Posted October 4, 2021
DAYTON, OH (October 4, 2021) – On Friday, October 29 at 7:30 pm; Saturday, October 30 at 7:30 pm; and Sunday, October 31 at 2:30 pm in the Victoria Theatre, the Dayton Ballet is thrilled to present Light and Dark, the first ballet of the 2021–2022 Season.
Light and Dark celebrates the autumn season with a wide-ranging repertory program, from demanding classical ballets to organic modern works. The artistry and athleticism of the dancers of Dayton Ballet are showcased in this beautiful presentation of four unique and captivating ballets.
Light and Dark will be a 70-minute performance with no intermission. Before each work, Dayton Ballet Artistic Director Karen Russo Burke will take the stage to give background and insight into the ballet so that audience members are able to experience each work on a deeper level.
The program opens with Confetti, a stunning work by acclaimed choreographer Gerald Arpino, former Artistic Director of Joffrey Ballet. The work is staged by Charthel Arthur, Executive Director of the Gerald Arpino Foundation. The ballet was premiered by the Joffrey Ballet at the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago in February 1970. Over the following decade, Confetti was performed in nearly every Joffrey Ballet season and on numerous Joffrey Ballet tours, including their tour to the former USSR. It is an uplifting work featuring three couples and includes extremely fast classical footwork. Confetti is a demanding and athletic ballet with an Italian flair, danced to the Overture from Rossini’s tragic opera Semiramide.
Causeway, choreographed by Jennifer Sydor, with sound design by Omar Zubair, draws from the intricate mirror embedded sculptures of Iranian visual artist Monir Sharoudy Farmanfarmain. Iranian cut class mosaic techniques are paired with Western geometric abstraction. Her minimalistic and architectural sculptures hold infinite reflections, layered by design and experienced multi-dimensionally. Farmanfarmain’s nod to her cultural heritage within abstraction will offer a conceptual framework for the movement vocabulary of Causeway.
Ghost Light is an imaginative ballet from choreographer Penny Saunders. “A popular theatrical superstition holds that every theater has a ghost,” said Saunders. “It is believed that ghost lights provide opportunities for ghosts to perform onstage, thus appeasing them and preventing them from cursing the theater or sabotaging the set or production. Ghost Light tells the story of what happens after the audience leaves the theater and the ‘ghosts’ of former performers are left to their own devices.” It is a fun but incredibly challenging contemporary ballet featuring three men and one woman, with intricate work among the men and a dreamy pas de deux to complete the piece. Ghost Light was commissioned by Johnson County Community College’s Performing Arts Series for New Dance Partners.
The program comes to a festive close with 5 Flights Up, a ballet that its choreographer Stephen Mills describes as a vaudeville act in five dances. Music from the Squirrel Nut Zippers lends a flavor of kitsch to this jazzy ballet, filled with delightful slapstick and plenty of fun.
After each full performance of Light and Dark, Dayton Ballet will offer a Q&A with dancers in the theater, called “Behind the Ballet”, giving audiences the opportunity to learn more about the life of a dancer at Dayton Ballet. “Behind the Ballet” sessions are free of charge for all ticketholders.
Safety Protocols
The DPAA is excited to welcome audiences back to the 2021–2022 Season. The health and safety of patrons, performers, staff, and volunteers is our top priority. Beginning October 1, 2021, in partnership with DPAA’s venue partner Dayton Live, the following new health and safety protocols will be in place at all performances and events until further notice:
- Vaccination – Proof of vaccination (vaccination card or a photo of card on phone), along with a valid ID, must be presented by all attendees.
- Testing – If you have not been fully vaccinated for any reason, you must provide proof of a negative PCR COVID-19 test (within 72 hours) or a negative rapid antigen test (within 24 hours) of performance.
- Masks – Masks will be required for all patrons over the age of 2 during entire visit while attending a DPAA performance or event. Mask must cover both nose and mouth.
- Age Restrictions – Children under the age of 12 are exempt from providing proof of a COVID test in order to attend.
Tickets for Light and Dark begin at $5 and are available through the box office at (937) 228-3630 or online at www.daytonperformingarts.org. Senior, teacher and student discounts are available. For more information or to order subscriptions, including flexible subscription types that include performances by Dayton Philharmonic, Dayton Opera and Dayton Ballet, visit www.daytonperformingarts.org.
###
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 greater Dayton community, with a mission to be the community’s indispensable source for traditional, diverse and innovative experiences in ballet, opera, and orchestral music. The vision of the DPAA is to transform lives through the power of music and dance. The DPAA 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.