León & Lightfoot / Balanchine Comes to Den Norske Opera

Want to be impressed by technical brilliance in three completely different but equally as riveting ballets? If so, this is the performance for you! The three choreographers behind these works have opened the eyes of many an audience member as to the possibilities of dance.

Three Norwegian premieres 

The one is performed on tiptoes, with diamonds and to the music of Tchaikovsky, while the other two feature supple, modern ballet to the music of Richter and Schubert. For the very first time in Norway, you can see Diamonds by George Balanchine and Stop Motion and Schubert by the choreographer duo Sol León and Paul Lightfoot.  

A flicker of Swan Lake  

Is it possible to create a ballet about jewels? That is exactly what master choreographer George Balanchine has done in the three-part ballet Jewels. We are performing the final part, Diamonds, in which the expression, colours and musical selection are inspired by diamonds. As always with Balanchine, the underlying theme is how movement and music are two sides of the same coin – and are danced here to much of Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 3 in D Major. By the time Tchaikovsky had finished writing the symphony, he had already been commissioned to create Swan Lake. Can you hear this in the music? 

Audience favourites return 

With humour, striking scenes and innovative steps, Sol León and Paul Lightfoot have spellbound Norwegian audiences in the past. Now they are back again! And bringing with them the duet Schubert, which revolves around a love story, and the ballet Stop Motion, in which the themes are leave-taking and change. This critically acclaimed work has been described as a visual poem, with the dancers suddenly appearing, only to disappear again after a while.  

Works for large ensembles 

Although these ballets differ in many ways, what they all have in common is that they are technically demanding, showcase nearly all company dancers on stage and the Norwegian National Opera Orchestra performs from the orchestra pit. 

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