Enter one of ballet’s most fascinating periods, when impresarios and daring choreographers changed the course of dance history. Ballet Russe Reimagined is a three-part series paying homage to the innovations that propelled ballet into the 20th and 21st centuries.
Paris 1909 — impresario Serge Diaghilev devised the avant-garde Ballets Russes company that became one of the most influential catalysts of performing arts to date. Artistic collaborations, innovative choreography, and compelling compositions created a sensation that reignited the public’s passion for the art of dance, shaping the artistic and popular culture of the time.
In this series, Fort Wayne Ballet will bring to the stage four incredible ballets, including two world premieres created just for our dancers, Fort Wayne Ballet’s Balanchine debut, and the return of a beloved audience favorite.
Daring, mysterious, and versatile – Ballet Russe Reimagined is a series you won’t want to miss.
March 21 | 7:30 PM
March 22 | 2 PM & 7:30 PM
Les Sylphides
Rite of Spring
April 11 | 7:30 PM
April 12 | 2 PM & 7:30 PM
Rite of Spring
Serenade
May 9 | 7:30 PM
May 10 | 2 PM & 7:30 PM
Serenade
Light Rain
Tickets starting at $35
Tables for two $160
tables are on the edge of the stage for an immersive experience during the performance
WORLD PREMIERE
Choreography: David Ingram
Music: Frédéric Chopin
Les Sylphides, originally choreographed by Mikhail Fokine in 1909 for the Ballets Russes company and set to music by Chopin, is considered the first plotless ballet, a unique characteristic that shaped the evolution of ballets to come.
David Ingram describes his Les Sylphides as, “vast, romantic, and unmeasurable.” His contemporary take on this ballet will be unlike anything the audience has seen before.
WORLD PREMIERE
Choreography: Mark Godden
Music: Igor Stravinsky
Originally choreographed in 1913 by Vlaslav Nijinsky, Rite of Spring was immediately controversial, featuring jarring music by Igor Stravinsky (now considered one of the most important pieces of music of the 20th century) and a depiction of ancient Pagan rituals which infamously incited a riot in the audience.
Inspired by Stravinsky’s score, Godden has reimagined the plot of Rite of Spring to portray the myth of Prometheus.
FORT WAYNE BALLET’S BALANCHINE DEBUT
Choreography: George Balanchine
Staged by: Rebecca Metzger
Music: Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Regarded as the most prominent choreographer in ballet during the 20th Century, George Balanchine began his choreographic start with the Ballets Russes company before immigrating to the United States of America in 1933. Along with Lincoln Kirstein, Balanchine founded the School of American Ballet, and later, New York City Ballet.
Serenade was the first ballet Balanchine choreographed in America in 1935 and is considered a masterwork of the 20th Century.
Choreography: Gerald Arpino
Staged by: Cameron Basden
Music: Douglas Adamz and Russ Gauthier
Gerald Arpino, a co-founder of Joffrey Ballet, created Light Rain in 1981. Light Rain, “represents the youth and energy of the dancers it was created on,” according to the Arpino Foundation.
The energetic and dynamic ballet showcases the evolution of neoclassical ballet nearly 50 years after Serenade premiered and remains the most requested work in the Arpino Foundation.