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Afternoon Ball

Neshyba-Hodges, Nakamura and Wevers in performance. Photo by Angela Sterlings.

Dancers of Pacific Northwest Ballet in performance.

Chalnessa Eames in a 2010 restaging. Photo by Steve Fus.

Nakamura and Neshyba-Hodges in world premiere. Photo by Angela Sterlings.

Neshyba-Hodges in world premiere. Photo by Angela Sterlings.

Premiere

  • Date

    25 September 2008

  • Location

    Seattle, WA

Production

  • Choreographer

    Twyla Tharp

  • Composer

    Vladimir Martynov (Autumn Ball of the Elves, 1994)

  • Live Music by

    The Pacific Northwest Ballet Orchestra

  • Lighting and Scenic Designer

    Randall G. Chiarelli

  • Costume Designer

    Mark Zappone

  • Assistant to Ms. Tharp

    Charlie Neshyba-Hodges

Dancers

Charlie Neshyba-Hodges (guest artist), Kaori Nakamura, Olivier Wevers

Ariana Lallone, Stanko Milov

  • Number of Dancers

    5

  • Runtime

    00:18:40

Description

Artistic director Peter Boal commissioned Tharp to create two new works for the Pacific Northwest Ballet: Afternoon Ball and Opus 111 (2008). The two works, performed back-to-back, form an opposition pair – one work light and classical, the other cold and contemporary.

 

Afternoon Ball is a portrait of a lost generation. Three ragamuffins perform simultaneous solos; their isolated dances finally merging into a disconnected trio.

 

One performer is transported to an earlier era, as two other dancers in Biedermeir costumes enter and warm lights rise. Composer Vladimir Martynov’s references to Franz Schubert stand in stark contrast to the dissonance of the previous section.

 

From the original program: “Vladimir Martynov’s Autumn Ball of the Elves, for string orchestra, represents a Russian mix of minimalism and post-romanticism that can also be heard in the music of Estonian composer Arvo Part. (Both composers abandoned academic compositional styles following religious conversions and developed individual voices influenced by personal interests and convictions.) In Autumn Ball of the Elves, Martynov applies a theme and variations structure to a minimalist palette.”

 

Past Performances

Pacific Northwest Ballet

Opus 111 (premiere) – Afternoon Ball (premiere) – Nine Sinatra Songs | Pacific Northwest Ballet

McCaw Hall

Seattle, WA

September 25 2008 Premiere

Pacific Northwest Ballet

Opus 111 – Afternoon Ball – Waterbaby Bagatelles | Pacific Northwest Ballet

McCaw Hall

Seattle, WA

November 5 2010 Repertory

Pacific Northwest Ballet

Afternoon Ball | Pacific Northwest Ballet

McCaw Hall

Seattle, WA

November 3 2017 Repertory

Pacific Northwest Ballet

Afternoon Ball | Pacific Northwest Ballet

McCaw Hall

Seattle, WA

November 4 2017 Repertory

Pacific Northwest Ballet

Afternoon Ball | Pacific Northwest Ballet

McCaw Hall

Seattle, WA

November 9 2017 Repertory

Pacific Northwest Ballet

Afternoon Ball | Pacific Northwest Ballet

McCaw Hall

Seattle, WA

November 10 2017 Repertory

Pacific Northwest Ballet

Afternoon Ball | Pacific Northwest Ballet

McCaw Hall

Seattle, WA

November 11 2017 Repertory

Pacific Northwest Ballet

Afternoon Ball | Pacific Northwest Ballet

McCaw Hall

Seattle, WA

November 12 2017 Repertory

  • 2008
  • 2010
  • 2017