Houston Ballet Presents Spring Mixed Repertory Program Starting 5/26

From May 26 - June 5, 2016, Houston Ballet offers up its Spring Mixed Repertory Program.

The powerhouse program pairs two twentieth century masterpieces with the company premiere of a delightfully comic work created in 2010. George Balanchine's romantic masterpiece Serenade, a showcase for the company's classical technique, opens the evening. Sir Kenneth MacMillan's Gloria is a tribute to those who died in World War I. Closing the evening is Cacti, the first work by Alexander Ekman to enter Houston Ballet's repertoire -- a gleeful, hilarious parody of the excesses of contemporary dance. Houston Ballet will give six performances of its Spring Mixed Repertory Program at Wortham Theater Center in downtown Houston. Tickets may be purchased by calling 713 227 2787 or by visiting www.houstonballet.org.

Balanchine's Romantic Classic Serenade

Set to Tchaikovsky Serenade for Strings in C, Serenade was the first ballet that George Balanchine choreographed upon his arrival in the United States in 1934 following an early career in Europe. He created the work as a classroom exercise for the students of the School of American Ballet to give his dancers an idea of how dancing on stage differs from class work and rehearsal. Balanchine began to choreograph the piece, relying solely upon the number of students he had in a given class to determine how many dancers would be used in each movement and how the work would take shape. He incorporated everything from a girl arriving late to rehearsals to a girl falling down while exiting the stage. Despite its humble origins, Serenade has emerged, as one of Balanchine's most beloved and widely performed works. Houston Ballet is renowned for the lyricism and precision of its interpretation of this classic piece.

Houston Chronicle dance critic Molly Glentzer praised Houston Ballet's previous performance of the famous work. "It's subtle in George Balanchine's 1934 masterpiece Serenade, to Tchaikovsky, which the company's women performed with just the right blend of energy and lyricism."

Born in St. Petersburg, Russia in 1904, George Balanchine is regarded as one of the greatest choreographers in the history of ballet and one of the 20th century's most innovative artists. Balanchine attended the Imperial Ballet School, St. Petersburg. In 1924 he toured Europe and joined Diaghilev's Ballets Russes as a principal dancer and choreographer. After moving to the United States in 1933 he became director of ballet for the Metropolitan Opera House and a founder, with Lincoln Kirstein, of the School of American Ballet. In 1946 the two men founded the company that would become the New York City Ballet, and in 1948 Balanchine was named its artistic director and principal choreographer where he served in that capacity until his death in 1983.

Houston Ballet has 16 Balanchine works in its repertory: Agon (created in 1957, performed by Houston Ballet in 1996), Apollo (created in 1928, performed by Houston Ballet in 2004 and 2010), Ballo della Regina (created in 1978, performed by Houston Ballet in 2010, 2015), Ballet Imperial (created in 1941, performed by Houston Ballet in 2013), Concerto Barocco (created in 1941, performed by Houston Ballet in 1971 and 1977), The Four Temperaments (created in 1946, performed by Houston Ballet in 1988, 1997, 2003 and 2014), Jewels (Diamonds, Rubies, and Emeralds) (created in 1967, performed by Houston Ballet in 2010), La Valse (created in 1951, performed by Houston Ballet in 1988, 1996, and 2004), Pas de Dix (created in 1955, performed by Houston Ballet in 1969 and 1970), Prodigal Son (created in 1929, performed by Houston Ballet in 1974), Raymonda Variations (created in 1961, performed by Houston Ballet in 1971), Serenade (created in 1934, performed by Houston Ballet in 1985, 1987, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2008), Symphony in C (created in 1947, performed by Houston Ballet in 1992 and 2008), Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux (created in 1960, performed by Houston Ballet in 1971 and 1994), , Theme and Variations (created in 1947, performed by Houston Ballet in 1985, 1987, 1994, 1996, 2004, and 2012), and Western Symphony (created in 1954, performed by Houston Ballet in 1986, 1990, 1994, and 2006).

Gloria Pays Tribute to Fallen World War I Soldiers

Gloria, Sir Kenneth MacMillan's neoclassical one-act masterpiece, is also on the program. Inspired by Vera Brittain's poignant wartime memoir Testament of Youth, Gloria is a haunting elegy for "the lost generation" of young men who perished in World War I. The ballet is a magnificent synthesis of dance, theater, and music: Poulenc's exquisite choral work, performed live by an ensemble of 50 singers, combines with the drama of love, loss, and heartbreak during wartime played out onstage, beautifully evoked in MacMillan's crystalline choreography.

Marene Gustin, dance critic for Houston Press, praised Houston Ballet's performance of Gloria by stating, "MacMillan's poignant partnering and soaring aerial lifts, not to mention the theatrical dive at the end, make this a true balletic classic for any age" (June 1, 2006).

Hailed by The New York Times as "one of the century's great choreographers," MacMillan proved himself as the natural successor to Sir Frederick Ashton as director of The Royal Ballet, a post he assumed (at first in association with John Field) at the beginning of the 1970-1971 season and held until 1977, when he was appointed the company's resident choreographer. He also served as Houston Ballet's artistic associate from 1989 until his death in 1992, significantly shaping the company's profile. Gloria is considered a signature work for Houston Ballet.

Alexander Ekman's Cacti Receives Houston Ballet Premiere

Rounding out the evening is Alexander Ekman's deliciously tongue-in-cheek Cacti. Created in 2010 on Netherlands Dans Theater II, it was given as a gift from Queen Beatrice of Holland to the royalties of Norway on a state visit in Oslo that same year. The 30-minute piece consists of 16 dancers creating rhythms together with live musicians onstage, and a voice-over that offers a running commentary on the dance.

A gleeful and knowing parody of the art form's greater excesses, Cacti is a playful, exuberant, and hilarious deconstruction of the affections of dance. The 16 dancers stand trapped on oversized titles, while the string quartet plays and the commentator offers narration on the dancer's actions. Eventually, they all acquire a cactus. But what does it all mean?

Critics have praised the ballet as witty, insightful, and joyful. Deborah Jones, reviewing for The Australian wrote, "Ekman has pulled off one of the most difficult challenges in dance, which is to be genuinely funny. Cacti is a delight: witty, effervescent, playful, surreal and joyously physical."

Alexander Ekman is an internationally sought after choreographer producing entertaining works of artistic integrity within the contemporary and classical dance world. Mr. Ekman has created 35 works to date that have been performed worldwide by companies such as Boston Ballet, Nederlands Dans Theater, Norwegian National Ballet, Sydney Dance Company, Dresden Semperoper Ballet, Wiener Staatsballet, São Paulo City Ballet, Royal Swedish Ballet and Les Ballets de Monte Carlo. Mr. Ekmans's works are known for their clever ideas, fast-paced choreography and abundance of humor. He also composes music and creates set and costume designs for his own pieces.

Mr. Ekman also creates unique performances that integrate different artistic disciplines. In 2012, he incorporated pop singer Alicia Keys into his choreographic work Tuplet for her annual Black Ball event in New York City. This work was originally made for Cedar Lake Dance Company and utilized a score that was created with the dancers' own rhythmic impulses and employed their bodies as percussion instruments. In 2014, Mr. Ekman made his debut on the main stage of the Norwegian Opera House with a surrealist interpretation of the classic ballet Swan Lake. During this groundbreaking performance, with design by Hendrik Vibskov and a new musical score by composer Mikael Karlsson, Mr. Ekman transformed the stage into an actual lake.

Houston Ballet's Spring Mixed Repertory Program generously sponsored by: Sysco Corporation.

Photo Credit: Rosalie O'Connor

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