Company B
Songs Sung by The Andrews Sisters Choreography by Paul Taylor
Also on the program: George Balanchine's Serenade, Joseph Hassreiter's Fairy Doll pas de trois, and a bravura Marius Petipa pas de deux!
September 16 at 7:30 pm September 23 at 7:30 pm
September 17 at 7:30 pm September 24 at 7:30 pm
September 18 at 2:00 pm September 25 at 2:00 pm
Peter Martin Wege Theatre
Tickets: $35 ($30 for seniors, $25 for children) available at the Ballet Box Office or through Ticketmaster.
Catch a behind-the-scenes look at rehearsal and Patricia Barker's interview with Paul Taylor stager, Julie Tice.
The 40th Anniversary season opens with flair in a production full of dynamic choreography, music and artistry! We are proud to present the works of renowned choreographers - ballets that make their Grand Rapids debut!
Featured work:
Paul Taylor's Company B, an acclaimed piece of Americana!
"Just as America began to emerge from the Depression at the dawn of the 1940s, the country was drawn into the Second World War. In a seminal piece of Americana, Paul Taylor recalls that turbulent era through the hit songs of The Andrews Sisters. Although the songs depict a nation surging with high spirits, millions of men were bidding farewell to wives or girlfriends and many would never return from battle. The dance focuses on such poignant dualities." [Paul Taylor Dance Company website]
"The irresistible exuberance in Company B makes it one of the most popular, crowd-pleasing pieces of choreography that Paul Taylor has ever come up with." [Dance Consortium]
Also on the program:
* George Balanchine's Serenade is a brilliant piece of ballet and a milestone in the history of dance. This is the first original ballet that George Balanchine created in America and is one of the signature works in New York City Ballet's repertory. You'll have the chance to see it here in Grand Rapids in this exciting season premiere!
"In this single early work [Serenade], remarkably, Balanchine made a dance that would become the Rosetta Stone for a new kind of dancer, the American classical dancer." [Toni Bentley, The Wall Street Journal]
"Serenade is one of the greatest works of art ever made about a woman artist—her sacrifices, her vulnerability, her work and her love affairs." [Toni Bentley, The Wall Street Journal]
* Fairy Doll, choreographed by Joseph Hassreiter, will charm and mesmerize audiences with its look at the antics of toys when the shop is closed and all the customers have gone home. The comic pas de trois features the ringleader, Fairy Doll, and her two clow friends in a flirtatiously fun dance that will bring a smile to every face.
* Marius Petipa is known for creating some of the most beloved ballets of all time, and some of the most challenging pas de deux works. On this season opening program you will have the chance to see one of three bravura Petipa pas de deux performances: Don Quixote on Fridays, Diana & Actaeon on Saturdays or Swan Lake on Sundays!
