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Body, Soul & Gershwin Launches the 2010-2011 Season with a Sexy, Somber And Spirited Mixed Repertory Program
From September 9-19, 2010, Houston Ballet launches its 2010-2011 season with a mixed repertory program entitled Body, Soul & Gershwin, featuring Stanton Welch's lively and colorful neo-classical work Tu Tu, Jirí Kylián's emotionally charged abstract ballet Forgotten Land, and The Core: Gershwin, the Heart of the Big Apple, Mr. Welch's Broadway-style ode to 1930s New York City glamour.
Created in 1981 for Stuttgart Ballet, Jirí Kylián's Forgotten Land is a somber and soulful work for 12 dancers. In creating the piece, Mr. Kylián was inspired by a painting by Norwegian expressionist artist Edvard Munch and English composer Benjamin Britten's Sinfonia da Requiem, with its images of the sea engulfing the land. John Macfarlane's painterly scenic design and Mr. Kylián's movements suggest the rising waves of a grey sea, the ebb and flow of life, and themes of metamorphosis central to human existence.
In September 2006, Houston Ballet's company premiere of Forgotten Land was cut short by the impending arrival of Hurricane Rita, and eerily the story behind the ballet paralleled this event: of a community under siege from nature. "Forgotten Land has great emotional resonance for Houston and other Gulf Coast cities that regularly face devastating storms," Mr. Welch points out.
A lavish, crowd-pleasing blockbuster inspired by the movie musicals of Hollywood's golden age, Mr. Welch's The Core: Gershwin, the Heart of the Big Apple is a highly theatrical depiction of the Big Apple, incorporating archetypal New York characters with plenty of Broadway flash and dazzle in a work featuring the full company. The Core: Gershwin, the Heart of the Big Apple is set to George Gershwin's Piano Concerto in F, and was premiered by Houston Ballet in 2008.
Houston Chronicle dance critic Molly Glentzer noted when reviewing the world premiere of The Core: Gershwin, the Heart of the Big Apple, "Welch's choreography – a hyperdriven blast of showbizzy arms, sweeping lunges and classic Broadways steps – moves deftly." (February 23, 2008)
"Tu Tu is a large ensemble work in three movements featuring 22 dancers. Tu Tu reflects the different aspects of technique and what it means to be a dancer. The ballet moves through an adagio focusing on the dancers' balance and line, to powerful and energetic soubrette, to pas de deuxs highlighting each couple," explains Mr. Welch. "It is a playful, humorous look at classical ballet. Tu Tu is tart and very tongue-in-cheek."
Originally created for San Francisco Ballet in 2003 and set to Maurice Ravel's Concerto for Piano in G major, the dancers are outfitted in brilliantly colored tutus and briefs. Designed by Holly Hynes, the stunning costumes were inspired by Gustav Klimt's gold-hued paintings. Austrian-born Klimt (1862-1918) was a well-known Art Nouveau painter who became famous for his sensual depictions of women. The tutus and briefs worn by the dancers feature a dazzling array of colors: gold, turquoise, red and orange. Bare midriffs and striped retro-fashioned shorts ramp up the sex appeal. "I tried to capture the luscious feeling of Klimt's work in the costume design and choreography," Mr. Welch notes.
Arts Houston Magazine dance critic Nancy Wozny noted in April 2007 that "Tu Tu revealed the mighty talents and distinct personalities of its dancers in a shimmering display of technical bravado and gripping choreography." Houston Press critic Marene Gustin observed, "They knock out double fouettés en pointe and attack the floor with lightning steps while flexing supple backs and wafting arms in the most amazing port de bras to Ravel's lyrical Piano Concerto in G Major. Both women and men use their arms to sublime effect, with rippling back muscles and long limbs." (March 1, 2007)
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HOUSTON BALLET OVERVIEW
All performances listed here are in Wortham Theater Center.
BODY, SOUL & GERSHWIN
FALL MIXED REPERTORY PROGRAM
TU TU (2003)
Music by Maurice Ravel (1875-1937), Piano concerto in G major
Choreography by Stanton Welch
Costume Designs by Holly Hynes
Lighting by Lisa J. Pinkham
FORGOTTEN LAND (1981)
Music by Benjamin Britten (1913-1976), Sinfonia da Requiem, Opus 20
Choreography by Jirí Kylián
Scenic and Costume Designs by John F. Macfarlane
Lighting by Joop Caboort
THE CORE: GERSHWIN, THE HEART OF THE BIG APPLE (2008)
Music by George Gershwin (1898-1937), Concerto in F for piano and orchestra
Choreography by Stanton Welch
Scenic Designs by Thomas Boyd
Costume Designs by Holly Hynes
Lighting by David Grill
Inspired by a painting by Norwegian expressionist painter Edvard Munch and English composer Benjamin Britten's Sinfonia da Requiem with its images of the sea engulfing the land, Jirí Kylián's Forgotten Land suggests the rising waves of a grey sea, the ebb and flow of life, and themes of metamorphosis central to human existence. A lavish, crowd-pleasing blockbuster inspired by the movie musicals of Hollywood's golden age, Mr. Welch's The Core is a highly theatrical depiction of the Big Apple, incorporating archetypal New York characters with plenty of Broadway flash and dazzle.
At 7:30 pm on September 9, 11, 17, 18, 2010
At 2:00 pm on September 12, 19, 2010
SUBSCRIPTIONS
Full season subscriptions, with tickets to six productions, range in price from $78 to $996, depending on seat location and date of performances. To subscribe, call (713) 5-BALLET (713-522-5538) or purchase online at www.houstonballet.org.
SINGLE TICKETS
Single tickets go on sale Monday, August 2, 2010 and may be purchased by calling 713-227-ARTS (713-227-2787) or purchased online at www.houstonballet.org.
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