Gangl photos to highlight Heinz Poll tribute

Photographs from the Ott Gangl collection will be exhibited at Akron-Summit County Public Library in conjunction with The Heinz Poll Summer Dance Festival, sponsored by the City of Akron on four consecutive weekends.

Performances by regional dance companies will highlight the work of former Ohio Ballet Artistic Director Heinz Poll. in a series of dance performances throughout Akron during July and August.

Gangl will be a guest at the library on Aug. 3, a couple of hours before the free ballet outdoor performance at the Cascade Plaza across the street.

The photo exhibit of retired BJ photographer Gangl is titled “Heinz Poll: a Tribute.” The exhibit may be seen at the Main Library on the second floor in the Garden Trio Corridor.

The Heinz Poll Summer Dance Festival on four consecutive weekends. will feature four professional dance companies: Ballet Theatre of Ohio, GroundWorks Dancetheater, Verb Ballets, and Ballet Met. The programs will be presented July 27- August 18, and will include a nightly interactive presentation for children. The University of Akron’s Dance Institute will present the children’s program on three of the four weekends.

Performances for the Heinz Poll Summer Dance Festival will begin at 8:45 pm on Friday and Saturday evenings, with a children’s program starting at 7:45 pm each night:

* July 27, 28 - Ballet Theatre of Ohio at Hardesty Park. (Akron’s Art Expo)
* August 3, 4 - GroundWorks Dancetheater at Cascade Plaza
* August 10, 11 - Verb Ballets at Goodyear Metro Park
* August 17, 18 - BalletMet at Firestone Park

The German-born Heinz Poll came to Akron in 1967 and offered classes to promising students. In 1974, with lighting designer Thomas Skelton, he founded Akron’s first professional company, which eventually became Ohio Ballet. Poll died in April, 2006.

The new Akron dance festival is the result of an effort initiated last year to determine the future of the Ohio Ballet, which gave its final performance on August 6, 2006 at Goodyear Metropolitan Park. The volunteer board of trustees of Ohio Ballet was unable to muster the resources necessary to stage a 2006-2007 season.

The committee examined options for retaining the free outdoor summer performances – unique among American cities and dating back to 1975. The group recommended that a new summer dance festival utilize the talents and choreography of the region’s other professional dance companies.

"Akron’s most important link to the international world of dance has been Heinz Poll," said the mayor’s chief of staff Dave Lieberth who chaired the committee. "Poll made important contributions to Akron over a period of almost 40 years, and it is fitting that we remember his legacy - demanding the highest standards of dance."

Part of this year’s festival are Gangl’s photo exhibit and a panel discussion on August 8 at 7:30 p.m. at the Francia Albrecht Studio at the University of Akron’s dance center at Guzzetta Hall. The Festival’s founding committee will discuss "The Poll Legacy." Gangl will be on the panel.

Each of the four companies have rights to perform works created by Ohio Ballet’s founder, and some of Akron’s favorite Heinz Poll works will be included in the summer 2007 repertoire.

GroundWorks Dancetheater will stage Poll’s "Tristeza." Verb will include "Wings and Aires" by Poll. Ballet Theatre of Ohio will choose from "Adagio for Two Dancers" and "Summer Night," and BalletMet expects to re-stage Poll’s "Bolero."

"Besides creating a professional dance company of national stature and taking it to New York City for five seasons, Heinz Poll created this special summer experience," says Jane Starzman, director of the Heinz Poll Summer Dance Festival. " Everyone told him that he was crazy, but he was accustomed to accomplishing what others thought impossible. This year’s festival is a perfect tribute to Heinz’ legacy and a wonderful gift to the community."

Plans for the exhibit were announced in the Akron-Summit County Llibrary's Past Pursuits, the publication of the special collections at the library.