My favorite ballets are the triple bill performances
OKC Ballet to perform, "Visionaries – A Triple Bill"
by Robin Dorner
Editor in Chief
My favorite ballets performed by OKC Ballet have been the triple bills, although I am told by OKC Ballet staff, those seats are more difficult to fill. I don’t get it.
Sure, I understand the draw to such ballet performances such as Alice in Wonderland, Cinderella or even Swan Lake. And who wouldn’t want to take their children to the annual performance of The Nutcracker, or to even go as an adult and feel like a kid again?
But I am here to tell you, if you’ve never seen a triple bill, you are missing out. Some of the best ballets I have ever seen are the triple bills; my favorites so far are is Exergency. The reason is partly the variety, but I feel the quality of dance moves is a step above in the triple bill performances. Also, I think they are more adventurous and modern.
“I like the triple bills because they are moe like modern dance than classical ballet,” said Debbie Graves. “Going to the ballet is a blast! It’s fun, they're interesting and it’s a great night out.”
Graves has been to seven OKC Ballet productions in the past few years.
Below you’ll find information about the excitement and adventure awaiting you at their upcoming show, Visionaries: A Triple Bill to be performed on April 19 and 20 at the Civic Center Music Hall in downtown Oklahoma City.
“Pas de Joffrey’s Robert Deesses” – Oklahoma Premiere – Featuring Live Piano: Meaning “Dance of the Goddesses,” Pas de Deesses is a delicate remembrance of the Romantic era created by Robert Joffrey in 1954. Inspired by a 19th-century lithograph, the ballet is an imaginary glimpse of three great ballerinas – Lucille Grahn, Marie Taglioni, and Fanny Cerrito – meeting and competing for the attention of the great male dancer and partner Arthur Saint-Leon (who was married to Cerrito). Oklahoma City Ballet is pleased to honor Mr. Joffrey during the 30th commemoration year of his passing by presenting this ballet, with a live piano performance by Peggy Payne.
George Balanchine’s “The Four Temperaments” – Company Premiere: The Four Temperaments is one of George Balanchine’s earliest works in his signature neo-classical style, fusing ballet steps with a lean and angular modern sensibility. The ballet is inspired by the medieval belief that humans are made up of four different humors that determine a person’s temperament: melancholic, sanguinic, phlegmatic, and choleric. First performed in 1946 and set to a commissioned score by Paul Hindemith, The Four Temperaments is one of Balanchine’s most iconic ballets and is performed by companies around the world.
Cayetano Soto Ramirez World Premiere: Cayetano Soto Ramirez is a new dance maker with a profound talent. His choreography has won numerous awards, and his technical, contemporary, and often unexpected works are in the repertoire of major international dance companies. Oklahoma City Ballet is pleased to debut a world premiere from this forward-thinking artist created especially on our dancers.
Tickets to Visionaries: A Triple Bill are on sale now! You won’t want to miss this beautiful performance featuring pieces by dance icons George Balanchine and Robert Joffrey, and a world premiere ballet by Cayetano Soto Ramirez. This production offers beautiful dancing OKC Ballet "can’t wait to debut."
Performances will be held at the Oklahoma City Civic Center on April 19 at 8 p.m. and April 20 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Purchase tickets at www.okcballet.org or call (405) 848-TOES.
Copyright The Gayly. 4.7.2019 @ 12:50 a.m. CST.