A Season of Tributes at The Sarasota Ballet

By Ryan Van Cleave | Photos by Frank Atura

The New York Times called The Sarasota Ballet’s August 2018 week at the Joyce in Chelsea a “meticulous, juicy performance.” And their 2018/2019 season here in our hometown looks to be equally engaging thanks to the exciting theme: A Season of Tributes. tribute

Director Iain Webb says that there’s no real single best way to assemble a season. “It’s really down to the director’s choice and vision, and I quite like a mixed program that incorporates different styles and music.” As Webb went through his normal process of doing research, contemplating ballets, and looking through reference materials, he had two realizations. 2018 marks the 30th anniversary of the death of acclaimed British ballet dancer and choreographer Sir Frederick Ashton, and it also marks the 35th anniversary of the passing of George Balanchine. “Suddenly, everything seemed to become focused on various tributes, from the centennial celebration of Jerome Robbins and Dame Margot Fonteyn to the anniversaries of the passing of Ashton and Balanchine.” tribute

The result is a seven-program series that features work by some of the most celebrated choreographers and composers of the ballet world. The company will also use a variety of venues throughout their season, including the FSU Center for The Performing Arts (programs 1, 4, 5), the Sarasota Opera House (programs 2, 7), and the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall (programs 3, 6). tribute

The first program (October 26 – 28)—entitled Iconographic—is a triple billing that showcases the company premiere of Martha Graham’s Appalachian Spring, paired with a revival of Ricardo Graziano’s Symphony of Sorrows and the Galina Samsova production of Paquita. This grouping fits the commitment to the range and breadth the company is known for, juxtaposing classical works alongside contemporary ones, while also representing the noteworthy choreographers of tomorrow, today, and the past. tribute

The second program (November 16 – 17), Masters of Dance, features the company’s premiere of Sir Frederick Ashton’s Rhapsody, the company premiere of Jerome Robbins’ The Concert, and the return of Christopher Wheeldon’s There Where She Loved. Rhapsody was Ashton’s final major work, choreographed on Mikhail Baryshnikov, “so it has that immense footwork,” notes Webb. He added that “The Concert is one of the funniest, most amusing ballets of all time. Everyone is guaranteed to leave the opera house smiling and chuckling to themselves.” tribute

Sir Frederick Ashton is represented with two works in the Victorian Winters program (December 14 – 15) with Les Patineurs and Enigma Variations, which also includes George Balanchine’s Diamonds. This program is special not just because it’s with full orchestra, but because Webb notes that any December program should have glitter, and Diamonds offers plenty of that. Webb says that “it’s a stunning piece of Imperial Russia.” Les Patineurs—about a Victorian ice-skating party taking place on a frozen pond one evening—should be equally impressive with its stunning 1930s setting and fur-trimmed winter outfits. It’s also the 50th anniversary of Enigma Variations—yet another tribute!

The first program of the 2019 portion of the season (January 25 – 28), Transcending Movement, includes David Bintley’s Four Scottish Dances, the world premiere of a yet-untitled new work by Resident Choreographer and Principal Dancer of The Sarasota Ballet, Ricardo Graziano, and a company premiere of Ashton’s Varii Capricci. Those who think they know Ashton will be surprised by Varii Capricci, which has an unexpected sense of humor, poking light-hearted fun at the tradition of ballet. It’s Ashton as you’ve never quite seen him before. tribute

The next program in 2019 (February 15 – 17) brings an outside dance company to Sarasota. This season, it’s the Martha Graham Dance Company, a group The Washington Post calls “one of the seven wonders of the artistic universe.” Webb appreciates the chance for his own company to have longer rehearsals and put in more work during this extended time between productions, plus Webb says our amazing audience always enjoys the first-hand introduction to other groups and performers. “It also links up well with our first program, where our own dancers perform the work of Martha Graham,” says Webb. “This should be a real education for all of us—one of the great modern dance companies in the world is coming here. This allows so many more people to see them than otherwise might be able to.”

The sixth program of the season (March 8 – 9), entitled Poetry and Liberty, again shows the work of Sir Frederick Ashton with Apparitions, alongside the rousing John Philip Sousa music in Balanchine’s Stars and Stripes. This program, too, has the backing of a full orchestra to make the event more majestic. “We couldn’t do a season like this without paying tribute to Dame Margot Fonteyn, perhaps the best ballerina ever—certainly one of the ten most extraordinary ladies to ever grace the stage,” says Webb. Ashton made this ballet for her, so including it this season was a fitting way to honor her. The evening will be full of excitement, though, because the Sousa music in Stars and Stripes will be accompanied by twirling batons and military marching. For Webb specifically, this will be an unforgettable pair of nights. While the company performed Stars and Stripes a few years back, he wasn’t an American citizen at the time, and yet he still got chills when the American flag unfurled. This time around, Webb is an American citizen, so seeing this particular ballet again has him incredibly excited.

The season closes (April 26 – 27) with a full orchestra as the company performs Giselle, one of the truly great full-length classics, with production and choreography by Sir Peter Wright and music by Adolphe Adam. “I tend to schedule more double- and triple-bills,” Webb explains, “but performing full-length ballets is incredibly important. They’re all challenging, though. We only do them if we know we can do them right—that is to say, we can present it as close as we can to the original.” The company will be doing Sir Peter Wright’s production, considered by many to be the most faithful production of this old romantic ballet. “He’ll be 92 this November,” says Webb, “but we hope he’ll come here to see Giselle. His production is, by far, one of the greatest versions I’ve ever seen.”

About the entire 2018/2019 lineup, Webb says, “This season shows the beauty, strength, and vibrancy that our dancers and the art form have to offer. We’re proud to be bringing such incredible ballets to the Sarasota stage for our amazing audiences.”

For more information on The Sarasota Ballet or to order tickets, please visit sarasotaballet.org or call 941.359.0099.