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AUGUST 11, 2009                                                         KIM ESPINOSA
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Spring Repertory Program Features 

the Company Premiere of George Balanchine's Ballo della Regina

in May 2010

From May 27 - June 6, 2010, Houston Ballet presents Pecos, a spring mixed repertory program featuring Mark Morris's witty and inventive Sandpaper Ballet alongside George Balanchine's classically virtuosic Ballo della Regina and Stanton Welch's Pecos Bill, a dramatic tale of the Texas legendary cowboy and his poignant romance with gutsy tomboy Sluefoot Sue.

Ballo della Regina, a ballet for two principals, four female soloists, and corps de ballet, is set to the music of Giuseppe Verdi's opera Don Carlos.  New York City Ballet premiered the work on January 12, 1978.  George Balanchine choreographed the ballet to showcase the talents of New York City Ballet ballerina Merrill Ashley.

"Balanchine always seemed to take special delight in challenging me with difficult steps, and since he knew I excelled at moving quickly, he decided to make that the feature of Ballo--virtuoso steps at high speed. He highlighted all my strengths in Ballo, giving me a ballet that not only was challenging and fun to dance, but one that gave me the opportunity to communicate the joy of dance, which was my favorite mood to express on stage. Ballo epitomizes the essence of the technique that he advocated, as it requires extreme precision, clarity, speed, and expansive movement. Dancers who are not trained in the Balanchine style are always startled to find how much easier the steps are when they use the technique Balanchine advocated. His choreography is constructed with the idea that the steps will be done as he would have taught them. That is what makes the angles of the steps look best, and what makes the transitions from step to step possible at high speeds," says Ms. Ashley. 

Ballo della Regina is a virtuoso set of variations, comparable to the bel canto style of opera. Lincoln Kirstein, who with Balanchine co-founded New York City Ballet, wrote that the ballet seems to take place in a grotto, with reference through lighting and costumes to the original tale of a fisherman's search for the perfect pearl.  "From Verdi's way of dealing with the chorus," Balanchine told biographer Bernard Taper, "I have learned how to handle the corps de ballet, the ensemble, the soloists, how to make the soloists stand out against the corps, and when to give them a rest."

Houston Ballet will revive the deliciously witty Sandpaper Ballet by legendary choreographer Mark Morris. Mr. Morris's Sandpaper Ballet is a lively ensemble piece for 25 dancers set to a suite of 1940s and 1950s all-American tunes by American composer Leroy Anderson, including "Sleigh Ride," "The Typewriter," and "Fiddle Faddle."   Noted fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi created the vivid, colorful costumes in green and white, which add an inspired note of whimsy to the ballet. 

Commented Mr. Morris, "Anderson's novelty numbers are under known and under appreciated.  They are wonderful small scale compositions that feature different sections of the orchestra.  No one ever plays more than one of them on a program, as an encore.  How about all encores?  It is a fun gift for the orchestra and the public.  What's better than 'Sleigh Ride'?"

Writing for the San Francisco Examiner, dance critic Allan Ulrich exclaimed, "Sandpaper Ballet lifts you out of your seat with its sheer, rib-tickling insouciance....If you hate ballet, you will love it.  If you worship ballet, you will understand it.  And if you've never seen a ballet in your entire life, you will convert instantly." (April 28, 1999) Originally created for San Francisco Ballet, the work premiered on April 19, 1999 in San Francisco.

Stanton Welch's 2004 work Pecos Bill takes as its subject the mythical Texas cowboy Pecos Bill.  One of the most colorful figures in Texas folklore, he was raised by a pack of wild coyotes after he fell from his mother's covered wagon when they were crossing the Pecos River.  The relationship Pecos establishes with these animals leads to many adventures throughout his life.  His best-known exploits include lassoing a cyclone, riding a mountain lion, and using a rattlesnake as a whip.  Legend also has it that he invented the branding iron to stop cattle rustling, drained the Rio Grande to water his ranch during an enduring drought, and taught gophers to dig postholes.

Mr. Welch focuses on the poignant romance between Pecos Bill and his beloved, Slue-foot Sue. "I'm not really touching upon the more traditional aspects that many people are familiar with," he commented. "I'm developing the less familiar stories and the relationship with the women in his life.  I think the end of Pecos's relationship with Sue is something that everyone can relate to."

Mr. Welch commissioned the rising composer Matthew Pierce to compose the music for Pecos Bill.  Mr. Pierce has written ballet scores for numerous companies, including The Joffrey Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet and San Francisco Ballet.

Acclaimed New Zealand designer Kristian Fredrikson created the costumes and scenery for Pecos Bill, ranging from Pecos Bill's playful red, white, and blue chaps  to the coyote's fur-trimmed headdress.  Commented Mr. Fredrikson, "The concept for Pecos Bill is to capture not only the comedic myth of Bill's origin and his courtship of the enthusiastic Slue-foot Sue, but also the ever growing size of Texas, which is itself practically a myth throughout the world.  The set represents this by a single image ever arising into multiple sizes, and the costumes pay homage to the frontier folk who pioneered this often flat and golden land.  My inspiration was the landscape of an American quilt - that colorful folk art which is so beloved and which, I feel, lies deep in the American soul.  For me it is a patchwork of images that represent a state that took the star as its emblem and now seeks to move physically on into the reality of the constellations."

Mr. Fredrikson designed a large number of productions for The Australian Ballet and The Australian Opera, including Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, Turandot, and The Merry Widow.  He collaborated with Stanton Welch on several pieces, including Mr. Welch's first professional ballet, Of Blessed Memory, and Mr. Welch's versions of Cinderella (1995) and The Sleeping Beauty (2005) for The Australian Ballet, and Swan Lake (2006) for Houston Ballet.