Ballet British Columbia

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Choreography Agnes de Mille Music Aaron Copland

“Rodeo can deservedly be called a timeless classic. Charismatic and unabashedly theatrical this Agnes de Mille creation has a cleverness and wit that is as much about pure storytelling as it is about the deft movement vocabulary with which de Mille crafts her prairie community of cowhands and cowgirls.” John Alleyne

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www.blgcanada.com

Originally choreographed for the Ballets Russe de Monte Carlo, Agnes de Mille's Rodeo is a truly classic American ballet. Danced to the folk inspired music of Aaron Copland, Rodeo follows the adventures of a tomboyish Cowgirl, hopelessly in love with the head wrangler at the Burnt Ranch. This energetic, comedic ballet is filled with tap dancing, square dancing, innocence and romance. A great love story of the American Southwest, Rodeo is sure to delight audiences of all ages.

Rodeo Study Guide is now available for download.

PLUS Schubert

Choreography John Alleyne
Music Schubert - Trio in E flat, Opus 100

A moving, lyrical work for nine dancers, Schubert spotlights the energy and athleticism of Ballet British Columbia. 

PLUS Arietta

Choreographer Crystal Pite
Music Beethoven, Piano Sonata in C minor, Op. 111:2. Arietta. Adagio molto semplice e cantabile

Crystal Pite’s new creation for eight dancers is shaped by the soulful Arietta from Beethoven’s last piano sonata, Opus 111, interpreted by Alfred Brendel. Pite’s work echoes the formal structure and passionate, yearning character of the music as she engages the dancers in a balance of their sensuality and classicism. Pite says, “Beethoven’s Arietta is an extraordinary gift – dancing to it is both humbling and heartening. Our work is an embodiment of gratitude for the luminous music that shaped it.”

Ballet British Columbia wishes to thank the Vancouver Foundation for its support of Crystal Pite in the creation of Arietta.

Pite is a dynamic award-winning Vancouver-based performer and choreographer who was engaged as a dancer with Ballet BC and then Ballet Frankfurt from 1988 to 2001. Pite formed her own performance company, Kidd Pivot, in 2001 to showcase her distinctive style, fusing classical elements with the complexity and freedom of structured improvisation and a strong theatrical sensibility. Her choreography is described as hilarious, dark, witty, complex and brilliantly clever.

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