Studio 1
November 3
– 8, 2009
Richmond Ballet Studio Theatre
- Apollo
by George Balanchine
- Lines Squared - A World Premiere by Jessica Lang
NEW VIDEO
Preview of Lines Squared and an interview with Jessica Lang
The work of modern artist Piet
Mondrian inspired the newest commission for Richmond Ballet from choreographer
Jessica Lang. Mondrian is a modern artist who is probably best known for his
grid-like paintings featuring bold color blocks between black vertical and
horizontal lines. Mondrian’s influence extended to the fields of
design and architecture, and Lang knew that Mondrian could also serve as the
inspiration for an interesting dance. Her new work, entitled Lines
Squared, had its beginnings during Lang’s student days at
The Juilliard School when she “danced” a report on Mondrian
for an art survey class. Later, she participated in an American Ballet Theatre
outreach project that focused on a number of visual artists, for which she
choreographed a three-minute section on Mondrian.
Lang chose the music of Thomas
Metcalfe and John Metcalf for the new ballet, which has five sections, each
representing a different color and mood. While the piece initially appears very
physically structured, “it arrives at an emotional place,”
says Lang. Richmond Ballet Production Director MK Stewart has designed sets for
Lines Squared that reference Mondrian’s linear
style, and Richmond Ballet Costume Director Tamara Cobus has created costumes
for the work that reflect the artist’s dramatic color
sense.
Created in
1928, Apollo is George Balanchine’s oldest
surviving ballet. It was his first great success and marked the
beginning of his lifelong partnership with Igor Stravinsky, who conceived of
and composed the score as a ballet. In this quintessential example of
Balanchine’s spare, neoclassical choreographic style, the young god
Apollo is visited and instructed by three muses – Calliope, Muse of
poetry; Polyhymnia, Muse of mime; and Terpsichore, Muse of dance and
song. Paired with this Balanchine classic is an eagerly awaited world premiere.
Igor
Antonov in Apollo. Choreography by George
Balanchine.
(c) The George Balanchine Trust. Photography by Suzanne
Grandis.
Studio 1 is
performed in Richmond Ballet's Studio Theatre.
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