Featuring The Rite of Spring and Serenade*
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.
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Ballet Russe Reimagined II will feature Mark Godden’s Rite of Spring in addition to Fort Wayne Ballet’s George Balanchine debut. Mark Godden is Resident Choreographer at HARID Conservatory and former Resident Choreographer at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet.
Choreographed in 1913 by Vlaslav Nijinsky, Rite of Spring was immediately controversial, featuring jarring music by Igor Stravinksy (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.
George Balanchine is the most prominent ballet choreographer of the 20th century. He began his career as a choreographer at the Ballets Russes before immigrating to America and founding the New York City Ballet. In this series, Fort Wayne Ballet will be performing the first ballet he choreographed in America, Serenade, which remains one of the most significant ballets of the 20th century since it premiered in 1935.
According to New York City Ballet’s website, “Balanchine began the ballet as a lesson in stage technique and worked unexpected rehearsal events into the choreography; a student’s fall or late arrival to rehearsal became part of the ballet.” Often described as a plotless ballet, audience members tend to find their own story within the choreography.
These performances take place at the new Pearl Street Arts Center!
*Serenade performed with permission of the George Balanchine Trust
Tickets $30 if purchased by February 28, 2025
Tickets $35 starting March 1, 2025