PROGRAM FOUR

Bridging the foundations of classical ballet with the voices of today’s choreographers, this program places the work of George Balanchine alongside that of Ashley Page and Paul Taylor. Balanchine’s Donizetti Variations sets the tone with a bright, yet technically demanding display. The dancers take on quick footwork, cheerful jumps, and intricate turns while maintaining the famous Balanchine precision.

Two Company premieres by Page shift the tone.

Page’s The Pump Room is a tightly charged quartet set to the driving pulse of music by Aphex Twin. This quartet is specifically choreographed for two female/male couples, one using a more contemporary dance language while the other deploys a ‘modern ballet’ idiom. It could be interpreted as the dancers representing the four chambers of the heart, while the industrial character of the music suggests the beating of that heart…. hence the pump room of the body. Walking in Heat is a pas de deux is taken from a larger work created in 1992 and is often performed as a stand-alone piece. The music provides a Spanish flavor as the two dancers playfully stalk each other in the sultry heat of a Latin city at night. A slow-burn balletic Tango with a film noir edge.  

The program closes with the Company premiere and pure delight of Taylor’s Mercuric Tidings. The cast of 13 dancers appear as flower petals swept up in a spring breeze as they leap through sprightly footwork and complex patterns in their neon pink costumes. Paired with Schubert’s energetic score, the work bursts to life, as if the music and choreography are perfectly intertwined.

Repertoire will include:

Donizetti Variations | Choreography by George Balanchine | Music by Gaetano Donizetti

The Pump Room (Company Premiere) | Choreography by Ashley Page | Music by Aphex Twin & Nine Inch Nails

Walking in the Heat (Company Premiere) | Choreography by Ashley Page | Music by Orlando Gough

Mercuric Tidings (Company Premiere) | Choreography by Paul Taylor | Music by Franz Schubert