Edmonton | Alberta Ballet Unleashed

INTRODUCING ALBERTA BALLET UNLEASHED

Experience ballet from three different artistic perspectives powerfully expressed by Alberta Ballet’s company dancers. February’s triple bill, Alberta Ballet Unleashed perfectly blends classical and contemporary ballet in one unforgettable evening.

Allegro Brillante
George Balanchine’s Allegro Brillante, performed to Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 3 is characterized by what Maria Tallchief (the ballerina on whom the bravura leading role was created) calls “an expansive Russian romanticism.” The music’s vigorous pace makes the steps appear even more difficult, but the ballet relies on strong dancing, precise timing, and breadth of gesture. Balanchine said: “It contains everything I know about classical ballet in 13 minutes.”

The performance of Allegro Brillante, a Balanchine® Ballet, is presented by arrangement with The George Balanchine Trust and has been produced in accordance with the Balanchine Style® and Balanchine Technique® Service standards established and provided by the Trust.’

Choreography: George Balanchine Music: Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky (Piano Concerto No. 3 in E-flat Major, Op. 75, 1892 [unfinished]) Staging: Joysanne Sidimus
Costume Design: Holly Hynes
Lighting Recreation: James Thurmeier
Premiere: March 1, 1956; New York City Ballet
Alberta Ballet Premiere: February 12, 2020

Yearning To Make A Difference
Be among the first to witness the world premiere piece by Montreal choreographer, the formidable Anne Plamondon. The piece represents society’s responsibility in a time of tragedy and how small gestures can really affect someone’s life in a beautiful way. Working with Alberta Ballet dancers, Anne explores movement that expresses how individuals have the power to make a positive impact in the greatest time of need.

Choreography: Anne Plamondon
Music Composer: Oliver Fairfield
Lighting Design: Pierre Lavoie
Costume Design: Marie-Audrey Jacques

Petal
Helen Pickett’s original inspiration for Petal came from the vibrancy of a Gerber daisy. As the ballet evolved color remained a critical element of the work, but the visceral movement and relationships between the dancers came to reflect the vigor of wildflowers rather than a hothouse bloom. “The eight dancers who invade, inhabit and constantly transform the stage space, perform as if they had been tossed a do-or-die challenge and are determined to transcend their training,” observed Allan Ulrich of SF Gate. Bathed in the light of hot yellows, pinks, and oranges the dancers’ kinetic energy reflects the vitality of spring.  There is also a deeper underlying connection between them expressed through the intimacy of human touch: a gentle caress around someone’s neck or along someone’s neck or inner thigh.  “Intimacy is such an important part of a human life – without it, we wither,” says Pickett. “Let’s celebrate this burst of color, this sound, this touch.”

Petal: ASFB Commissioned Work

Choreography: Helen Pickett
Repetiteur: Sarah Hillmer Music: Philip Glass*, Thomas Montgomery Newman** Lighting Design: Todd Elmer
Costume Design: Nete Joseph

*Death of the Twins & Elizabeth Chooses a Career from Les Enfants Terribles by Philip Glass. Based upon the work Les Enfants Terribles by Jean Cocteau. Copyright Editions Grasse! & Fasquelle 1929. © 1996 Dunvagen Music Publishers Inc. Used by permission.

**End Title from LITTLE CHILDREN,© New Line Music, all rights administered by Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp. All rights reserved. Used by permission.