Pennsylvania Ballet Launches Fall Digital Season

PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Pennsylvania Ballet announced today the launch of its digital season, titled Director's Choice, featuring four complete archival ballets and excerpts directed by Artistic Director Angel Corella. The online season will be available free of charge and is scheduled to launch in two installments on November 12 and November 19 at 7:30 p.m. EST. Each stream will feature conversations with the artists of Pennsylvania Ballet.

"In the face of COVID-19, we're staying nimble and pushing boundaries by staging a reimagined season featuring contemporary ballets, performed by our versatile dancers and Principal Pianist Martha Koeneman," said Corella. "We know that our patrons will truly absorb and enjoy these sought-after performances that have been well-received in the past. We're eager for audiences from around the world who haven't seen the artists of Pennsylvania Ballet perform live to experience our poetic artistry from the comfort of their home."

First Installment
The digital season will open with Nicolo Fonte's Ghost Stories and Andrea Miller's Evenings will be available to stream from November 12-18.

Fonte's Ghost Stories premiered in April 2017 set to a commissioned score by Ezio Bosso and Max Richter. Fonte's powerful work showcases the creative dialogue between his daring vision and the dancers' seemingly limitless grasp of physical expression.

Miller's Evenings premiered in November 2018 and is scored to elegiac music by composer Arvo Pärt. Miller's sculptural choreography pushes classically trained dancers to adapt the more fluid Gaga movement.

Second Installment
The second week of programming will feature Helen Pickett's Tilt and Matthew Neenan's Deco that will be available to stream from November 19-25.

Pickett's bold and angular Tilt was staged in November 2017 and composed by Philip Glass. The performance showcases meticulous accuracy by Pennsylvania Ballet dancers coupled with Pickett's ability to capture the human dilemma within her choreography.

Neenan's artful Deco premiered in April 2019. The ballet was composed by Igor Stravinsky, one of the 20th century's most famous composers, featuring an intimate cast of fearless performers.

The ballet footage will be shared with the public for the first time with the cooperation of the labor unions for the Company's artists and other behind-the-scenes personnel, as well as the rights holders for the choreography, music, sets, costumes and lighting design.

Viewers can stream Pennsylvania Ballet's Director's Choice by registering on the website.

The Presenting Sponsors of Director's Choice are Linda and David Glickstein. Additional support is provided by Allen R. and Judy Brick Freedman. Up to $25,000 will be matched by Linda and David Glickstein. Please donate by visiting DirectorsChoice.GiveSmart.com.

Pennsylvania Ballet's exclusive holiday programming is forthcoming. For more information about Pennsylvania Ballet, please visit Paballet.org.

*Repertoires are subject to change

About Pennsylvania Ballet
Pennsylvania Ballet is one of the nation's premier ballet companies and one of Philadelphia's cultural treasures. Internationally renowned dancer Angel Corella took the reigns as Artistic Director at the start of the 2014/2015 season, bringing the company to a new level of excellence with 45 dancers from around the world and an ever-changing repertoire of works. In addition to its performances on Philadelphia's famed Avenue of the Arts, Pennsylvania Ballet serves more than 17,000 individuals across the Philadelphia region every year with hands-on, high quality arts education activities brought to children and adults alike regardless of socioeconomic background or abilities. For more information visit paballet.org or connect with us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube for a behind the scenes look at our dancers in the studio and onstage. 

Pennsylvania Ballet is supported in part by a grant from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of Community & Economic Development and receives support from The Philadelphia Cultural Fund and the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.  

SOURCE Pennsylvania Ballet