PHILADELPHIA, PA: BalletX Fall Series 2024 Tickets Running Low
Company:
BalletX
BalletX Fall Series 2024 Tickets Running Low
The Nov. 13 - 17 series opens the company’s groundbreaking 19th season and will
be followed by tour dates at The Kennedy Center and BalletX in Bryn Mawr
Philadelphia, PA - Oct. 29, 2024: BalletX, Philadelphia’s premier contemporary ballet company, is excited to announce a low ticket warning for its Fall Series 2024 at the iconic Suzanne Roberts Theatre on Philadelphia’s Avenue of the Arts. The popular program will be followed by BalletX’s highly anticipated return to The Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. and the intimate experience of BalletX in Bryn Mawr, Dec. 13 - 15 in Goodhart Hall at Bryn Mawr College.
Fall Series 2024 will run Nov. 13 through 17, with an extra show added due to popular demand on Sunday 11/17 at 7:00PM. The program marks the debut for BalletX as a resident company of Suzanne Roberts Theatre and the first show of an expansive 19th season. “This Fall Series marks almost two decades of creating new, bold ballets that touch people’s lives and bring joy to our community.” says Christine Cox, Artistic & Executive Director of BalletX. "We’re featuring three visionary choreographers whose work is dynamic, breathtaking and a true celebration of the artistic journey BalletX has embarked on. Our exciting move to the Suzanne Roberts Theatre is a thrilling step forward, setting the stage for a bright future and expanding our reach within the community.”
Marguerite Donlon’s World Premiere: Big Wig
In this world premiere, Donlon, hailed by the Irish Times as “Dizzyingly inventive,” is inspired by the Irish dance of her youth. She explores themes of transformation through imagination, determination and courage with her trademark wit, power and personality – accompanied by an original score from Paul Calderone. “As a child, all I wanted to do was ballet but I had to settle for Irish dancing… at the time there was no ballet anywhere near where I lived. So I did Irish dancing with my feet and started to make my own choreography with my arms. These limitations inspired me to find my own way to move.”
Matthew Neenan’s Mapping Out A Sky
Created by “One of America’s best dance poets” [The New York Times], Matthew Neenan – Mapping Out A Sky (2021) makes its highly awaited return to a BalletX stage. The piece is inspired by the unique rhythms of Steven Sondheim and described by The New York Times as, “A formal investigation of time and space and something altogether more jazzy.” Matthew is a co-founder and longtime collaborator of BalletX and was named Choreographer in Residence at the Philadelphia Ballet from 2007-2020 where he created 20 original ballets. Mapping Out A Sky is set to intimate live piano arrangements of classic Stephen Sondheim melodies, performed live by Grant Loehnig, Head of Music Staff at Opera Philadelphia.
Takehiro Ueyama’s Heroes
Takehiro Ueyama’s Heroes (2019), fittingly hailed as “athletic” and “acrobatic” by The Philadelphia Inquirer, tells the story of post-World War II Japan through the lens of the everyday heroes whose resilience and determination rebuilt a nation. Takehiro shares, “Because of their hard work and sacrifices, I am here. They are the reason I can do what I love to do. And also, this is like a love letter to my parents… I wanted to be American. And then I started realizing, I’m so fortunate I came from Japan.”
Featuring an original score co-composed by Kato Hideki and Ana Milosavljevic, who will both perform live, and a second movement set to John Adams’s evocative The Chairman Dances, the piece examines themes of community, hard work and being “a cog in the wheel”.
Tour to Harris Theater, Chicago, IL – Nov. 21
This mixed repertory program features the Chicago premiere of Jennifer Archibald’s Exalt, a dynamic fusion of traditional ballet and pulsating house music. Described as “sleek, lovely, [and] highly athletic” by The Philadelphia Inquirer, Archibald’s choreography defies convention, infusing the grace of ballet with the energy of the club scene. Exalt embodies a vibrant synergy that captivates audiences with its daring exploration of movement and rhythm, standing as a testament to BalletX’s commitment to innovation and artistic excellence and inviting viewers to experience ballet in a thrilling new light.
Tour to The Kennedy Center, Washington, D.C. – Dec. 4 - 7
BalletX makes its highly anticipated return to The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. after its sold-out 2019 debut of DEMO by Damian Woetzel. The company presents Justin Peck’s Become a Mountain, featuring Baltimore-native composer and musician Dan Deacon performing live alongside members of the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra; Jodie Gates’ Beautiful Once with music by Ryan Lott of Son Lux, Academy Award nominated composers of Everything, Everywhere All at Once (2022); Takehiro Ueyama’s powerful post-World War II ballet, Heroes; and Matthew Neenan’s Mapping Out a Sky, inspired by the unique rhythms of Stephen Sondheim.
BalletX in Bryn Mawr, Goodhart Hall at Bryn Mawr College – Dec. 13 - 15
In this uniquely intimate series, BalletX shows another side of the company as it presents a world premiere by award-winning dancer, choreographer, and BalletX Rehearsal Director & Community Liaison Keelan Whitmore; as well as new original works choreographed by BalletX Dancers; topped off by the crowd-pleasing return of Loughlan Prior‘s Macaroni. BalletX Dancers Itzkan Barbosa, Lanie Jackson & Peter Weil, Jared Kelly, and Jerard Palazo will all present world premiere choreography and participate in Post-Show Curtain Chats after each nightly performance on Dec. 13 and 14.
For more information about BalletX and the 2024-2025 Season, please visit www.balletx.org.
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