Sarasota Ballet’s season opener features the choreography of Gemma Bond, Sir Frederick Ashton and Dominic Walsh. It is the first of seven programs Sarasota Ballet will perform this year.
The ballet’s 20th season includes 16 ballets, including eight company premieres such as Gemma Bond’s “Manner.”
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Gemma Bond’s “Manner” is set to the music of Franz Liszt.
Following “Manner,” members of Sarasota Ballet will perform a selection of Sir Frederick Ashton’s celebrated “Divertissements.” This suite consists of excerpts from some of his most renowned works, which serve as prime examples of his wit and musicality. This portion of the program includes:
- “Friday’s Child” from “Jazz Calendar,” with music by Richard Rodney Bennett;
- “Meditation from Thaïs,” with music by Jules Massenet;
- “Awakening Pas de Deux” (“The Sleeping Beauty”), with music by Benjamin Britten;
- the intricate ensemble patterns of “Pas de Cinq” from “Illuminations,” with music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky;
- “Belfry Spirits” (“Apparitions”), with music by Franz Liszt; and
- Margot Fonteyn “Pas de Deux” (“Birthday Offering”), with music by Alexander Glazunov.
Director Iain Webb’s first commissioned work for the Company, Dominic Walsh’s “Wolfgang for Webb” (with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart), signals the program’s conclusion. The ballet blends classical with contemporary, and elegance with humor, which reflects the expansive repertoire that has flourished under his directorship.
Performances
Performances are Friday, Oct. 23 at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, Oct. 24 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.; and Sunday, Oct. 25 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
For tickets, visit https://www.sarasotaballet.org/productions/p1-program-one/ or telephone 941-359-0099.
Performances are at FSU Center for the Performing Arts, 5555 North Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, FL 34243.
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.
