Premieres by Sir Richard Alston and James Whiteside to be Featured in NYTB's LEGENDS & VISIONARIES
In his sixth work for New York Theatre Ballet, Sir Richard Alston has created Bewildered, based on Igor Stravinsky's Le Baiser de la fée (The Fairy's Kiss).
By: Chloe Rabinowitz Apr. 25, 2022
Legends & Visionaries, an evening of new commissions by New York Theatre Ballet, is coming to Florence Gould Hall, for two performances May 6 and 7 at 7:00 P.M. Featuring 2022 premieres by choreographers Sir Richard Alston and James Whiteside, Legends and Visionaries will also showcase works by Gemma Bond and Nicolo Fonte.
In his sixth work for New York Theatre Ballet, Sir Richard Alston has created Bewildered, based on Igor Stravinsky's Le Baiser de la fée (The Fairy's Kiss). Alston's work is set to Stravinsky's Divertimento for Violin and Piano and features costumes by Sylvia Taalson Nolan. "My version doesn't have a fairy," said Alston. "Instead, a sophisticated woman wields her 'magic' charm over an innocent young man and bewitches him. Stravinsky chose parts of his ballet to make a shorter Divertimento which is the version I'm using. The ballet score has melodies by Tchaikovsky woven in, so it's a marvelous mixture of stringent Stravinsky and lush Tchaikovsky."
James Whiteside's Mamborama, his first work for New York Theatre Ballet, is set to Tito Puente's Mambo Gallego, with costume design by Eric Winterling. Speaking of his inspiration for Mamborama, Whiteside said, "My first dance teacher, Angie Sirico, loved Tito Puente. His music sparks so much joy and nostalgia in me. I've wanted to make dances to it since I was a teenager."
Performances of Legends & Visionaries include Optimists and There, and Back Again. Choreographed by Gemma Bond and set to music by Sergei Prokofiev, Optimists is a work for two dancers and features costumes by Bond and Carmella Lynn Lauer, with original lighting by Katy Atwell. Optimists was given its World Premiere by New York Theatre Ballet in 2017 at Danspace Project.
Nicolo Fonte's There, and Back Again, inspired by The Brothers Grimm fairytale Hansel and Gretel, is set to an original score for piano and violin by Kevin Keller and performed with live music. Costumes for Fonte's work are designed by Sylvia Taalson Nolan, with original lighting by Serena Wong. A work for four dancers, There, and Back Again received its World Premiere by New York Theatre Ballet in 2015 at New York Live Arts.
Mother GOOSE!
As part of its Once Upon a Ballet series, New York Theatre Ballet will give four performances of the whimsical one-hour production, Mother GOOSE!, Saturday, May 7 at 1:00 P.M and Sunday, May 8 at 11:00 A.M., 1:00 P.M., and 3:30 P.M. Choreographed by Keith Michaels, Mother GOOSE! is set to a piano-four-hands score by Vladimir Shinov, with set design by Derek Stenborg, costumes by Sylvia Taalsohn Nolan, and shoe construction by Quinn O'Sullivan. Young and old can delight in familiar literary characters including Jack & Jill, Humpty Dumpty, Little Miss Muffet, and Three Blind Mice.
"New York Theatre Ballet continues to be a cultural treasure for the New York City arts community and its audiences." Broadway World.
Lighting design for Legends & Visionaries and Mother GOOSE! is by Serena Wong.
Tickets for Legends & Visionaries are $25. Tickets for Mother GOOSE! are $30 for adults, $17 for children under 12. A special Mother's Day offer, Buy Three, Get One Free, is available for performances of Mother GOOSE! on Sunday, May 8 at the following link:
For tickets and more information on all performances, please visit https://nytb.org/calendar-and-tickets.
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