ROLLA, Mo. — Tickets are on sale now for a performance of the James Sewell Ballet. This is the latest installment in the 2002-2003 season of the University of Missouri-Rolla Campus Performing Arts Series and will be held at 8 p.m. Friday, May 9, at Leach Theatre in Castleman Hall on the UMR campus.

Admission is $20 for adults and $10 for students age 18 and younger. A limited number of free tickets will be available to UMR students with a valid I.D. beginning Friday, April 25. For more information, contact the UMR Leach Theatre Ticket Window at (573) 341-4219.

The choreography of the James Sewell Ballet combines the classical virtues of ballet, the freedom of modern dance and the spirit of vaudeville to create an exceptional and engaging dance experience.

The company’s SmArts educational program has introduced dance to more than 100,000 students nationwide in urban and rural settings.

The James Sewell Ballet was founded in 1990 by James Sewell, a Minneapolis native who had moved to New York to pursue a career in dance. Based in New York City for its first three years (1990-93), the company relocated to the Twin Cities in August 1993.

The dancers perform annually in St. Paul, Rochester, St. Cloud, and throughout the United States, sharing stages with the Minnesota Orchestra, Minnesota Opera, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra, Minnesota Dance Theatre, and Ballet Arts Minnesota.

Through the 2001-02 season, the James Sewell Ballet has performed 474 times for 237,000 people at more than 200 venues in 40 Minnesota communities, 25 states, and Bermuda.