1. art and entertainment
2. dance
3. ballet

FOR RELEASE IN
MAY 2015
CONTACT:
SARAH LAM
713 535 3226
KIMBERLY CEDENO
713 535 3224
[email protected]
HOUSTON BALLET’S MORRIS, WELCH & KYLIÁN
FEATURES WORLD PREMIERES BY
MARK MORRIS AND STANTON WELCH
Celebrated American Choreographer Mark Morris
Creates The Letter V, His First New Work for Houston Ballet
Stanton Welch Creates Zodiac to a Commissioned Score
by Renowned Australian Composer Ross Edwards
Jiri Kylián’s Svadebka Returns to Houston
Houston, Texas -- From May 28 – June 7, 2015 Houston Ballet offers up a mixed
repertory program titled Morris, Welch & Kylián featuring three of today’s most dynamic
and musical choreographers. A world premiere of The Letter V by acclaimed American
choreographer Mark Morris, the world premiere of Stanton Welch’s Zodiac and the
revival of Jiří Kylián’s iconic Svadebka make this program a must-see for all ballet lovers.
Zodiac is made possible through the generosity of Leticia Loya. Houston Ballet will give
six performances of Morris, Welch & Kylián at Wortham Theater Center in downtown
Houston. Tickets start at $20, and may be purchased at www.houstonballet.org, or by
calling 713 227 2787.
Mark Morris Creates World Premiere Set to Joseph Haydn’s Symphony No. 88
Mr. Welch is excited to add Houston Ballet’s first commissioned piece, titled The Letter
V, by the legendary Mark Morris to the company’s repertoire. “Mark Morris is one of the
landmark American choreographers, and he is a very important part of the dance scene in
this country,” comments Mr. Welch. “It is important to have a work created here in
Houston by one of the great dance makers of our time.”
Since the 1980s, Mr. Morris has choreographed over 150 dances. Each dance exemplifies a
style that is entirely his own, formed from a background of ballet, modern, postmodern,
and folk dance.
His work has earned Mr. Morris a reputation for being “the most
successful and influential choreographer alive, and indisputably the most musical,” by The
New York Times.
Mr. Morris formed the Mark Morris Dance Group in 1980 and saw his creativity flourish.
From 1988-1991 he was the director of dance at Le Théâtre Royal de La Monnaie in
Brussels; and in 1990 he founded the White Oak Dance Project with Mikhail Baryshnikov.
He has choreographed works for San Francisco Ballet, American Ballet Theatre and
Boston Ballet, among others. His work is currently in the repertory of Houston Ballet,
Ballet West, Dutch National Ballet, New Zealand Ballet, English National Ballet, Pacific
Northwest Ballet and The Washington Ballet. His opera credits include directing and
choreographing productions for The Metropolitan Opera, New York City Opera, English
National Opera, Gotham Chamber Opera and the Royal Opera, London. He is a member of
the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, American Philosophical Society, and the
subject of a biography by Joan Acocella (Farrar, Straus & Giroux). In 2001, he opened
Mark Morris Dance Center in Brooklyn, New York, his company's first permanent
headquarters in the U.S. Dance legend Mikhail Baryshnikov has also praised Mr. Morris,
calling him, “One of the great choreographers of our time.”
Houston Ballet has three other works by Mr. Morris in its repertoire: Pacific (created
1995, performed by Houston Ballet in 2013), Sandpaper Ballet (created 1999, performed
by Houston Ballet in 2005 and 2010), and Drink to Me Only with Thine Eyes (created
1988, performed by Houston Ballet in 2012).
Stanton Welch Creates Zodiac a World Premiere, with
Original Score Composed by Ross Edwards
Mr. Welch will create a new work inspired by the Greek mythology behind the zodiac. In
ancient Greece, the signs of the greek zodiac were identified with twelve groups of stars
(constellations) which can be seen in the night sky at different times during the year.
Behind each one of these signs lies a fascinating story. The word "zodiac" itself, comes
from a Greek word meaning "the circle of animals" - "animals" referring to all living
creatures. And indeed, with the exception of the sign Libra, each one of the myths is
associated with living beings, either animals or humans. Zodiac will mark the twentyfourth ballet Mr. Welch has created for Houston Ballet.
Long-time supporter and Houston Ballet Trustee Leticia Loya has generously underwritten
Mr. Welch’s new ballet Zodiac. “I am so pleased to support this production,” Ms. Loya
comments. “It’s exciting to be part of the process of having Stanton create a new work in
Houston, on our beautiful dancers, and with a newly commissioned score by Ross
Edwards.”
Zodiac is set to a commissioned score by the famous Australian composer Ross Edwards.
Mr. Edwards also composed the music for Welch’s Maninyas (created in 1996, performed
by Houston Ballet in 2005 and 2014). One of Australia’s best known composers, Ross
Edwards has created a unique sound world which seeks to reconnect music with elemental
forces and restore its traditional association with ritual and dance. Intensely aware of his
vocation since childhood, he studied in Australia and Europe, holds doctorates from the
universities of Sydney and Adelaide and among many other awards has received the Order
of Australia for services to composition. His music, universal in that it is concerned with
age-old mysteries surrounding humanity, is at the same time deeply connected to its roots
in Australia, whose cultural diversity it celebrates, and from whose natural environment it
draws inspiration.
The costumes for Zodiac will be designed by Eduardo Sicangco. A native of Bacolod,
Negros Occidental, Mr. Sicangco was a student of National Artist Salvador Bernal at the
Ateneo de Manila University. He later became Bernal’s protégé at the Cultural Center of
the Philippines where Sicangco designed Le Carnaval for Ballet Philippines. He then
went to study in New York, earning a MFA in stage design at New York University where
he was also awarded the J.S. Seidman Award for Excellence in Design. In addition to his
work for ballet, Mr. Sicangco has over thirty years of experience as a designer and
illustrator for Broadway, opera, and Hollywood film.
Jiří Kylián’s Svadebka Returns
Jiří Kylián’s abstract ballet for eight couples, Svadebka, rounds out the program. Russian
for “wedding,” Svadebka is Kylián’s version of Les Noces, Igor Stravinsky’s powerful
cantata about a peasant wedding. The work’s title has roots in the Russian peasant name
for the wedding ceremony or wedding play, svádebnaya igrá. In the ballet, a young bride
and groom become betrothed through the workings of matchmakers, bid farewell to their
parents, and are married in an ecstatic wedding ceremony.
Mr. Welch comments, “Svadebka is one of Kylián’s masterpieces. I find it a work that I
can watch multiple times and not grow tired of it. The role of the bride is one of the most
coveted in the Kylián repertoire.”
First soloist Jessica Collado, who will dance the lead role of the bride, says, “So much of
the ballet is about the ensemble and the unity of the group. But yet, as the bride, it is still
such a personal experience to be a part of. Right from the start, a sense of urgency and
anticipation is set, not only from Stravinsky's epic score, but from Kylián’s athletic and
expansive movement. It continues to build with excitement until the very end, leaving you
feeling completely accomplished and fulfilled.”
Svadebka is set to Russian-born composer Igor Stravinsky’s memorable Les Noces,
considered to be one of the landmark works in dance history. One of the most influential
artists of the 20th century, Stravinsky (1882-1971) composed daring and innovative pieces
that changed the dance world.
In 1913, the Russian impresario Serge Diaghilev
commissioned Stravinsky to create a new work for his influential company Ballets Russes.
Ten years later, the Russian dancer and choreographer Bronislava Nijinska created a ballet
for Diaghilev’s company to Stravinsky’s Les Noces. The resulting work, Les Noces, has
been performed around the world ever since, and it has been hailed by The Oxford
Dictionary of Dance as “without doubt one of the greatest works of the twentieth century.”
Jiří Kylián choreographed his version of Les Noces for Netherlands Dance Theater in
1982, creating a powerful reinterpretation of the ballet.
Houston Ballet is pleased to work with Houston Chamber Choir on a musical collaboration
for Svadebka. Prepared by Robert Simpson, founder and artistic director of Houston
Chamber Choir, Les Noces will be performed by four extraordinary soloists: Nicole
Heaston, Carolyn Sproule, Robert McPherson, and Liam Bonner. These performances
mark the first collaboration between Houston Ballet and Houston Chamber Choir.
Jiří Kylián has proven to be one of the world’s most influential choreographers and has had
a profound impact on the world of dance. Jack Anderson, writing in The New York Times
about Kylián, observed, “Ballets choreographed by Jiří Kylián are passionate, rhapsodic,
even tempestuous. The Czech-born artistic director of Netherlands Dance Theater likes to
send dancers surging in great waves across the stage, and he is not afraid to make strong
choreographic statements in the theater.” (June 21, 1987)
Born in Prague, Jiří Kylián studied at Prague National Theatre, Prague Conservatory and
The Royal Ballet School in London before joining Stuttgart Ballet in 1968 under the
direction of John Cranko. There Mr. Cranko helped cultivate Mr. Kylián as a student and
choreographer which lead to him setting his first work for Stuttgart Ballet in 1970. Mr.
Kylián joined Nederlands Dans Theater in 1973 as a guest choreographer, and was
appointed artistic director in 1978. After joining Nederlands Dans Theater he created and
realized over 60 productions for the company, including such works as: Sinfonietta
(1978), Forgotten Land (1981), Bella Figura (1995), and Last Touch (2003). In 1995
Mr. Kylián celebrated 20 years as artistic director with Nederlands Dans Theater with the
large-scale production Arcimboldo as well as receiving Holland’s highest honor, Officier
in de Orde van Oranje Nassau. In 1999 Mr. Kylián retired as artistic director, but still has
an active role as resident choreographer and artistic advisor with the company.
Houston Ballet has seven works by Mr. Kylián in its repertoire, including Symphony in D
(created in 1977, performed by Houston Ballet in 1982, 1983, 1984, 1986, and 1994),
Sinfonietta (created in 1978, performed by Houston Ballet in 1995, 1996, 1997, and
2013), Forgotten Land (created in 1981, performed by Houston Ballet 2005 and 2010),
Svadebka (created in 1982, performed by Houston Ballet in 2007), Falling Angels
(created in 1989, performed by Houston Ballet in 2009 and 2011), Soldiers’ Mass (created
in 1980, performed by Houston Ballet in 2009), Petite Mort (created in 1991, performed
by Houston Ballet in 2007 and 2014) and Sechs Tanze (created in 1986, performed by
Houston Ballet in 2014).
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HOUSTON BALLET
MORRIS, WELCH & KYLIÁN FACT SHEET
WHAT:
MORRIS, WELCH & KYLIÁN featuring:
WORLD PREMIERE BY MARK MORRIS
Music by Joseph Haydn
Symphony No. 88
Costume Design by Maile Okamura
Lighting Design by Nicole Pearce
ZODIAC (World Premiere)
Music composed by Ross Edwards
Choreography by Stanton Welch
Costume Design by Eduardo Sicangco
Lighting Design by Lisa J. Pinkham
Zodiac generously underwritten by Leticia Loya
SVADEBKA (created 1982, performed by Houston Ballet in 2007)
Music by Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971), Les Noces
Choreography by Jiří Kylián
Scenic and Costume Designs by John F. Macfarlane
Lighting by Kees Tjebbes
Stager: Cherie Trevaskis and Phillip Taylor
Houston Ballet Orchestra conducted by Ermanno Florio
Nicole Heaston, soprano; Carolyn Sproule, mezzo-soprano; Robert
McPherson, tenor; Liam Bonner, baritone
Houston Chamber Choir, Robert Simpson, founder and artistic director
PRODUCTION
SPONSORED BY:
ABOUT THE
PROGRAM:
WHEN:
Riviana Foods, Inc.
Houston Ballet’s Summer Repertory is powerhouse program, pairing two
world-premieres with the revival of a twentieth century masterpiece.
Modern dance legend Mark Morris creates his first work especially for
Houston Ballet. Stanton Welch explores the twelve signs of the zodiac in
a new piece set to a commissioned score by the distinguished Australian
composer Ross Edwards. Set to Stravinsky’s powerful score, Jiří Kylián’s
Svadebka dramatizes the events of a Russian peasant wedding, performed
with a live chorus.
At 7:30 pm on May 28, 30, June 5 & 6, 2015
At 2:00 pm on May 31, June 7, 2015
WHERE:
Brown Theater, Wortham Theater Center, 501 Texas Avenue in downtown
Houston
TICKETS:
Start at $20. Call (713) 227 ARTS (2787) or 1 800 828 ARTS.
www.houstonballet.org.
Also available at Houston Ballet Box Office at Wortham Theater Center
downtown at 501 Texas at Smith Street Monday – Friday 9 am – 5pm
FOR MORE
INFORMATION:
Visit Houston Ballet online at www.houstonballet.org.