The Louisville Ballet has announced its 2016-17 season, the company's 65th anniversary year. The works being presented include a healthy mix of classics and new pieces, with an additional emphasis on collaborations with visual artists.
Three of the most frequently-produced ballets in the classical repertoire, all with music by Tchaikovsky, are included in this season: Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty, and of course, Louisville Ballet's long-running The Brown-Forman Nutcracker. Swan Lake will be choreographed by the company's Artistic Director, Robert Curran, and will feature video projections by Louisville artist Ryan Daly. The Sleeping Beauty is a revival of a production by longtime company Artistic Director Alun Jones.
The season opener, a program titled Stars + Stripes, includes Theme and Variations by George Balanchine (music also by Tchaikovsky), In the Upper Room by Twyla Tharp (music by Philip Glass), and a new, as-yet-unnamed work by Robert Curran with scenic design by Louisville artist Letitia Quesenberry.
Just as the current season saw a collaboration between the ballet company and the Louisville Orchestra, next season will include a co-production with Louisville Visual Art, titled Human Abstract. Designs will be provided by "emerging Louisville-based artists," with choreography by Lucas Jervies, who is a longtime Curran collaborator.
The season also includes the ever-popular Choreographers' Showcase, a performance in the Louisville Ballet studios that gives audiences a chance to see new work up close.
