Ballet Arizona/Ib Andersen New Ballet

[Helene]

I just received a newsletter from the Ballet Arizona volunteer corps, and the front page is an interview with Artistic Director Ib Andersen about a new full-length ballet he is creating, to be performed this coming weekend (9-11 April).

According to the interview, it will be a 2+ hour ballet, with music ranging from 13th century Catalan composer Alfonzo X el Sabio, Marin Marais, a sequence of rain and thunder, "sort of to connect and to break up the pieces," then two Hungarian Dances by Brahms, a Berlioz overture (Act I), a movement of Schubert's Opus 100 quintet (Act II), and the rest was TBD as of the interview (not dated). He started choreographing it last fall.

According to Andersen,

"Is there a story? No, not really, but in the first act there is one person who is the link through the ballet. There is no linear story, but the ballet is about past, present, future, it's about people"

"Well, it has been cooking in my mind for seven years. I have always wanted to work out this idea. I have always wanted to work out this idea. Normally you would choose just one composer, but this ballet has many, so this is very different. Also it jumps in atmosphere from one thing to another.

"Inspiration? It is not biographic, it is not about me, but it arises out of the life I have lived, what I have seen, what I know."

Is anyone planning to see this?

[Alexandra]

I hope someone is and will write about it!

Here's a link to a Sunday piece last week about the ballet:

A long interview-preview-feature article from the Arizona Republic on Ib Andersen's new ballet for Ballet Arizona. The writer watched several rehearsals, and the piece deals with how a ballet is made.

Step by step

Choreographer Ib Andersen, a man who says he doesn't trust words, is struggling to find the right ones.

In the middle of rehearsing his dancers, Andersen has been asked to describe the mammoth project he's working on: the creation of an original full-length ballet for the company he directs, Ballet Arizona.

It will be in two acts and encompass an evening. Other than that, it's an enigma.

It has no story. It has no title. It has no theme that can be easily verbalized.