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MIAMI CITY BALLET MAKES DETROIT DEBUT
AT THE DETROIT OPERA HOUSE
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Miami City Ballet to Perform Tharp and Balanchine Classics
DETROIT, Michigan, October 4, 2007…With its unique blend of classical and contemporary dance, Miami City Ballet makes its highly-anticipated Detroit debut November 2-4, 2007 at the Detroit Opera House, part of the Chrysler Foundation Dance Series. Performing classic works by Twyla Tharp and George Balanchine, Miami City Ballet’s mixed-repertory program will include George Balanchine’s Agon and Raymonda Variations and Twyla Tharp’s In the Upper Room.
Agon, one of George Balanchine’s most revered abstract ballets, is considered by many to be one of the greatest dance works of the 20th century. A collaborative effort between Balanchine and his friend, composer Igor Stravinsky, the team designed the structure of the ballet during the creation of the music. The outline for the musical score specifies in detail, with exact timings, the basic movements for 12 dancers clad in simple black and white costumes.
With its playful, uplifting and breathtaking choreography, Raymonda Variations is a thrill for lovers of classical ballet. This visually enthralling dance spectacular is filled with the flower lightness of twirling pink tutus and is set to the uplifting music of famous 19th century Russian composer Alexander Glazounov.
One of Twyla Tharp’s most popular works, In the Upper Room is a one-act ballet filled with power, energy and speed. Set to a powerfully hypnotic score by Phillip Glass, In the Upper Room takes its title from a gospel spiritual, but the ballet is about dancer nirvana – the consuming joy of moving. A ballet and modern dance face-off, the work features some dancers on pointe and others in sneakers. In the Upper Room features 13 performers who dance through smoke and light and thrill audiences with what Tharp describes as “fierce, driving and relentless moves that burn the retina.”
Intermediate and advanced ballet master classes led by members of Miami City Ballet will be held on Saturday, November 3 at 11 a.m. Tuition for the master class is $15 and will be held at the Detroit Opera House’s Ford Center for Arts and Learning in the 5th floor dance studio. For more information on the Miami City Ballet master class or to register, please contact Kamilah Levens at (313) 237-3251.
About Miami City Ballet
Founded in 1985 by American dance pioneer Edward Villella, the Miami City Ballet is one of the largest ballet companies in the United States, with 55 dancers and 13 world premieres to its credit. The company’s repertoire features 97 ballets, including many of George Balanchine’s masterworks and works by contemporary choreographers such as Paul Taylor, Twyla Tharp, Petipa, Jerome Robbins, Christopher Wheeldon and Trey McIntyre.
Miami City Ballet has toured all over the United States and has danced in more than 100 U.S. cities. Internationally, the company has performed in Europe, Great Britain, South America, Central America and Israel. The Miami City Ballet was the seventh and final major American dance company to receive a Kennedy Center Ballet Commission, and in March 2003 was one of only six world-renown companies participating in the Kennedy Center’s International Ballet Festival.
TICKETS for Miami City Ballet at the magnificent Detroit Opera House, November 2-4 range from $28-$75, and are available in at the Detroit Opera House ticket office (1526 Broadway, Detroit, 48826), by phone at (313) 237-SING (7464) or online at www.MichiganOpera.org. Tickets are also available at all TicketMaster outlets, by phone at (248) 645-6666 or online at www.TicketMaster.com.
Miami City Ballet
Friday, November 2, 20078:00 p.m.
Saturday, November 3, 20078:00 p.m.
Sunday, November 4, 20072:00 p.m.
At the magnificent Detroit Opera House
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