Dance Card – Russell Ducker

Russell Ducker has danced with Philadelphia Ballet since 2014 and has choreographed several ballets for the company. He has received awards worldwide for his choreography, acclaimed as “strident” (The New York Times) and “ambitious” (Philadelphia Inquirer).

Ducker’s work will be choreographed to Higdon’s Dance Card for String Orchestra.

Encounters – Juliano Nunes

Juliano Nunes has choreographed pieces the world-over, including for the Royal Ballet in London, the Mariinsky Theatre, and the Netflix series Tiny Pretty Things. Nunes made his debut with Philadelphia Ballet in 2019 with the ballet Connection.

Spillway – Meredith Rainey

Meredith Rainey danced with Philadelphia Ballet for over 15 years. Since leaving the company, he has become a highly acclaimed choreographer, debuting work around the country with a reputation for edgy movement and poignant storytelling. Past dances for Philadelphia Ballet include Slight Shifts and Cracks in the Sidewalk.

Rainey’s work will be danced to Higdon’s Concerto 4-3.

Polyphonia

Choreography by Christopher Wheeldon
Music by György Ligeti
Lighting Design by Mark Stanley

A breakthrough contemporary work by Christopher Wheeldon, Polyphonia (2001) features eight dancers moving in highly precise, almost mathematical choreography to stunning visual effect. This angular ballet is set to ten piano pieces by the composer György Ligeti, who pioneered the musical technique of micropolyphony.

Casting
Oksana Maslova, Sterling Baca
So Jung Shin, Russell Ducker
Nayara Lopes, Jack Thomas
Alexandra Heier, Aleksey Babayev

Allegro Brillante

Choreography by George Balanchine
Music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Balanchine’s Allegro Brillante is hailed as one of his purest and most joyous dance pieces. Originally premiered in 1956, the ballet is set to Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 3 and features a high degree of choreographic development within restricted time and space, making it one of the most demanding pieces in the repertoire.

Casting
Mayara Pineiro, Zecheng Liang
Jacqueline Callahan, Lucia Erickson, Thays Golz, Yuka Iseda, Etienne Diaz, Ashton Roxander, Jack Sprance, Peter Weil

And So It Is…

Choreography by Dwight Rhoden
Music by Steve Reich
Costume Design by Christine Darch

The second installment will close with another spectacular solo performance by principal dancer Jermel Johnson from Rhoden’s And So It Is… (2015).

Featuring music by Steve Reich, this excerpt celebrates the strength, majesty, and perseverance of one man and the inevitable evolution that takes place in life, over time.

Raymonda Suite

Choreography by Angel Corella after Marius Petipa
Music by Alexander Glazunov

Marius Petipa’s original choreography from 1898 is reconstructed by Corella for this production of Raymonda Suite. The festive orchestration and classical choreography features a series of impressive solos, revealing different emotions and colors with each movement.

Casting
Raymonda: Dayesi Torriente
Jean de Brienne: Arian Molina Soca

Yuka Iseda, Gabriela Mesa, Fernanda Oliveira, Sydney Dolan, Austin Eyler, Isaac Hollis, Nick Patterson, Pau Pujol, Siobhan Howley, Erin O’Dea, Sophie Savas-Carstens, Paloma Berjano Torrado, Cato Berry, Denis Maciel, Jeremy Power, Cory Ogdahl