George Balanchine is often called the father of American ballet, A groundbreaking choreographer and co-founder of New York City Ballet, his innovative neoclassical style made him one of the most transformative figures in dance history.
In “Masters of Movement,” Sarasota Ballet pays tribute to Balanchine with two dances that celebrate composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. It will also perform Sir Frederick Ashton’s “Jazz Calendar,” bringing the program to a lighthearted close with a performance inspired by the nursery rhyme “Monday’s Child.”
Performances are 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 19 and 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 20.
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“Masters of Movement” opens with Balanchine’s Divertimento No. 15. This audience favorite is denoted by intricate movement and partners set to the tune of Mozart’s score. Originally created to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Mozart’s birth, this ballet is a tribute to Balanchine’s long-standing admiration for the composer and showcases the purest form of Balanchine’s mastery. A quintessential Balanchine work, it’s a celebration of classical technique and movement for its own sake, with no narrative — full of inventive formations and elegant musicality.
Following “Divertimento No. 15” is a dance that’s also inspired by Mozart’s music, but it is instead set to Tchaikovsky’s score, “Mozartiana.” A marriage of Balanchine and Tchaikovsky’s shared appreciation for the composer, the elegance of the music in this company premiere is beautifully blended with Balanchine’s refined choreographic voice.
“Mozartiana” is one of the final ballets George Balanchine created, offering a poignant glimpse into his mature choreographic voice and artistic legacy. With movements ranging from prayerful serenity to joyous exuberance, the ballet moves gracefully through a spiritual and emotional arc. Rouben Ter-Arutunian’s formal black costumes add an air of timeless sophistication, enhancing the ballet’s blend of reverence and radiance.
Program 3 closes with Sir Frederick Ashton’s “Jazz Calendar.” With a 1960s jazz flair (complete with saxophones, trumpets, and 12-bar blues), each section of this ballet personifies a day of the week through playful character-driven choreography and unique visual elements and costumes. With clever parodies (like a spoof of “The Sleeping Beauty’s” rose adagio and a comic men’s ballet class), Ashton shows his choreographic genius and British wit at its finest. Derek Jarman’s vivid, jazzy costumes feature sleek, brightly colored unitards with skullcaps and bubble-wigs that turn the dancers, in the words of one critic, into “moving licorice all-sorts.”
For tickets, visit https://www.sarasotaballet.org/productions/p3-masters-of-movement/ or telephone 941-359-0099.
Support for WGCU’s arts & culture reporting comes from the Estate of Myra Janco Daniels, the Charles M. and Joan R. Taylor Foundation, and Naomi Bloom in loving memory of her husband, Ron Wallace.
