Atlanta Ballet Adds SWAN LAKE to Season

For its 12-13 season finale, Atlanta Ballet explores the theme of love through both classic and innovative choreography. Highlighting the athleticism and passion of Atlanta Ballet's dancers, these performances find new meaning in the world's greatest love stories. Love Stories will feature the Atlanta Ballet premiere of "Requiem for a Rose" by choreographer Annabelle Lopez Ochoa and the return of "Prayer of Touch" by Atlanta Ballet's new resident choreographer Helen Pickett. The program will also feature the White Swan pas de deux from choreographer Matthew Bourne's revolutionary "Swan Lake" - regarded as a modern day classic since its world premiere in 1995.

Atlanta Ballet Premiere of Annabelle Lopez Ochoa's "Requiem for a Rose" - Music by Franz Schubert
In the tradition of introducing its audiences to the pioneers and trailblazers in dance, Atlanta Ballet brings another strong choreographic voice to its stage with the premiere of Annabelle Lopez Ochoa's "Requiem for a Rose."

Set to an achingly romantic and longing adagio by Schubert, "Requiem for a Rose" is a zealous work that explores the transient nature of love. The dynamic piece envisions 12 dancers as a bouquet of roses, with bold and fluid movement hinging on a single heartbeat. Dance View Times described the ballet as a piece filled with "tender" moments that is "deftly and honestly crafted."

The Belgian-Colombian choreographer began her dance making career in 2003 after 12 years as a professional dancer for Holland's Scapino Ballet. In that same year she was hailed as a "rising star of the Dutch dance scene" (NRC newspaper) and, only 7 years later, the Temecula Performing Arts Examiner wrote: "Ochoa is truly a masterful choreographer with an edge for what dance can and should be in this constantly changing industry."