Brooklyn Ballet To Make History With Iconic Multi-Cultural Pas De Quatre

Brooklyn Ballet, a unique and interdisciplinary dance company rooted in the classical idiom, presents Revisionist History 2, an unprecedented evening of dance that bridges diversity to classicism in a profound way, while exploring movement and its history. With 5 performances, February 13-16, Brooklyn Ballet's Season takes place in The Mark O'Donnell Theater at The Actors Fund Arts Center in downtown Brooklyn.

On the heels of successfully executing New York's first and only wholly culturally authentic Nutcracker production, Lynn Parkerson's directorial interests continue to be woven into the company's winter season with Pas de Quatre, a work that originally made its premiere in London in 1845, choreographed by Jules Perrot for four of the greatest ballerinas of the time. Adorned in white tutus, the work captured the essence of the Romantic style and demanded a clear execution of the ballet technique; adagio, petite allegro, fast footwork, elegant fluid arm movements, and graceful changes of position. Restaged in 1941 by Anton Dolin, Brooklyn Ballet sets Dolin's version with a cast of 4 diverse and nuanced ballerinas coached by dance historian and winner of this year's TanzPreis Munich, Claudia Jeschke. The costumes, designed by Sylvia Nolan, are a testament to the evolution of the 21st Century ballerina with tutus that reflect the dancer's skin tones, yet stay true to the historical time period, while pianist Julius Abrahams plays Cesare Pugni's score live.

In a further exploration of Pas de Quatre, Parkerson previews Quartet, an original piece that mirrors the formations, dynamics and motifs of Pas de Quatre, but employ forms of Hip Hop like popping, flexing, and gliding, performed by four male hip hop artists. This work-in-progress, created in collaboration with Michael Fields, lends context to the mapping of the original ballet, with each hip hop dancer performing an individual variation or solo, in succession, between an opening and finale that are danced by all of the artists together.

Finally, integrating ballet and hip hop together at the same time, Parkerson premieres Intersection, a multi-genre dance for an ensemble of 9; 4 hip-hop dancers, and 5 ballet dancers. Parkerson has been creating integrated works since 2005, and this newest signature mixed-movement piece is created with longtime collaborator Michael Fields. The music, a city soundscape complete with MTA announcements, is by Malcolm Parson of Turtle Island Ensemble and the Carolina Chocolate Drops. In Intersection the diverse artists of Brooklyn Ballet work together on the stage simultaneously, while furthering the overarching mission of the Company to challenge convention and defy expectations.

Tickets available for purchase at http://www.brooklynballet.org/performances/2020/brooklyn-ballet-2020-season-revisionist-history-2 or at 718-246-0146.=