Pennsylvania Ballet will perform its second World Premiere and third Company Premiere of the season at the Merriam Theater May 6 – 10. This dynamic program, Tango with Style, offers three contemporary works, each with a compelling stylistic foundation that highlights the extraordinary artistic depth and innovative repertoire of this nationally-recognized ballet company.
Performances of Five Tangos are as follows:
Wednesday, May 6 at 8 p.m.
Thursday, May 7 at 8 p.m.
Friday, May 8 at 8 p.m.
Saturday, May 9 at 2 and 8 p.m.
Sunday, May 10 at 2 p.m.
The Company Premiere of Hans van Manen’s Five Tangos combines the power and sensuality of the Argentinean tango with the precision and technique of classical ballet. Outstanding principal work, a fiery score by Astor Piazzolla and an emotional arc at its core, have rendered Five Tangos one of the most renowned works of its style. The popular ballet is currently in the repertoire of several international companies and will be the first of the highly regarded Dutch choreographer’s works to be performed by the Company.
A World Premiere by Choreographer in Residence Matthew Neenan infuses the program with a bold new work created specifically for the Company. An intimate cast entangled in a series of duets, trios and quartets punctuate the ballet set in three movements to lush string quartets by Russian composers Alexander Borodin and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. Principal Dancer Martha Chamberlain designed costumes for this new work.
“I enjoy having new ballets created for our own dancers and the opportunity to add works to the repertoire that stimulate the growth of the art form,” says Artistic Director Roy Kaiser, “Matt’s new piece and Five Tangos both challenge convention and contribute to the uniqueness of the Company.”
Joining the premieres on the program, Robert Weiss’s neoclassic ballet, Octet for Strings, returns to Company audiences for the first time since 1996. The first movement of Felix Mendelssohn’s Octet in E-Flat provides an emotional musical setting as four principal couples in stark white costumes articulate the intricately woven patterns and seamless transitions that are the hallmark of this work.
Previous premieres this season have included the World Premiere of Annabelle Lopez Ochoa’s Requiem for a Rose and the Company premieres of Twyla Tharp’s Push Comes To Shove and Mauro Bigonzetti’s Kazimir’s Colours. Pennsylvania Ballet continues to extend its repertoire with critically acclaimed work, deepening its commitment to provide Philadelphia audiences with unique programs that underscore the vitality of the art form. -- www.paballet.org
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