Orlando Ballet

Experience three uniquely choreographed works, all in one iconic show.

George Balanchine’s Divertimento No. 15

Balanchine considered Mozart’s Divertimento No. 15 the finest ever written, and to compliment the sparkling score, he created a work of prodigious ingenuity featuring a regal cast of dancers. When asked to present a work at the Mozart Festival held at the American Shakespeare Theater in Stratford, Connecticut, in 1956, Balanchine originally planned to revive Caracole, an earlier work set to Mozart’s Divertimento No. 15. Instead, he created a new ballet that used many steps from the old, and he named the new ballet after the music. Divertimentos do not have a fixed structure; the number of movements can vary from one to twelve, and they can be scored for one instrument or a chamber orchestra. Divertimento No. 15 is choreographed for eight principal dancers with an ensemble of eight women.

Martha Graham’s Maple Leaf Rag

Experience the final complete ballet choreographed by Martha Graham before her passing in 1991. Maple Leaf Rag takes a sly look at the idiosyncrasies of a contemporary choreographer and gently mocks the plight of the artist in the throes of creation. With costumes by fashion designer Calvin Klein, a score featuring the music of Scott Joplin, and a ridiculous boomerang-shaped barre dominating the stage – the perfect prop for the cast of unruly characters that inhabit this ballet – the dance is a favorite for Graham audiences.

Alysa Pires’ Skyward

Skyward, which combines classical and contemporary elements, is a work in four movements which incorporates the feelings of hope and anticipation through an aesthetic called “organized falling,” where one motion leads into the next with momentum. The work emphasizes upward movement and a sense of flight while evoking our collective energy or hope to move forward.

Balanchine, Graham, Pires

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