July 18, 2006 .....The most popular classical ballet in the world, Swan Lake, will open Dance St. Louis' 2006-2007 season on October 6-7 at the Fox Theatre. The sumptuous production by Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre retells the classic story of love and dark magic, as a fiendish sorcerer transforms a beautiful young woman into a swan, and a brave but naïve prince battles to save her. Flooded with Tchaikovsky's most haunting melodies, the music of Swan Lake will be played live by the Ballet Orchestra of St. Louis.
On October 20-21 the vibrant acoustics of the Touhill Performing Arts Center play host to the percussive sounds of tap dance superstar Savion Glover in his new Classical Savion. In two hours of bravura solo dancing, Glover creates dazzling dialogues with music of Antonio Vivaldi, J.S. Bach, Felix Mendelssohn, Astor Piazzola, and Bela Bartók as well as intense jazz improvisations, played onstage by a chamber ensemble and jazz band.
The joys and sorrows of everyday Americans are woven into Shapiro and Smith Dance's Anytown: Stories of America , co-presented by Dance St. Louis and Edison Theatre's OVATIONS! Series at the Edison on November 17-19. The raw emotional edge of American heartland rock, in songs by Bruce Springsteen and other members of his E Street Band, is matched by Danial Shapiro and Joanie Smith's no-holds-barred choreography. Anytown follows the tangled lives of three families as they survive infidelity, flood and war while still affirming community and love.
On February 9-10, from Budapest to St. Louis come the Gypsy musicians, vigorous dancers, infectious rhythms, and kaleidoscopic colors of the Hungarian State Folk Ensemble. The panoply of Hungarian history splashes across the Touhill Performing Arts Center stage in dances born of medieval games, herdsmen's jumping contests, and Transylvanian courtship rituals.
On February 16-18, in cooperation with Fox Associates, Dance St. Louis brings back the ever-popular STOMP, the international percussion sensation that celebrates the rhythms and dances lurking within everyday objects like push brooms, trash cans, and even kitchen sinks.
DanceBrazil comes to the Edison Theatre in a co-presentation with Edison's OVATIONS! Series on February 23-25 with a scorching blend of samba, contemporary dance, and Capoeira, the pyrotechnic Afro-Brazilian martial art that Artistic Director Jelon Vieira describes as "a game--a fight like a dance, and a dance like a fight."
On February 27 through March 11 at the Fox Theatre, Dance St. Louis and the US Bank Broadway Series present a stunning theatrical event from London's West End: Matthew Bourne's new full-length ballet, Edward Scissorhands, based on Tim Burton's classic movie starring Johnny Depp. A boy created by an eccentric inventor who dies leaving him alone and unfinished with only scissors for hands, Edward must find his place in a strange new suburban world where the well-meaning community struggles to see past his appearance to the innocence and gentleness within. T his tender, touching and witty gothic fairytale is a treat for the whole family.
On March 9-10 the astounding Shen Wei Dance Arts makes its St. Louis debut at the Touhill Performing Arts Center. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Shen Wei, who was born in Hunan, China and is now based in New York, Shen Wei Dance Arts fuses Chinese opera, sculpture, painting, dance, and theater into contemporary works of surreal, startling beauty.
The season closes on April 27-29 at the Edison Theatre, co-presented with OVATIONS!, with the first appearance in St. Louis of the sophisticated young Aspen Santa Fe Ballet. This chic and charming company is a model of the new face of classical dance--top-flight performers in an eclectic repertory by contemporary European and American choreographers.
The performances have been combined into three different subscription packages. STOMP and Edward Scissorhands are not included on any package. Subscription prices range from $110 to $292, depending on the series and seat location, including discounts for students/seniors. Single tickets range from $22 to $68. Subscriptions are now on sale. Single tickets go on sale on September 5. Call the Dance St. Louis box office at 314-534-6622.
As a not-for-profit dance presenting organization, Dance St. Louis' mission is to provide the St. Louis region with the world's best dance and to develop an appreciation of dance as an art form. Dance St. Louis fulfills this mission through dance presentation, creation and education outreach.
Dance St. Louis is a funded member of the Arts and Education Council of Greater St. Louis, and receives support from the Missouri Arts Council, Regional Arts Commission, Heartland Arts Fund--a joint venture of Arts Midwest and Mid-America Arts Alliance, National Endowment for the Arts, and other sources. American Airlines is the official airline.
October 6-7, 2006; 8 p.m.; Fox Theatre
Swan Lake by Pittsburgh Dance Theatre & Ballet Orchestra of St. Louis
Swan Lake's potent mix of ingredients has made this 19th-century drama the most popular ballet in the world. There are themes of love, yearning, and betrayal; a tragic heroine, conflicted hero, and villain of irredeemable malice; an ancient and universal mythology of a human transformed into a bird; a Romantic vision of a moonlit lake inhabited by ethereal maidens; a spectacular dual role for the prima ballerina of the bewitched Swan Queen and her "evil twin," the Black Swan; and Peter Tchaikovsky in the full glory of his melodic, harmonic and orchestral genius. The music will be played live at the Fox by the Ballet Orchestra of St. Louis. Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre was founded in 1969 and is the eighth largest ballet company in the U.S., with 30 dancers performing a diverse repertory of classical and contemporary works. Since 1988, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre has commissioned more than 107 original works, including 35 world premieres. The company's Swan Lake is staged and directed by Artistic Director Terrence S. Orr, who based his version on the classic choreography produced in 1895 by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov of the Imperial Ballet Theatre in St. Petersburg. A celebrated ballet master and former principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre, Orr is embarking on his eighth season as artistic director of Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre. (Single tickets: $39-$68; no student/senior discount) (pbt.org)
October 20-21, 2006; 8 p.m.; Touhill Performing Arts Center
Classical Savion
From whiz kid to accomplished master, from youthful regular on Sesame Street to Tony Award-winning creator of Bring in 'Da Noise, Bring in 'Da Funk, 32-year-old Savion Glover has established himself not only as one of the greatest tap dancers but as one of the greatest dancers of our time. In his Classical Savion, a one-man tour de force created in 2005, he explores how his phenomenally virtuosic, musically sensitive dancing can interact with and re-imagine familiar classical works such as Vivaldi's Four Seasons, Mendelssohn's Octet for Strings, and Bach's Third Brandenburg Concerto, played by a 10-member ensemble directed by Robert Sadin. In the program's finale, Glover returns to his jazz roots in an extended improvisation, Stars and Stripes Forever (For Now), by the four-member jazz band, The Otherz. (Single tickets: $30-$65, no student/senior discount)
November 17-19. 2006; Edison Theatre
Nov. 17-18, 8 p.m.; Nov. 19, 2 p.m.
Shapiro and Smith Dance in Anytown: Stories of America
Anytown is a family affair. Danial Shapiro and Joanie Smith, the founders and co-directors of Shapiro and Smith Dance, are husband and wife. The acoustic country and folk-flavored rock music is by three closely linked singer-songwriters: heartland rock icon, Bruce Springsteen; his wife, Patti Scialfa, who performs alongside him as well as on her own albums; and Soozie Tyrell, Scialfa's childhood friend and Smith's sister, who has contributed vocal and fiddle to six Springsteen albums and toured with his E Street Band. The storyline follows three multi-generational families through several decades as their lives cross and intertwine. Anytown is about "love, anger, loss, hope, death, regrets...the fabric of our lives," says the Asbury Park Press of the new dance, premiered in 2005. Minneapolis-based Shapiro and Smith have been telling emotionally charged stories since they founded their company in 1987. Like all their work, Anytown include elements unusual for much of contemporary dance: sets, props, text, and detailed costuming. The dancers are not all sleek young athletes but include a wide range of ages and body types. Dance St. Louis and Edison Theatre's OVATIONS! Series previously presented Shapiro and Smith Dance in 1992 and 2001. (Single tickets: $30 general public, $25 seniors, $18 students) (shapiroandsmithdance.org)
February 9-10, 2007; 8 p.m.; Touhill Performing Arts Center
Hungarian State Folk Ensemble
The Hungarian State Folk Ensemble collects and plays authentic folk music and preserves the dances and traditional costumes of Hungary and Hungarian-inhabited regions of Central Europe. Some of the dances have been collected in isolated villages, with movements dating back hundreds of years. The ensemble includes both a Folk Orchestra and a Gypsy Orchestra playing both to accompany the dancers and by themselves, in the urgent rhythms and sinuous melodies that have inspired classical composers such as Franz Liszt, Johannes Brahms, and Bela Bartók. Since its foundation in 1951, the Hungarian State Folk Ensemble has repeatedly toured North America, the Far East, and Western Europe. The troupe also gives about 100 performances every year in its home city of Budapest, Hungary's capital. (Single tickets: $25-$43; discounts TBA) (www.ticket.info.hu/folklor/hungarian%20_state_folk/hungarian_state.htm)
February 16-18, 2007; Fox Theatre
Feb. 16, 8 p.m.
Feb. 17, 2 & 8 p.m.
Feb. 18, 2 & 7 p.m.
STOMP
This rhythmic extravaganza mixes everyday junk like newspapers and trash cans with dance, mime, martial arts, and screwball comedy for entertainment that's "big, noisy and irresistible" (The Advertiser, Adelaide) . STOMP was created in 1991 by British street performers Luke Cresswell and Steve McNicholas. The show took off instantly and became a worldwide smash hit. STOMP is perennially popular for its propulsive rhythms, jubilant spirit, and the spontaneous interactions of its eight individualized performers. Dance St. Louis previously presented STOMP in 1995, 1997, 1998, 2002, and 2004. (Single tickets: $26-$64, no student/senior discount) (stomponline.com)
February 23-25, 2007; Edison Theatre
Feb. 23-24, 8 p.m.; Feb. 25, 2 p.m.
DanceBrazil
The African dance traditions of Bahia, the northeastern province of Brazil where more than half the people are descended from enslaved Africans brought to Brazil by the Portuguese to work sugar plantations, are the roots from which DanceBrazil has grown. One of those traditions, Capoeira, first developed in the 16th and 17th centuries when the slaves disguised their self-defense martial art as dances to deceive their colonial captors. DanceBrazil got its start in 1975 when Artistic Director Jelon Vieira first came to New York City as a 19-year-old student on a scholarship at the Alvin Ailey School of American Dance. With Ailey's support, Vieira founded his own dance company in 1977 and developed a unique style that synthesized Capoeira, samba, modern dance, and ballet. Vieira has been widely honored as one of the pioneers who introduced Capoeira to North America, where its moves have deeply influenced breakdancing and hip-hop. Based in New York, DanceBrazil now tours throughout the U.S. and internationally. Vieira still maintains a home and teaching commitments in Brazil. DanceBrazil includes musicians who play the traditional instruments including the berimbau, a musical bow made of a gourd, a long wooden pole, and a single string, whose rhythms drive the Capoeira rituals. (Single tickets: $30 general public, $25 seniors, $18 students) (dancebrazil.org)
Feb. 27-March 11; Fox Theatre
Feb. 27-March 2, 8 p.m.
March 3, 2 & 8 p.m.
March 4, 2 & 7:30 p.m.
March 6-7, 8 p.m.
March 8, 1 & 8 p.m.
March 9, 8 p.m.
March 10, 2 & 8 p.m.
March 11, 2 p.m.
Edward Scissorhands
The original 1990 film of Edward Scissorhands, directed by Tim Burton with music by Danny Elfman, has become a modern classic. Burton and Elfman have also worked together on the films Beetlejuice, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Sleepy Hollow, Big Fish, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and most recently in 2005, Corpse Bride. British choreographer Matthew Bourne has enjoyed global success with his eccentric, inspired interpretations of Swan Lake (from which a sequence was featured in the film, Billy Elliot) , Nutcracker, Highland Fling and the multi-award-winning Play Without Words. In 2004, he choreographed the musical, Mary Poppins, for a London production . He is the only British director to have won the Tony Award for Best Director and Best Choreographer of a Musical (1999 for Swan Lake ). He founded his own New Adventures dance company in 2002 to perform his works. Edward Scissorhands received its world premiere in 2005 and is currently completing its first tour of the United Kingdom in spring 2006. (Single tickets: $22-$60; no student/senior discount) (edwardscissorhands.co.uk)
March 9-10, 2007; 8 p.m.; Touhill Performing Arts Center
Shen Wei Dance Arts
The radical new contemporary company, Shen Wei Dance Arts, was founded in 2000 by choreographer, dancer, painter and designer Shen Wei. Born in Hunan, China, he worked for the Hunan State Xian Opera Company from 1984 to 1989 and was an original member of China's first modern dance company, Guangdong Modern Dance. These influences have become an essential part of his unique work. "I wasn't taught the arts separately, so I don't separate them in my work," he has said. "My work isn't about real life, or about being Western or Eastern. I'm exploring the unknown. I'm looking for a new way to communicate." Shen Wei uses the performance space as a canvas; his dances have been compared to painted or sculptured images set into streams of motion. With surrealistically striking sets and costumes, his work is both exquisitely abstract and deeply human. This is the company's first appearance in St. Louis. (Single tickets: $25-$43; discounts TBA) (shenweidancearts.org)
April 27-29, 2007; Edison Theatre
April 27-28, 8 p.m.; April 29, 2 p.m.
Aspen Santa Fe Ballet
Aspen Santa Fe Ballet was born in 1995 when Bebe Schweppe, founder of Aspen Ballet School and Aspen Ballet Company, invited Tom Mossbrucker, principal dancer with the Joffrey Ballet, and Jean-Philippe Malaty, a French dancer with the Joffrey II company, to establish a professional ballet company. The young troupe, now enjoying a special partnership between the cities of Aspen, Colorado and Santa Fe, New Mexico, has "zoomed to maturity" and become "a company to be reckoned with" (Dance Magazine). Mossbrucker is artistic director and Malaty is executive director. The 12 dancers combine a rugged athleticism with fluid sensuality in a repertory ranging from classics by George Balanchine and Paul Taylor to new works by up-and-coming choreographers. (Single tickets: $30 general public, $25 seniors, $18 students) (aspensantafeballet.com)
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