'TRIPLE BILL' by First State Ballet Theatre debuts 3 world premieres this month
When someone hears the word “ballet," they might think of tutus, pointe shoes, tiaras, swans, princes and pirouettes.
The magic spell created by the great classical ballets — "Swan Lake,'' "The Sleeping Beauty'' — transports the audience to a different world – a place of enchantment where human beings are elegant and gracious and do impossible things with their bodies like spin around on the tops of their toes, jump and turn incredibly high with grace and ease, and dress in sparkles and tulle.
Since the days of the late 19th century, when these classic full-length ballets were created, they continue to dazzle audiences. But as times have changed, so has art, and ballet is no exception.
Since the early 20th century, artists began to push the boundaries of classical ballet, creating new dance languages in the process, and connecting audiences in a new way to the art form.
Now, ballet companies perform a wide repertoire, from strictly classical to classically influenced forms by modern-day choreographers, who may choose to explore a storyline, the music or the dancers themselves. As is true for all forms of art, viewers are invited to bring their own interpretation or point of view to the experience.
First State Ballet Theatre embraces the idea of presenting ballet in its many forms to our audiences. The dancers use their highly trained bodies to express ideas and imagery outside of the classical form, while still retaining the beautiful lines and athleticism of their classical training.
"TRIPLE BILL'' delivers three world premiere ballets that show another side of the dancers, whom our audiences may be used to seeing as a swan or a prince.
Choreographers Maeghan McHale Hobbs, Zachary Kapeluck, and Viktor Plotnikov come from diverse backgrounds, adding a variety of flavors to the mix. Plotnikov is known for his innovative movement and astonishing images created by the bodies — intricate, always challenging for the dancers, and always beautiful.
Hobbs has a dynamic, athletic style influenced by her many years as a dancer in Giordano Dance Chicago, a company with jazz dance roots.
Kapeluck brings a sophistication, complexity and beauty to his own work based on his wealth of experience with world-class choreographers as a dancer with Philadelphia-based contemporary ballet company BalletX.
What we at FSBT love is when our audiences, who may have never seen a ballet or experienced a live professional dance performance, share with us how astonished they are at the beauty of the performance and how much they enjoyed it, even though they know “nothing about ballet.”
We hope you decide to brave the winter weather and enjoy a night in the theater with us.
"TRIPLE BILL'' runs Friday to Sunday, Feb. 23 to 25, at the baby grand, 818 N. Market St., in Wilmington. For tickets, visit thegrandwilmington.org or call (302) 652-5577. To learn more about "TRIPLE BILL," visit www.firststateballet.org
Joan D. Beatson is the director of advancement for the First State Ballet Theatre.
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This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: First State Ballet Theatre offers 3 world premiere ballets this month