HOUSTON BALLET GIVES THREE FREE PERFORMANCES
AT MILLER OUTDOOR THEATRE MAY 7-9
HOUSTON, TEXAS -- On May 7, 8, and 9, 2010 at 8 p.m. Houston Ballet returns to Miller Outdoor Theatre in Hermann Park to present three FREE performances. Houston Ballet's program will feature three diverse works by three of today's most sought-after choreographers; Stanton Welch's Falling, Nacho Duato's, Jardí Tancat, and Twyla Tharp's In the Upper Room. Falling, choreographed in 2005, is a playful pure dance work set to Mozart's "Salzburg Symphonies." Jardí Tancat, created in 1983 by famed Spanish choreographer Nacho Duato and set to a collection of chilling Catalonian folk songs is the poignant story of a people working in their barren land. While In the Upper Room clearly showcases Twyla Tharp's success as a contemporary dance maker who seamlessly melds the worlds of modern dance and ballet.
While all performances at Miller Outdoor Theatre are FREE of charge, performances require tickets to the seated area. Tickets are available on the day of the performance from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Miller Theatre Box Office. Any tickets remaining are distributed one hour before curtain. There is a limit of four tickets per person. Please call 281.FREE.FUN (281-373-3386) for further ticket information or visit www.milleroutdoortheatre.com.
Mr. Welch's Falling is a classical, playful piece for five couples set to Mozart's "Salzburg Symphonies." The work was originally created for San Francisco Ballet in 2005. It features costumes by Holly Hynes, who created pastel-colored leotards with flowers embroidered on the front. In a review of Falling, Michael Wade Simpson of the San Francisco Chronicle wrote, "The whole work has a sense of fresh direction and musicality. . . Falling is a delight in shades of pastel, with good ideas and excellent dancing delivered in a joyful, Mozartian spirit."
Paul Parish, in a review of Falling for DanceView Times wrote, "I can't resist its energy, playfulness, sweetness, and I am so grateful to see how classical it is and how inventive Welch is at finding the fun in doing things classically. He's also made a ballet that's great for the dancers, every one of whom looks smashing in it."
In the Upper Room received its premiere in 1986 by Twyla Tharp Dance in Highland Park, Illinois. Set to the driving pulse of Philip Glass's music, In the Upper Room mixes Norma Kamali's vibrant black-and-white striped costumes with their blood-red accents and an innovative lighting plot by Jennifer Tipton to create a multi-layered work that alternately advances, recedes, explodes and implodes in an "escalating display of prowess as heroism." (The Village Voice) Writing in The Washington Post on January 28, 2006, dance critic Sarah Kaufman observed, "Legend has it that Tharp named her 1986 opus for a Mahalia Jackson recording that refers to the upper room where Jesus and his disciples gathered for the Last Supper. In Tharp's view, a dance floor is a similarly exalted space. Her place of reverence is a wide-open stage, with ballerinas in flippy skirts and pointe shoes sharing the spotlight with the other dancers in trousers and sneakers. The effect is not ironic, but harmonious." The Oxford Concise Dictionary of Dance observed of In the Upper Room, "It is one of Tharp's most popular works, contrasting the power and energy of modern dance with the speed and aerial dexterity of a more classical language."
Jardí Tancat, which means "closed garden" in the Catalonian dialect, is set to Catalonian folk tales collected and passionately sung by Spanish singer Maria del Mar Bonet. With a sweet, yet passionate melancholy, these folksongs and their dance portrayal tell the story of the people who work the barren land, praying to God for the rain that does not come and enduring with great spirit in the face of hardship:
Water, we have asked for water
And You, Oh Lord, You gave us wind
And You turn Your back on us
As though You will not listen to us
Though Jardí Tancat was choreographed for classically trained dancers, its movement vocabulary is strikingly individual -- and an exciting challenge for Houston Ballet artists charged with communicating the work's powerful feeling.
These performances of at Miller Outdoor Theatre are sponsored by the City of Houston through the Miller Theatre Advisory Board.
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HOUSTON BALLET'S FREE PERFORMANCES AT
MILLER OUTDOOR THEATRE
FACT SHEET
WHAT: FALLING (2005)
Music by W. A. Mozart (1756 –1791)
Choreography by Stanton Welch
Costume Design by Holly Hynes
Lighting Design by Lisa J. Pinkham
IN THE UPPER ROOM (1986)
Music by Philip Glass
Choreography by Twyla Tharp
Costumes by Norma Kamali
Lighting Design by Jennifer Tipton
JARDÍ TANCAT (1983)
Songs by Maria del Mar Bonet
Choreography, Scenic and Costume Design by Nacho Duato
Staged by Nathalie Buisson
Lighting Design by Nicolás Fischtel (A.A.I.) (according to the original design by Joop Caboort)
Sponsored by: The City of Houston
Miller Theatre Advisory Board
ABOUT THE PROGRAM: On May 7, 8, and 9, 2010 at 8 p.m. Houston Ballet will present three FREE performances at Miller Outdoor Theatre in Hermann Park. Houston Ballet's program will feature three diverse works by three of today's most sought-after choreographers; Stanton Welch's Falling, Nacho Duato's Jardí Tancat, and Twyla Tharp's In the Upper Room. Falling, choreographed in 2005, is a playful pure dance work; Jardí Tancat, created in 1983 by famed Spanish choreographer Nacho Duato and set to a collection of chilling Catalonian folk songs is the poignant story of a people working in their barren land; In the Upper Room seamlessly melds the worlds of modern dance and ballet.
WHEN: At 8 p.m. on May 7, 8, and 9, 2010
WHERE: Miller Outdoor Theatre in Hermann Park, Houston, TX
TICKETS: FREE! Call Miller Theatre Box Office at 281.FREE.FUN (281-373-3386)
HOW TO GET FREE TICKETS: While all performances at Miller Outdoor Theatre are FREE of charge, performances require tickets to the seated area. Tickets are available on the day of the performance from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Miller Theatre Box Office. Any tickets remaining are distributed one hour before curtain. There is a limit of four tickets per person maximum. Please call 281.FREE.FUN (281-373-3386) for further ticket information.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Visit Houston Ballet at www.houstonballet.org or Miller Outdoor Theatre at www.milleroutdoortheatre.com.
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