Posted January 31, 2021
DAYTON, OH (January 31, 2021) – On Friday, February 12, 2021 at 7:30pm, Saturday, February 13, 2021 at 7:30 pm, and Sunday, February 14, 2021 at 3:00 pm in the Victoria Theatre in downtown Dayton, OH, Dayton Ballet is thrilled to present Dance and Romance, the first ballet program of the new Dayton Performing Arts Alliance (DPAA) 2020–2021 Reimagined Season.
The full Dayton Ballet company of dancers is thrilled to be back on stage at their home at the Victoria Theatre for their first live in-person performance after being shut down for nearly a year because of COVID-19, and what better weekend to celebrate than Valentine’s Day weekend! The dancers have prepared a series of duets that explore all the emotions of love, from ecstasy to anger to tenderness to adoration, and everything in between. Enjoy the artistry, athleticism, and sheer beauty of dance, and celebrate your loved ones this weekend, with love from Dayton Ballet, as you experience the following dances:
Red Roses
choreographed by Stephen Mills, Artistic Director, Ballet Austin
Eight dancers celebrate love by revealing different facets of this complex emotion, from romantic to comical, as they dance to famous French love songs, including “La Vie en Rose” and “Comme Moi,” a recorded version sung by Ohio native Samantha Gossard and played by musicians from Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra.
Berceuse
choreographed by Penny Saunders, Resident Choreographer, Grand Rapids Ballet
Originally created for Hubbard Street Dance Chicago in 2017 and set to the music of Benjamin Godard, Berceuse explores the nuanced line between classical and contemporary dance. The sweeping and intricate vocabulary expresses the cadence of a love affair, or perhaps the memory of a love affair, that inevitably comes to an end, as all things do.
Interlude
choreographed by Dermot Burke, former Artistic Director, Dayton Ballet
Interlude is a romantic piece for two couples, danced to the beautiful music of Shostakovich. This piece explores relationships and where they may or may not lead.
Fluctuating Hemlines
choreographed by Septime Webre, Artistic Director, Hong Kong Ballet
Animalistic contemporary music by Tigger Benford and stylized dance vocabulary make these two duets from Fluctuating Hemlines extra exciting to experience. The piece is about the facades in which people cloak themselves during their daily lives and what lies underneath once these facades are stripped away.
Vocalise
choreographed by Karen Russo Burke, Artistic Director, Dayton Ballet
Karen offers her tribute to colleague Tom Bankston in celebration of his 25th anniversary as Artistic Director of Dayton Opera. This piece of music was one of the first collaborations between Dayton Ballet and Dayton Opera. The Vocalise is one of the most beautiful and challenging vocal pieces that lends itself fittingly to the richness of the dance vocabulary.
Stillwater Is No Drink – WORLD PREMIERE
choreographed by Karen Russo Burke, Artistic Director, Dayton Ballet
This emotionally-enriched music by New York City’s Kevin Keller moved Karen in such a way that it led her to create this brand new piece for Dayton Ballet. The work touches upon how nourishing socialization is to all of us in a way that feels very similar to our need as humans for water to survive.
6 Feet Apart
choreographed by Karen Russo Burke, Artistic Director, Dayton Ballet
On the lighter side of the current pandemic world in which we are livin, this work is Karen’s take on the new everyday terminology we have all adopted over the last year. The elbow hand shake, the 20-second hand washing, and the heat flashes that the all-consuming faces masks bring are “dances” we have all perfected. The energized and whimsical music of Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto is the perfect accompaniment to this depiction our new normal, and the hope is that the work brings a smile to the faces of the audience as they recognize the dances we are all doing now in our worlds every day.
To accommodate a variety of viewing needs of its patrons, the DPAA offers three options to enjoy this ballet:
- In-Theater Performances – The DPO will offer three live in-theatre performances of this ballet, with no intermission, for those who cannot wait to be back in the Victoria Theatre to experience Dayton Ballet in person. These performances will be held Friday, February 12, 2021 at 7:30pm, Saturday, February 13, 2021 at 7:30 pm, and Sunday, February 14, 2021 at 3:00 pm in the Victoria Theatre in downtown Dayton, OH. In compliance with Public Health–Dayton and Montgomery County, limited seating will be available in the Victoria Theatre, patrons will be seated in a socially-distance configuration, and strict safety guidelines will be followed in order to ensure the safety of all patrons in attendance. In-theater tickets are $50 per performance.
- Live Stream Performance – For those patrons who are not yet ready to attend an in-theater performance, this ballet can be viewed in a live-stream format from the comfort of home in real time as Dayton Ballet performs from the stage. The Live Stream Performance will be streamed at 7:30pm on Saturday, February 13, 2021, and the live stream ticket also provides access to on-demand viewing of the performance until June 30, 2021. Live stream access is $25.
- Virtual Stream Membership – Patrons can become a DPAA Virtual Streams member which, depending on the membership level, provides access to all DPAA Reimagined Season live and recorded performances, as well as past 2020 Autumn and Holiday Streams, Artist Q&As, Behind-The-Scenes Videos and Bonus Performances. The Premium membership level ($500) provides access to all DPAA Live Streams. The Basic ($100) and Plus ($250) membership levels provide access to all performances five days after the Live Stream premieres. All performances are available for on-demand viewing until June 30, 2021.
“Our intention is to provide patrons with a wide variety of choices so they can access music and dance from Dayton Opera, Dayton Philharmonic, and Dayton Ballet in a way that works best for them,” said DPAA President and CEO Pat McDonald. “We are thrilled to be back on stage in the theater doing what we love to do, and we look forward to sharing the talent and dedication of our musicians, dancers, and singers with our community, who have continued to support us in the face of many challenges over the last year. This ballet a giant first step back for the dance community, and we could not be more excited!”
Tickets for In-Theater and Live Stream performances of Dance and Romance are available at Ticket Center Stage (937) 228-3630 or online at www.daytonperformingarts.org. DPAA Virtual Streams Memberships can be obtained by visiting https://daytonperformingarts.org/streams/. Information and ticketing for this program, or any of the DPAA 2020–2021 Reimagined Season programs, can be found by visiting www.daytonperformingarts.org.
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About the Dayton Performing Arts Alliance
The Dayton Performing Arts Alliance (DPAA) was formed in July 2012 as the result of a groundbreaking and innovative merger between the Dayton Ballet, the Dayton Opera, and the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra. Together, they are the largest performing arts organization in the great Dayton community, with a stated purpose to be the community’s indispensable source for traditional, diverse and innovative experiences in ballet, opera, and orchestral music. The organization offers a wide variety of performance and education programs, setting a new standard for artistic excellence. DPAA performances reach an audience of more than 90,000 people annually, and their rich arts education programming serves over 60,000 schoolchildren in 150 schools in the Miami Valley. These performances and education initiatives are made possible in part through major support provided by the Ohio Arts Council, Culture Works, the City of Dayton, Montgomery County and the National Endowment for the Arts. The vision of the DPAA is to transform lives through the power of music and dance.