Atlanta Ballet Announces Upcoming Events

Worlds collide when three of ballet's premier choreographers stage an ensemble of imaginative, avant-garde works on Atlanta Ballet for Fusion: Lambarena & a World Premiere, March 25-27 at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre.

Val Caniparoli's Lambarena
The journey begins with choreographer Val Caniparoli's Lambarena: a unique blending of traditional African rhythms and dance with melodic passages from Johann Sebastian Bach.

"Lambarena is really a tribute to the music and celebrates the similarities of the two cultures, rather than just concentrating on the differences," Caniparoli told Ballet-Dance Magazine in 2005. "I wanted to celebrate the similar rhythms of Bach and traditional African music in my choreography. I wanted to show that you can do either kind of movement to both kinds of music. "

To ensure the work's artistic integrity, Caniparoli also enlisted the expertise of African dance specialists and husband-and-wife duo Zakariya and Naomi Diouf, who consulted the choreographer on blending African dance with classical ballet. Since the ballet's creation for San Francisco Ballet in 1995, the couple has traveled the world with Caniparoli to help him restage the piece.

"We have always been very thrilled to be a part of Lambarena," said Naomi Diouf. "Lambarena has been just as much a passion of ours as it has been for Val. The music and dance is motivating and captivating at the same time. It's always a joy to re-stage the work."

Sixteen years after its San Francisco Ballet world premiere, Lambarena has since become an international sensation with past performances in England, South Africa, and Singapore and continues to excite and inspire audiences.

Christopher Hampson's The Rite of Spring
Audiences will then experience the world premiere of The Rite of Spring by English choreographer Christopher Hampson, who created the high-energy Sinfonietta Giocosa for Atlanta Ballet in 2005.

Hampson rediscovers the famous ballet that was originally created in 1913 by composer Igor Stravinsky and choreographer Vaslav Nijinsky. Although Stravinsky's strikingly dramatic score remains, Hampson departs from Nijinsky's "unusual and shocking" choreography that historically caused riots in the aisles.

"Like the original Rite of Spring, my production will deal with rituals, but those that are relevant today," said Hampson. "It will deal head-on with the fusion of traditions, both in dance and in life and will be something for the audience to continue to think about after the work has finished. It's going to be a rollercoaster of a ride for audience and dancers alike."

Helen Pickett's Petal
Melded between the two electric pieces of Caniparoli and Hampson will be choreographer Helen Pickett's Petal, a moving piece set to the music of Philip Glass from his "Les Enfants Terrible." Although a company premiere for Atlanta Ballet, Pickett's Petal has wowed critics and audiences around the country.

Allison Tracey of Massachusetts's The Berkshire Eagle describes Petal as "a delicate, Power-Point show...turning everything inside out with the greatest beauty and elegance. The pace is swift and dazzling, brilliantly lit, beautifully costumed. Finesse is all."

Fusion is the fourth production of Atlanta Ballet's 81st season.
Tickets start as low as $20 and are on-sale now. Call the Ticketmaster Arts Line at (404) 817-8700, stop by a Ticketmaster outlet or the Cobb Energy Centre Box Office. To order on-line, visit www.atlantaballet.com. Groups of ten or more may call Atlanta Ballet Group Sales at (404) 873-5811 ext. 207.

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