“Falls” again in love live performance at the studio of the Ballet Theater Company in West Hartford.
BTC resident dancers pictured with guest choreographer Derek Brockington in rehearsal. Photo by Tracy Dorman
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On November 5 and 6, at 7 p.m., Ballet Theater Company (BTC) will present its first live ballet show since December 2020.
“While we have been blessed with many unique opportunities to present digital works and perform creatively over the past year and a half, as a dancer there is nothing quite like performing. performing in front of a live audience in a more traditional performance setting, ”says Emily Aubrey Silva, resident professional dancer and BTC ballet mistress. “Since the cinemas closed in March 2020, we have dreamed of the sensation of electricity in the air just before the start of a show and of the energy shared between the public and the artists. There are no words for the excitement brought by our long awaited return to the in-person performance! “
In the upcoming show, “Up Close: Fall”, BTC will present its new company of professional residents and season 23 of the Junior Corps de Ballet in a diverse program of contemporary, modern and neo-classical repertoire.
“Up Close” will open with two movements from Paul Mejia’s “Sérénade in A”, a neoclassical ballet choreographed for Igor Stravinsky and premiered in 1981. “Sérénade in A” began as a choreographic study with four wonderful dancers, different and fascinating, a formidable pianist and a superb score by Igor Stravinsky, ”explains Paul Mejia. “It’s the process that has become a journey of discovery and has shown me once again that if you have all the best ingredients, wonderful things can happen in the shortest possible time. The ballet was completed in five days.
“Serenade in A” was directed by BTC’s artistic advisor, Maria Terezia Balogh, who was also an original dancer and performer of the play. Balogh says: “I have staged ‘Serenade in A’ several times, and each time I discover more. The musicality of the choreography makes it possible to visualize the music. It is certainly a challenge for the dancers, but if you put it on stage on enthusiastic dancers such as the four ladies of BTC, it becomes a great pleasure ”. The company plans to perform the entire four-movement ballet for its spring performance of ‘Up Close’ scheduled for May.
“Up Close: Fall” will continue with a world premiere, “Pieces of a Legacy,” choreographed by Dance Theater of Harlem choreographer and guest dancer Derek Brockington. Pieces of a Legacy ”focuses on the immense strength of the individual and how that individual contributes to the overall progress, grace and beauty of a group. The music for this piece is from an album called Legacy and is composed of works for bassoon by African-American composers. “In order to challenge myself over the past year or so, I decided to research and use classical music composed primarily by black composers,” Brockington said. “Ballet dancers and composers of African descent are similarly represented in their field. As I dedicated myself to finding viable music, I found time and time again that I was able to identify with these pieces of music in a different way and it allowed me to set an intention. deeper into my work.
NYCB soloist Roman Mejia at the Dattellas film premiere of Autumn Aurora in November 2020. Photo by Thomas Giroir
The show will end with the live debut of artistic director Stephanie Dattellas’ ballet, “Autumn Aurora” choreographed to Antonio Vivaldi’s “Automne” of The Four Seasons. “It’s always a pleasure to revisit a choreography and breathe new life into it,” says Dattellas. “The play was originally filmed outdoors in a beautiful fall landscape. It was nice to visualize the landscape and find new ways to highlight it through the movement of the dancers. Dattellas’ “Autumn Aurora” will also feature BTC’s Junior Corps de Ballet in the second movement.
“Up Close: Fall” is the first of BTC’s black box performances that offers the unique opportunity to see BTC’s talented dancers in a more intimate setting than a typical mainstage production. Spectators sit “close” to the dancers, exhibiting a more intense perspective on the art of ballet. The show takes place in the Ron and Nancy Compton studio of the Ballet Theater Company studio, 20 Jefferson Ave., West Hartford.
Visit www.dancebtc.org/up-close-fall to purchase your tickets today. Limited places [50 seats per show with COVID-19 safety protocols] are available, so customers are encouraged to act quickly. BTC is also happy to offer a live streaming ticket option for ballet enthusiasts who prefer to enjoy the show from home. Tickets cost $ 35 in person and $ 25 for the live broadcast.
BTC is delighted to announce that for the performance “Up Close: Fall”, we are teaming up with WeHa Brewing and Roasting Company. All customers who attend our “Up Close: Fall” performance on November 5th and 6th will receive a 50% coupon on their choice of beer. Beer or coffee at WeHa Brewing and Roasting Company valid until November 7th.
BTC is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit and is supported in part by the Connecticut Office of the Arts, Greater Hartford Arts Council, Ron and Nancy Compton, The Edward C. & Ann T. Roberts Foundation, Ensworth Charitable Trust, The Long Foundation, Connecticut Public, Cricket Press, Laurel Graphic Design, We-Ha.com, Beam & Barre and Hearst Media Group.
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