Pennsylvania Ballet Presents Multifaceted Program Featuring George Balanchine’s Serenade, February 6-9 at the Merriam Theater
Philadelphia, PA (PRWEB) January 09, 2014 -- Experience the sweeping breadth of Pennsylvania Ballet’s repertoire with a mixed bill headlined by a timeless George Balanchine classic, Serenade, February 6-9 at the Merriam Theater. Blank Rome is the Lead Sponsor.
“The four ballets on this program complement each other beautifully,” Artistic Director Roy Kaiser says. “Together, they create a performance experience that is at once emotional yet exhilarating, intimate yet powerful.”
Serenade, a romantic, plotless ballet, holds a special connection to Pennsylvania Ballet. The Company’s founder, Barbara Weisberger, witnessed the creation of this seminal work. As Mr. Balanchine’s first child student, Ms. Weisberger sat under a piano and watched as he choreographed the piece on older students at his School of American Ballet. The resulting work is a milestone in ballet history, featuring a lush Tschaikovsky score with striking moments of drama throughout.
Also on the program, Afternoon of a Faun by Jerome Robbins has been called “a miniature masterpiece.” Set in a ballet studio with memorable music by Claude Debussy, a male and female dancer meet, with the audience as their mirror. Under the Sun became an iconic work for the Company when commissioned from choreographer Margo Sappington in 1976. Inspired by artist Alexander Calder, the pas de deux features hypnotic music by Michael Kamen and inventive partnering. Jiří Kylián’s aggressive and athletic Petite Mort, set to two Mozart piano concertos, receives its Company premiere in closing this deeply varied program.
Tickets to Serenade at the Merriam Theater are on sale now. Tickets are available online at paballet.org, by phone at 215.893.1999, and in person at the Kimmel Center Box Office.
Serenade performances at the Merriam Theater:
Thursday, February 6 at 7:30 p.m.
Friday, February 7 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, February 8 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.
Sunday, February 9 at 2 p.m.
Make it a night out! Enjoy an elegant performance and dinner package with our friends at Ruth’s Chris Steak House, right next door to the Merriam Theater. Prices start at $68 and include your performance ticket and prix fixe dinner. To order, contact Group Sales Manager Arajua Backman at 215.587.6921 or abackman(at)paballet(dot)org.
Toast the performance with a free Pre-Show Talk on Friday, February 7 at 6:30 p.m. at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel at Broad & Locust Streets, open to all Serenade ticketholders. Sip a complimentary cocktail and get behind-the-scenes stories from the rehearsal studio. Guest(s) to be announced.
Connect with us! Follow Pennsylvania Ballet on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube to go behind-the-scenes anytime, day or night.
Spring 2013 Season subscriptions are available at 215.893.1955 and at paballet.org. Save up to 20% on single ticket prices with a custom subscription. Subscribers enjoy the best seats at the best prices, personalized service, lost ticket insurance, flexible ticket exchanges, a monthly payment plan, discounted parking, and more.
Petite Mort is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.
Pennsylvania Ballet’s 2013-2014 Season sponsors include DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel, The Sporting Club at the Bellevue, and US Airways.
Pennsylvania Ballet receives support from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts – a state agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency – and The Philadelphia Cultural Fund.
About Pennsylvania Ballet
Founded in 1963 by Balanchine student and protégée Barbara Weisberger, Pennsylvania Ballet is one of the nation’s leading ballet companies. Headquartered in Philadelphia, the Company’s annual local season features six programs of classic favorites and new works, including the Philadelphia holiday tradition, George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker™. For more information, visit paballet.org or call 215.551.7000.
Online Press Images Library:
The media is invited to download high-resolution photos from the 2013-2014 Season at:
https://www.paballet.org/13-14-press-images
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Marissa Montenegro, Pennsylvania Ballet, +1 (215) 587-6923, [email protected]
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