Philadelphia Ballet: 2023-2024 season

[California]

Philadelphia Ballet has announced their 2023-2024 season: https://philadelphiaballet.org/23-24-season/

Carmen

October 5-15, 2023

Carmen brings us bullfights, bandits, and lovers, whose passion burns as bright as the sun in southern Spain. Artistic Director Angel Corella’s captivating and innovative choreography combines traditional Spanish dance and classical ballet to tell this tragic story set to Bizet’s indelible music.

Giselle

Feb 29 - March 10, 2024

Perhaps the most beloved early Romantic ballet, Giselle returns to Philadelphia Ballet. Set in the forests of the Rhineland, it is the story of true love, real heartbreak, and the awesome power of forgiveness. Artistic Director Angel Corella’s elegant choreography breathes new life into a timeless tale told on both sides of the grave.

Dance Masterpieces

March 14-16, 2024

Experience the work of three of the most inspiring and influential choreographers of the 20th Century. Featuring iconic works—Alvin Ailey’s The River, William Forsythe’s In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated, and Twyla Tharp’s In the Upper Room—it is a portrait of modern dance genius.

The Dream

May 9-12, 2024

Frederick Ashton’s take on Shakespeare’s timeless and hilarious comedy will dazzle Philadelphia audiences. Hapless lovers, dancing fairies, a braying donkey, and Mendelssohn’s incandescent music make for a magical evening. This dream world is paired with the powerful realism of Balanchine’s Prodigal Son, which showcases some of Balanchine’s most daring choreography, set to equally daring music by Prokofiev and astonishing sets by the great painter, Georges Rouault.

Add-on: George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker®

December 8-30, 2023

The Nutcracker leaps from the stage with prize-fighting mice, gallant toy soldiers, dancing candy canes, and waltzing flowers. Tchaikovsky’s glorious score guides young Marie and her Prince through a fantastical dreamworld in this beloved holiday tradition.

[netrina]

Looks like a great season! Carmen and Giselle both seem like great fits, lots of dancers I'd love to see in the principal roles; Nayara Lopes as Carmen in particular feels perfect (barring injury of course). I really enjoyed her in Sleeping Beauty this spring.

[California]

One disappointment in their 23-24 season: for many years, they have offered an all-Balanchine program, usually three one-acts. Next year, just Prodigal Son (and Nutcracker) - a decided move away from their early founding. The company had been "fostered and encouraged by the great George Balanchine."

https://philadelphiaballet.org/our-history/

Edited March 28 by California

[miliosr]

19 hours ago, California said:

One disappointment in their 23-24 season: for many years, they have offered an all-Balanchine program, usually three one-acts. Next year, just Prodigal Son (and Nutcracker) - a decided move away from their early founding. The company had been "fostered and encouraged by the great George Balanchine."

https://philadelphiaballet.org/our-history/

To give Angel Corella his due, he has been better at curating the company's history than many people thought he would be - not just the Balanchine repertory but the Ben Harkarvy era as well (i.e. the connection to Hans van Manen).

But to the larger point, I think what we're seeing is that those original "Balanchine companies" - Atlanta Ballet, Boston Ballet, Pennsylvania/Philadelphia Ballet and San Francisco Ballet - are becoming (to varying degrees) less so. Just look at the current crop of artistic directors at these companies: Gennadi Nedvigin in Atlanta, Mikko Nissinen in Boston, Angel Corella in Philadelphia and Tamara Rojo in San Francisco. None of them emerged from his company and none of them can be considered hardcore Balanchine loyalists - Rojo least of all.

The upcoming announcement of Rojo's first programmed season at San Francisco should be very, very telling in terms of how closely she intends to adhere to the Helgi Tomasson model (read: Balanchine/New York City Ballet).

Edited March 29 by miliosr

[abatt]

Angel, to my knowledge, is not a choreographer.  Whereas the classics like Swan Lake are always "after Petipa", I'm not aware of a full length Carmen using the Bizet music.  Is this going to be his original creation or is there already a full evening Carmen using the Bizet music that he is going to tweak. 

 

[Helene]

The announcement says that it will be Corella's "captivating and innovative chorereography."

Corella previously created work for Corella Ballet, which was renamed Barcelona Ballet.

[Quiggin]

8 hours ago, miliosr said:

The upcoming announcement of Rojo's first programmed season at San Francisco should be very, very telling in terms of how closely she intends to adhere to the Helgi Tomasson model (read: Balanchine/New York City Ballet).

[Side topic] I'm really looking forward to seeing what Tamara Rojo chooses next year to reshape the repertory but don't expect a Balanchine work to be included. Or if so, bravely, a seldom performed work – which would kind of raise the ante.

I never really felt that San Francisco Ballet was a Balanchine company – or as much as I wanted it to be. In the last 15 or so years, SFB's season has been composed of three full length ballets (typically Swan Lake, Giselle, Don Quixote or, more recently, Christopher Wheeldon's Cinderella), and five mixed programs. Sandpiper Ballet or Magrittomania would be recycled, but there was also a commitment to new Ratmansky ballets. There would be one Balanchine program – Violin Concerto, Serenade, Symphony in C or Jewels; Symphony in Three Movements in 2013 was the most adventurous choice. This season there was no Balanchine work performed.

Edited March 29 by Quiggin

[wallis]

I too am disappointed to see the limited Balanchine offerings next season. In the past few years, the company has done a huge triple bill of Balanchine. I love it! Though this year the triple bill was the weekend directly following after two weekends of Sleeping Beauty. I wondered if that wouldn't be too much, back to back. I saw opening night of the Balanchine program and all the principal roles were well-cast and beautifully interpreted. It was exciting to see!  I can't help but wonder if doing less Balanchine has as much to do with company facility as it has to do with Corella's background?  Mr. B's dances require a level/type of technical prowess and musicality: both are areas in which the young corps has room to grow. 

Next season, I see that another huge triple bill follows directly after Giselle! All of which I do look forward to seeing.

[miliosr]

4 hours ago, Quiggin said:

[Side topic] I'm really looking forward to seeing what Tamara Rojo chooses next year to reshape the repertory but don't expect a Balanchine work to be included. Or if so, bravely, a seldom performed work – which would kind of raise the ante.

Sandpiper Ballet or Magrittomania would be recycled, but there was also a commitment to new Ratmansky ballets.

My Tamara Rojo fantasy triple bill would be an all-Stravinsky one consisting of Maurice Bejart's L'oiseau de feu (from the Lew-Christensen-Michael Smuin era), George Balanchine's Rubies (from the Helgi Tomasson era) and Pina Bausch's Le Sacre du printemps (from Rojo's time at the English National Ballet).

Regarding commitments, Tomasson has been a big proponent of WIlliam Forsythe, which is something he has in common with Rojo.

Edited March 30 by miliosr

[nysusan]

I know its still a long way away but I could not resist booking a weekend trip to see Dance Masterpieces. Three non Balanchine short pieces that I love (and I get plenty of Balanchine here in NY). Its very unusual for me to love all 3 pieces on a mixed bill, so this is special. Looking forward to getting acquainted with their dancers in The River (hopefully on pointe), In the Middle & Upper Room!