Sarasota Ballet season opens with ‘The Secret Garden’
The people at the Sarasota ballet speak of their upcoming season with unrestrained superlatives. There’s something about the way they say it that gives you the impression they’re really as excited as they hope you and I will be.
“This season is one of the best,” said Iain Webb, the ballet’s director. “The audience can expect to see works by all the greatest choreographers.”
The season gets going Friday with a reprise of one of the company’s most-popular and most-acclaimed ballets of recent years, “The Secret Garden.”
This season is one of the best. The audience can expect to see works by all the greatest choreographers.
Iain Webb
Famed British choreographer Will Tuckett created this version of the classic story for young people two years ago, especially for the Sarasota Ballet.
One of the aspects of “the secret garden” that makes it an ideal ballet to kick off the season is that it’s designed to appeal to people who love the book, even if they don’t usually go to the ballet. It includes a narrator so that the story comes through.
“We wanted people to be able to follow the story without constantly looking down at their programs,” Tuckett said. “So we have a narrator. The narrator is the first person you see on stage, so for the first few minutes you think you’re at a show, in quotes, rather than a ballet.”
But that doesn’t mean it’s a “dumbed down” ballet. Tuckett’s a major force in international ballet, and has created works for English National Ballet, the Royal Ballet, and the National Ballet of China, among others.
The only other evening-length ballet of the season is a reprise of “John Ringling’s Circus Nutcracker” (Dec. 15-18).
There’s no shortage of “Nutcracker” versions in December, and the vast majority are pretty bad. This one’s great. Besides the ballet’s impeccable dance and the stirring music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (performed live), this version refreshed the classic ballet by using a circus milieu, which is a perfect fit.
We wanted people to be able to follow the story without constantly looking down at their programs. So we have a narrator.
Will Tuckett
Most of the other programs of the season stick to the Sarasota Ballet’s formula of presenting three shorter works in an evening, with seven company premieres balancing out the established favorites from the repertoire. Among the highlights are the company premieres of George Balanchine’s “Theme and variations,” also set to Tchaikovsky music (Dec. 1-2), Paul Taylor’s “Airs” (Jan. 26-29) and Sir Frederick Ashton’s “The Dream,” set to Felix Mendelssohn music (March 2-3).
Here’s the entire schedule:
Program 1: Oct. 27-29
“The Secret Garden.”
Choreography by Will Tuckett, music by Jeremy Holland-Smith.
FSU Center for the Performing Arts.
Program 2: Dec. 1-2
“Metropolitan.”
Sir Frederick Ashton’s “Illumination.” Music by Sir Benjamin Britten
World premiere of a Marcelo Gomes work
George Balanchine’s “Theme and Variations.” Music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, (Company premiere.)
Sarasota Opera House. Performed with live music.
Program 3: Dec. 15-16
“John Ringling’s Circus Nutcracker.”
Choreography by Matthew Hart, designs by Peter Docherty, music by Tchaikovsky
Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall. Performed with live music.
Program 4: Jan. 26-29
“Moving Identities.”
Paul Taylor’s “Airs.” Music by George Frideric Handel. (Company premiere.)
Ricardo Graziano’s “Valshinas.” Music by Franz Schubert.
Robert North’s “Troy Game.” Music by Bob Downes.
Program 5: Feb. 23-25
The Sarasota Ballet Presents Ballet Hispánico
FSU Center for the Performing Arts.
Program 6: March 2-3
“Dreams of Nature.”
Sir Frederick Ashton’s “The Dream.” Music by Felix Mendelssohn. (Company premiere.)
David Bintley’s “Still Life at the Penguin Cafe.” Music by Simon Jeffes. (Company premiere.)
Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall. Performed with live music.
Program 7: April 27-28
Antony Tudor’s “The Leaves Are Falling.” Music by Antonín Dvorak. (Company premiere.)
Balanchine’s “Bugaku.” Music by Toshiro Mayuzumi. (Company premiere.)
Ashton’s “Marguerite and Armand.” Music by Franz Liszt.
For tickets and more information, call 941-359-0099 or go to sarasotaballet.org
Marty Clear: 941-708-7919, @martinclear
This story was originally published October 20, 2017 at 2:18 PM with the headline "Sarasota Ballet season opens with ‘The Secret Garden’."