Ballet Concierto de Puerto Rico presents "Apollo" and "Midsummer Night’s Dream"
What is it with mythology that it always
seems so fascinating? We lose ourselves in the tales about the gods who become
infuriated and descend to Earth to change the course of things, nymphs who
drive us crazy, and narcissus that were born as a result of vanity. Our species
is all about the myth.
And so, the next mise-en-scène of Ballet
Concierto de Puerto Rico (BCPR) promises to be a feast for the imagination and
a challenge for corporal movement, because the two pieces to be premiered are,
precisely, a fusion of ideas.
The ballet entitled, “Apollo” was composed
between 1927 and 1928 by Igor Stravinsky and choreographed by master Russian
choreographer George Balanchine (co-founder of the New York City Ballet) in
1928. This would be the first time that BCPR presents this piece that tells the
story of Apollo, the god of music in Greek mythology, and his three muses:
Calliope, the muse of epic poetry; Polyhymnia, the muse of rhetoric; and
Terpsichore, the muse of dance.
For the montage, the répétiteur of the
Balanchine Trust and longtime principal of the New York City Ballet, Nilas
Martins, traveled to Puerto Rico. Martins is a renowned figure in international
ballet and the son of ballet legend Peter Martins.
“This is the second time I’ve worked with
the company and it’s always a wonderful experience to teach something from
scratch and then see how in a short period of time they are able to attain
enough confidence to create within the boundaries of the choreography,” Martins
said about the ballet in which only three female dancers and one male dancer
take part.
“There is much emotion, character and
interpretation,” he adds.
In addition to “Apollo,” the audience will
be able to enjoy the world premiere of the ballet, “Midsummer Night’s Dream” by
renowned Peruvian choreographer Jimmy Gamonet de los Heros, in collaboration
with the Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra concert series, conducted by maestro
Rafael Enrique Irizarry, and featuring Coral Lírico de Puerto Rico directed by
Johan Herrero. The general conduction of the Symphony Orchestra is by its
principal conductor, maestro Maximiano Valdés.
The musical score of “Midsummer Night’s
Dream” was composed by Félix Mendelssohn and is based on the work by William
Shakespeare. The scenography is by Checo Cuevas and David Higgings, and the
costume design is by Gamonet himself.
Guest artists include, Romel Frómeta, Osmay
Molina, Ana Serantes and Eloy Ortiz from Andanza Dance Company, whereas
ballerinas Tania Muñiz and Betina Ojeda will head a dance company of 45 with
Carlos Cabrera as artistic director.
CAPTION: This Friday, March 30 there
will be a show for students at 10 o’clock in the morning at the Luis A. Ferré
Performing Arts Center in Santurce.