Pennsylvania Ballet Gears Up for 45th Anniversary Season

Artistic Director Roy Kaiser has announced an ambitious lineup that celebrates classicism and challenges convention.


In the waning days of 1960, the country was poised for a new dawn. There was a renewed fervor for the arts, and building an American ballet tradition was a key facet of the agenda. During a colorful conversation at a cocktail party hosted by Lincoln Kirstein, the co-founder of New York City Ballet, the idea to found a ballet company in Philadelphia was crystallized. "Balanchine said to me 'We must have more ballet companies in this country'," recalls Pennsylvania Ballet's founder Barbara Weisberger. "My reply," she continues, "was 'Mr. B, if you're really serious about this--Philadelphia is the place'."

The ebb and flow of history would follow Pennsylvania Ballet through periods of prosperity and hardship, but the Company's commitment to class and artistry has never wavered. Over the past four and a half decades, the Company has cultivated a diverse repertoire that includes 127 classic and contemporary works, among them 33 jewels from the Balanchine collection.

The 2008-2009 Season marks Pennsylvania Ballet's 45th Anniversary, and Artistic Director Roy Kaiser has announced an ambitious lineup that celebrates classicism and challenges convention--three mixed repertory programs featuring some of ballet's biggest names, two romantic classics that have captivated audiences for centuries, and one dazzling production of George Balanchine's The Nutcracker.

"It's very satisfying to perform classic works from our repertory while bringing new work by emerging international choreographers to audiences in Philadelphia," says Kaiser. "Our dancers have been performing at a high caliber, and I'm confident this season will allow their artistry to shine through."

Keep Reading...

Akram Khan's Journey

A multitude of influences and wide-ranging interests come together in the work of the intrepid and acclaimed choreographer Akram Khan, who brings two works to New York City Center beginning April 23.

After establishing himself as a major force on the British dance scene in his mid-twenties, his work was first seen in New York in 2001--most recently in collaboration with Steve Reich marking the seminal composer's 70th birthday in 2006.

His own strong presence as a performer--a fluent, inventive blending of Kathak, the South Indian dance style that was his earliest training, with the contemporary modern dance he studied later--has been a major part of each of the works seen this side of the Atlantic. But next month, New York City Center will present his newest work, bahok, the first major group work he has created in several years, and his first piece choreography in which he will not perform--a distinction that, he admits, "feels really strange and bizarre."

Keep Reading...

Playbill Talks To Bette Midler

BETTE MIDLER
Las Vegas audiences are in for a treat when Emmy, Grammy and Tony Award winner Bette Midler begins her two-year engagement at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace Feb. 20. Midler — who has titled her new concert act The Showgirl Must Go On — will be backed by a 13-piece band and 20 female dancers in an evening that will feature an eclectic mix of tunes and characters (expect the wheelchair-bound mermaid Delores Delago and old, old Soph). A few years ago, I had the opportunity to catch Midler's wonderful Kiss My Brass tour, and onstage the award-winning actress was a thrilling mix of singer, comedienne and social commentator. I was also utterly impressed by Midler's musicianship as she made her way through such signature tunes as "From a Distance," "Wind Beneath My Wings," "I Think It's Gonna Rain Today," "Shiver Me Timbers" and "The Rose" as well as standards like "Skylark" and "Tenderly." A few weeks ago I had the true privilege of chatting by phone with Midler, who spoke about her newest Las Vegas endeavor, her work for the New York Restoration Project (which she founded) and her thoughts about returning to Broadway. And, be sure to catch the supremely talented Midler in Las Vegas, and you'll understand why she is, to fans and critics alike, simply divine.

Question: How did the Las Vegas engagement come about?
Midler: Well, Celine [Dion] was getting ready to go, and they were looking around for someone who could fill her shoes. They're mighty big shoes to fill. They called me, and I said, "Well, hmm…" I have been trooping with Kiss My Brass for a couple of years. I've gone to Australia. That was a show that I really, really love. I thought, "Well, if I could do a cut-down version of Kiss My Brass, I would be interested." So we started talking and they said, "Well, are you going to do Kiss My Brass?" And I said, "Can I do Kiss My Brass?" And they said, "Well, we would rather that you didn't." And then I was brought up short.

All my friends said, and the kids I work with said, "You know, it would be fun to do something brand new."

Keep Reading...

Source: Playbill