, launching Classical Ballet Academy; Ballet Minnesota formed in 1990.
     The pair knew they needed a cornerstone piece to build their dance company on, something to get their name out there en masse. The Nutcracker was the perfect choice. Their first production in 1987, staged at Galtier Plaza, was performed in front of 200 people. "It was a lecture and a demonstration, and one of the little girls in the first performance is now one of the dancers in our company," Rist says.
     For the next 21 years (in addition to working with composers, creating the Youth Concert Series, Minnesota Dance Festival and Ballet Minnesota Fall Concert, and working with some of the best dancers in the world including Oksana Konobeyeva and Dmitri Tubolsev), Andrewchoreographed. Cheryl re-staged the annual performances of The Nutcracker and made all of the costumes.
     It's little wonder, then, with all of the talent, that last year alone more than 10,000 people attended Ballet MInnesota's sold-out Nutcracker performances at O'Shaughnessy Auditorium.
     All of those shows need a lot of performers. "Each of the 210 students, from ages 4 to 18, have a role in The Nutcracker if they choose to participate," says Cynthia Betz, Ballet Minnesota executive director.
     One of those students anxious to perform again is 14-year-old Sara Ezzell of Woodbury, who's taken classes at Classical Ballet Academy of MInnesota since she was 5. "Last year I was Clara, so this year I know I'll a different role, she says. "It doesn't really matter which role I get, I'm just happy to be part of such a wonderful production."
     Ballet MInnesota has come a long way since its humble beginnings; with six paid dancers in the company and the six-year-old satellite studio in Woodbury, the troupe has had several dancers garner scholarships and professional roles. And Ballet Minnesota recently partnered with MInnesota Public Radio and The Fitzgerald Theater to ensure a permanent venue for all furture performances, The Nutcracker aside.
     "Our whole system is designed so that the dancers can experience the life of a professional dancer," says Rist. "We want them to see and feel the creative process here, we want them to see that it's all about opening up their soul, and without any fear, having everyone else peer inside."