Chances are pretty good that most folks attending Ballet ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s Winter Concert this weekend will have never experienced the popular pas de deux from Tony Award-winning choreographer Christopher Wheeldon’s ballet “After the Rain.â€
The piece, set to Arvo Pärt’s “Tabula Rasa,†has been danced by big companies like the Joffrey, San Francisco Ballet and the Royal Ballet, companies with the pedigree and talent to do the piece justice.
And now Ballet ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥.
The 36-year-old company will perform the piece this weekend after it reached out to Wheeldon (“MJ the Musicalâ€) and former dancer Wendy Whelan, who originated the piece with New York City Ballet, to secure the rights. The piece is on the company’s winter concert program, which it will perform as part of the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Desert Song Festival.
“It’s an exciting thing for ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥,†said Ballet ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Artistic Director Margaret Mullin. “We really believe that ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ deserves great art and ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ans shouldn’t have to travel (to Los Angeles or New York). We have the talent right here.â€
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The pas de deux is one of three company premieres on the program, including the world premiere of resident choreographer Chieko Imada’s “Eternal Love — Songs of Edith Piaf,†featuring ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ vocalist and pianist .
Chieko Imada, the lead choreographer for Ballet ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s winter concert, gives notes to her dancers during dress rehearsal.
Imada said “Eternal Love,†which will feature Ballet ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s full company of 30-plus dancers, is woven around the French singer’s songs to tell her story, from her career as one of France’s biggest entertainers in the 1940s through 1960s to her tragic love life that included two marriages and an affair with a French boxer that grabbed international headlines.
Through the tragedies and struggles, Imada said she hopes the audience sees Piaf’s desire to find love and her deep love for her music.
“Hopefully the audience will catch that part of her passion,†Imada said.
Imada had first flirted with creating the ballet when the focused on the contributions of women for its . But the piece requires a strong vocalist who can sing in French, which is not an easy ask.
Enter Khris Dodge, who in addition to being executive director of the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Jazz Festival and ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Pops Orchestra music director has his own entertainment production company. He recommended ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ native Byrnes, a French-speaking versatile vocalist who has toured around the world, including with Amos Lee, and has sung with everyone from the to and , as well as her band with her husband, Ryan Alfred.
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ audiences also will experience “Lost In Light,†a ballet that Mullin created in 2012 for the Pacific Northwest Ballet’s 40th anniversary season. Mullin, a native of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, spent her professional dance career with the Seattle company before coming home three years ago to lead Ballet ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥.
“It’s a ballet I really loved and wanted to see on stage again,†she said.
Despite its Pacific Northwest origins, “Lost In Light†is uniquely ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥. In addition to Mullin’s choreography, the piece features a score by TSO Composer in Residence and costumes by ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥-born designer .
Edward Oyarce-Solomon and Elisabeth Hekman extend their arms during dress rehearsal for Ballet ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s winter concert.
Ballet ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ opens its winter concert with “Giselle Act II,†with Imada’s choreography based off French choreographer Marius Petipa’s late 19th and early 20th-century revivals of the work.
Ballet ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ will perform the concert at 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 9; 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 10; and 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 11, at Leo Rich Theatre, 260 S. Church Ave. Tickets are $20-$50 through or by calling the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Convention Center Box Office at 520-791-4101.
The University of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ School of Dance prepares students for professional performance careers.
Contact reporter Cathalena E. Burch at cburch@tucson.com.
On Twitter @Starburch
Cathalena E. Burch
Reporter
