Photo by Aaron Sutten
Phillip Skaggs and Thomas Garrett in Carmina Burana
A multimedia production will open the 2014 Richmond Ballet season Sept. 23 to 28, with a work inspired by the lives of professional dancers. The world premiere of Inversion from contemporary choreographer Darrell Grand Moultrie features filmed interviews with company dancers interspersed with the stage performance.
“It’s going to be nice for the audience to get to know the dancers through those interviews,” says Brett Bonda, managing director. The Studio One performance will be paired with Swipe, a classical dance with hip-hop influences that was choreographed by Val Caniparoli for the Richmond Ballet in 2011. “Val wanted to show the lines of the dancers,” Bonda says of the choreographer’s minimalist approach to costumes and stage design.
As a young student at The School of Richmond Ballet in the 1980s, former New York City Ballet principal dancer Philip Neal performed in artistic director Stoner Winslett’s first piece for the company — Danse Macabre. “It fits perfectly with Halloween weekend,” Bonda says of the ghoulish waltz that will open a series of performances from Oct. 31 to Nov. 2. “Since it’s all students, it’s a great way to kick off the school’s 40th anniversary.” In the performance that follows, four School of Richmond Ballet students will join company members for Mozartiana, a series of elegant dances choreographed by New York City Ballet co-founder George Balanchine. Rounding out the three-production program, the company performance of Carmina Burana will include musical accompaniment by the Richmond Symphony Chorus.
Tickets are $34 for the Studio One performances at Richmond Ballet’s Studio Theatre and $30 to $106 for the Halloween weekend shows at Richmond CenterStage. 344-0906 or richmondballet.com.
