BalletX, Philadelphia’s premier contemporary ballet company, launches its ambitious and highly-anticipated 2024-2025 season on the Avenue of the Arts with Fall Series 2024, Nov. 13-17 at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre. The program will feature a world premiere by acclaimed choreographer Marguerite Donlon, along with the return of visually stunning works by BalletX co-founder Matthew Neenan and the illustrious Takehiro Ueyama. With two commissioned composers and celebrated contemporary musical scores, this season opener promises an unforgettable blend of innovation and artistry.
Hailed as an “epicenter of creation” by Dance Magazine, BalletX builds upon a trailblazing history with its 2024 Fall Series. This season, the company has expanded from 10 to 16 dancers, introduced year-round contracts for all members, and is moving to the iconic Suzanne Roberts Theatre in Center City Philadelphia.
“This Fall Series marks the momentous start of our 19th season and almost two decades of creating new, bold ballets that touch people’s lives and bring joy to our community.” says Christine Cox, Artistic & Executive Director of BalletX. "We’re featuring three visionary choreographers whose work is dynamic, breathtaking and a true celebration of the artistic journey BalletX has embarked on. Our exciting move to the Suzanne Roberts Theatre is a thrilling step forward, setting the stage for a bright future and expanding our reach within the community.”
Marguerite Donlon’s World Premiere: Wigs Off
“Dizzyingly inventive,” is how the Irish Times describes Marguerite Donlon’s vital and poetic work. With stylistic innovation, Irish wit and the combination of different art forms, she has pushed artistic limits to secure a place in the international dance scene. “All wit, humor and playfulness,” describes Huffington Post. She crafts characters with “power and personality… living, breathing human being[s]”.
In this world premiere, Donlon is inspired by the Irish dance of her youth. She explores themes of transformation through imagination, determination and courage, accompanied by an original score from Paul Calderone. “As a child, all I wanted to do was ballet but I had to settle for Irish dancing… at the time there was no ballet anywhere near where I lived. So I did Irish dancing with my feet and started to make my own choreography with my arms. These limitations inspired me to find my own way to move.”
This is Marguerite’s second world premiere with BalletX, she has created over 100 works for dance companies around the globe such as Nederlands Dans Theater 2 (NDT), the Stuttgart Ballet, Komische Oper Berlin, Hubbard Street Dance in Chicago, Rambert Dance in London, the Companhia Nacional Bailado (CNB) Portugal, and Svetlana Zacharova and the Bolshoi Ballet. She was the ballet director and house choreographer for the Saarland State Ballet, Ballet Hagen and Dance Company Osnabrück. She is also the founder and Director of the project collective “Donlon Dance Collective Berlin”.
Matthew Neenan’s Mapping Out A Sky
Created by “One of America’s best dance poets” [The New York Times], Matthew Neenan – Mapping Out A Sky (2021) makes its highly awaited return to BalletX. The piece is inspired by the unique rhythms of Steven Sondheim and described by The New York Times as, “A formal investigation of time and space and something altogether more jazzy.”
Matthew is a co-founder and longtime collaborator of BalletX and was named Choreographer in Residence at the Philadelphia Ballet from 2007-2020. He was the first recipient of the Jerome Robbins NEW Program Fellowship, a recipient of the New York City Ballet’s Choreographic Institute Fellowship Initiative Award, the grand-prize winner of Sacramento Ballet’s Capital Choreography Competition, and a four time recipient of the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts Fellowship.
Mapping Out A Sky is set to intimate live piano arrangements of classic Stephen Sondheim melodies, performed live by Grant Loehnig, Head of Music Staff at Opera Philadelphia. The arrangements provoke a “never-ending flow of motion… projecting an urban mentality and sensuality,” raves Eye on the Arts, NY.
Takehiro Ueyama’s Heroes
Takehiro Ueyama’s work blends eastern and western sensibilities as well as both powerful athleticism and delicate details. Heroes (2019), fittingly hailed as “athletic” and “acrobatic” by The Philadelphia Inquirer, tells the story of post-World War II Japan through the lens of the everyday heroes whose resilience and determination rebuilt a nation. Takehiro shares, “Because of their hard work and sacrifices, I am here. They are the reason I can do what I love to do. And also, this is like a love letter to my parents… I wanted to be American. And then I started realizing, I’m so fortunate I came from Japan.”
Born and raised in Tokyo, Ueyama moved to the U.S. to study dance at The Juilliard School. He was invited to join the Paul Taylor Dance Company and toured the world with them for 8 years before founding TAKE Dance in NYC. Heroes features an original score co-composed by Kato Hideki and Ana Milosavljevic, who will both perform live. The second movement is set to John Adams’s evocative The Chairman Dances. The piece explores themes of community, hard work and being “a cog in the wheel”.
Meet and Greet with BalletX Dancers – After each performance of Fall Series 2024, patrons are invited to enjoy a Meet and Greet with BalletX dancers in the lobby of the Suzanne Roberts Theatre.
Post Show Q&A – On Thursday, Nov. 14, BalletX will present a Post Show Q&A featuring choreographers from the Fall Series immediately following the show.
Young Xers Night – On Friday, Nov. 15, BalletX will hold Young Xers night. Patrons 21-40 can enjoy discounted $35 tickets and are invited to network at a special post-show reception.
For more information about BalletX and the 2024-2025 Season, please visit www.balletx.org.
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