THE CULTUR E
Performance
by George Balanchine’s Apollo, staged by none other than legendary Balanchine dancer and Kennedy Center Honoree Patricia McBride. “I’ve included Apollo as an acknowledgement of the amazing legacy Patty and JeanPierre have built here,” Muir says. “I didn’t want to come in and ignore everything that’s come before. I have a great respect for the company.” The final ballet being performed, on the other hand, is a personal venture for the new Artistic Director. Choreographed by Javier de Frutos, Elsa Canasta was originally created with Hope Muir. A dark, funny, sexy evocation of the world of Cole Porter, the ballet will feature a collaboration with Charlotte’s Jazz Arts Initiative and live music by Tony-award winning singer and songwriter Levi Kreisr. Elsa Canasta was originally created with Artistic Director Hope Muir and holds a special place in her career. This performance also marks the first time Elsa Canasta has been performed in the United States. It concludes a fall schedule that, Muir insists, should serve as an ideal introduction to the kinds of contemporary work she’ll be implementing in the company’s repertoire.
“I have to bring in new work at the right time, not only for the audiences but for the dancers,” Muir says. “They have to have been exposed to it for some time so that they can respond to the work in the most thoughtful and informed way. That improves everyone’s experience of the work. I’m not out to shock. Also, the program has to be balanced. The beginning of this season is basically an introduction to me and where we’re going while also being respectful of the past.” The new Artistic Director has plenty of new directives in mind for Charlotte Ballet, including a renewed focus on touring and an initiative for grooming new choreographic talent. The company is naturally destined to keep evolving as the city and its arts do so, and Hope Muir feels she has stepped in at an opportune moment. “I am thrilled and honored to have been invited to be the new Artistic Director of Charlotte Ballet at such an exciting time in the company’s development,” Muir says. “I envision a pioneering and innovative future for Charlotte Ballet in the US and abroad.”
“I didn’t want to come in and ignore everything that’s come before. I have a great respect for the company.”
info charlotteballet.org
IN FOCUS/ENFOQUE: CONTEMPORARY MEXICAN PHOTOGRAPHY
ALEJANDRA LAVIADA I HUMBERTO RÍOS I KARINA JUÁREZ
September 14 - November 4, 2017 LACA PROJECTS | 1429 BRYANT STREET | CHARLOTTE, NC | LACAPROJECTS.COM | INFO@LACAPROJECTS.COM
56 • QCEXCLUSIVE.COM • OCT 2017