BalletMet’s ‘A Celebration of New Works’ to premiere Friday

Kaley Richard
Thu, 09 Mar 2023 01:47:24 +0000
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Dancers rehearse Dana Genshaft’s piece called “The Awakening.” Credit: Courtesy of Jennifer Zmuda

BalletMet’s upcoming show, “A Celebration of New Works,” is an opportunity to admire the world premiere of three works by three choreographers.

Running March 10-18, the show will be held at the Davidson Theatre, located in the Riffe Center Theatre Complex at 77 S. High St. The three featured choreographers — Leiland Charles, Dana Genshaft and Amy Seiwert — were picked by Edwaard Liang, artistic director at BalletMet.

“Why I picked these voices is that they all have distinct and unique vocabularies and very much have something to say,” Liang said.

Each choreographer has a different voice, style and experience level, Liang said. The show will be a triple bill — three new, independent short ballets together — adding another unique aspect to the show, Tracy Tucker, director of marketing at BalletMet, said.

“It’s exciting because we don’t normally have three brand new world premieres in the same performance,” Tucker said.

Liang said this premiere will showcase the talents of Charles, Genshaft and Seiwart’s as well as the dancers that participate. He said he wanted to create a platform for other choreographers rather than himself.

“We really just want to bring new and diverse reputation to Columbus and to our community,” Tucker said.

Charles and Seiwert are returning choreographers for BalletMet — with the former also returning as a dancer — while Genshaft brings a new voice, Tucker said.

“[Seiwert’s] been a choreographer for many decades and has a really distinct, solid voice and I’m very excited that we have been able to bring her back,” Liang said.

“A Celebration of New Works” has contemporary, neoclassical and contemporary-modern genres that intersect, Liang said. The three pieces are titled “The Awakening,” choreographed by Genshaft, “The Catch,” choreographed by Seiwert and “Decisions, Decisions,” choreographed by Charles. All costumes were designed by Susan Roemer.

As the world premiere of these works nears, the energy is alive and exciting, Liang said.

“They [new dances or works] are the best kept secret in ballet companies because it’s almost like a passport around the world. You get to see from different artists’ viewpoints and perspectives all in one performance with three different choreographers,” Liang said.

Tucker said she’s seen behind the scenes of the beginning processes the choreographers go through to create each work, and she’s excited to see the final product. Liang also said he’s excited to see it all come together.

“It’s really a collaboration between the choreographer and the dancers, and to watch that art process happen is really very cool,” Tucker said.
For those unsure of what to expect, Liang said viewers should anticipate experiencing magnificent artists and out of the box dancing and choreography.

“Come with an expectation to be entertained and an open mind to enjoy it,” Tucker said.

Tickets for “A Celebration of New Works” can be purchased on BalletMet’s website.