P6 – LIFE AND LIBERTY

‘Still Life’ at the Penguin Café, choreographed by Sir David Bintley, features the eclectic and wildly original music of Simon Jeffes and his Penguin Café Orchestra. The point of the ballet is a cautionary tale about our environment at risk and our criminal indifference to its survival, yet served up with wit and imagination, without preachiness, as entertainment by the doomed species themselves. Referred to as a “witty and enjoyable, yet bittersweet and poignant look at humankind’s effect on the world,” by the Birmingham Royal Ballet, this reigns true as Bintley draws his audience’s attention to the deliberate pun of “still life,” referencing both the classical painting genre and the hope of “yet living.”

To honor the 250^th anniversary of the United States of America, the second half of Program Six will showcase George Balanchine’s celebratory Stars & Stripes to the iconic music of John Philip Sousa. Choreographed as a tribute to his own deep appreciation for the U.S.A., Balanchine infused classical ballet with American culture and themes to foster a work that transcends his unmistakable musicality and celebrates the greatness of the country that welcomed him upon arrival and commended his work.

Repertoire will include:

Stars and Stripes
Choreography by George Balanchine
Music by John Philip Sousa

‘Still Life’ at the Penguin Café 
Choreography by Sir David Bintley
Music by Simon Jeffes

SARASOTA ORCHESTRA