Friday, October 25, 2013 - 7:30pm
Saturday, October 26, 2013 - 2:00pm
Saturday, October 26, 2013 - 7:30pm

Ballet Minnesota will break new ground as it opens its 26th Season. The Saint Paul Lowertown dance company will perform Igor Stravinksy’s Rite of Spring, and the world premiere of Morning in Bejing, with music composed by internationally-award winning Chinese musician, Ying Zhang.

When Sergei Diaghilev’s Ballet Russe Company first performed Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring in Paris a century ago, audience members walked out of the theatre causing a near riot. “In 1913 the nature of the music and the sensational choreography caused an outrage,” said Andrew Rist, Ballet Minnesota’s Artistic Director. The music and dance represented a story from Russian folklore featuring the pagan sacrifice of a young peasant girl who dances herself to death. Despite the controversial storyline, the music went on to be widely considered one of the most influential music works of the 20th Century.

The contemporary dance will be performed en pointe with company member, Jennifer Pray, dancing the lead role.
The second dance herald’s the world premiere of the ballet, “Mornings in Beijing,” to music composed by Ying Zhang, who moved from China to the United States in 2001. Zhang has captured all the elite honors a musician can earn including China’s highest national arts award, the Wen Hua Prize. Since he has moved to the U.S., Zhang has won fellowships from both the Bush and McKnight Foundations.

Tickets are free, but reservations are required.

The ballet is set to a rich score by Prokofiev, written between 1940 and 1944.  The ballet was originally performed in 1945, which is much later than other classics such as Swan Lake, Nutcracker, Don Quixote, or Sleeping Beauty.  Because it isn’t a big Petipa ballet, there is no codified choreography.  Our Artistic Director is therefore creating the ballet from scratch.  It has been an incredible process to see the ballet take form.  Furthermore, Andy’s interpretation of the story is rich and multi-layered.  I have really enjoyed exploring the depth of Cinderella’s character, particularly her relationship with her depressed and broken father and her longing for the carefree days of her past.