Friday, April 12, 7:00pm
Saturday, April 13, 7:00pm
Sunday, April 14, 2:00pm
Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts
BTM closes its season with Director's Choice: All American, a mixed-repertory offering of classical and contemporary ballet, featuring Antony Tudor's Continuo*, as well as original works by Dianna Cuatto: American Ballads, Interlude, Vortex, and Rites of Passage.
Staged by Amanda McKerrow and John Gardiner, Continuo is "one long lyrical outpouring" of movement celebrating freedom and abandon. A Neo-classical piece for three couples, Continuo is danced to Pachelbel's Canon in D and complements the flow and lyricism of the music.
Danced to traditional American folk songs, American Ballads is a three-part ballet celebrating the spirit of the nation. An expertly arranged showcase of styles, American Ballads weaves together the classical, romantic movement of the vintage “white ballets” (such as Giselle and Les Sylphides), together with dramatic, emotionally poignant contemporary ballet, and the exuberance of Balanchine’s Stars and Stripes and Who Cares?
A spin on the classic boy-meets-girl storyline, Interlude is premiering as a collaborative effort between choreographer Dianna Cuatto and composer Meg Robinson, both members of the National League of American Pen Women.
This intimate ballet explores the shifting dynamics of romance – the celebration of new love, the tensions of familiarity, and the transitions that follow.
Harpist Julia Frazier will provide live onstage accompaniment.
Vortex is an abstract multimedia performance set to music by local composer Marc Galiber honoring the four primary energy power spots of Sedona. From the hidden crystals at the base of Bell Rock to the meditative properties of Cathedral rock, the soaring masculinity of Airport Mesa to the ancestral origins of Boynton Canyon, each vortex possesses its own unique characteristics and mythology.
Inspired by Native American beliefs, Rites of Passage focuses on the rituals that comprise the journey of life. Set to jazz and drum music by Al Pettaway and Amy White, Rites begins with the community of one’s youth and travels through life’s major milestones – initiation into adulthood, first love, first loss, marriage, birth, play, eldership, memories, dreams and, ultimately, the great crossing where one rejoins the community.
*This performance of Continuo, 1971, is staged by arrangement with the Dance Notation Bureau who has preserved, enriched, and furthered the art of dance for 72 years & the Antony Tudor Ballet Trust which proudly salutes the artistry, vision and enduring relevance of Antony Tudor's work.
