PUBLISHED March 23rd, 2015 09:36 am | UPDATED June 8th, 2020 05:01 pm
Immerse yourself in the perfect evening at Singapore Dance Theatre’s (SDT) 20th Edition of the annual Ballet Under the Stars. This year, SDT will be presenting two weekends of exquisite choreography by award-winning international choreographers from 12 – 14 June 2015 and 19 – 21 June 2015 at the Fort Canning Green.
Expect spectacular works in the likes of George Balanchine’s Rubies, Serenade, and Concerto Barocco, Val Caniparoli’s African inspired Lambarena, and legendary Singaporean choreographer Choo-San Goh’s Double Contrasts and Schubert Symphony. Since its conception in 1995, Ballet Under the Stars has become one of SDT’s trademarks of their yearly performance seasons and remains as Singapore’s favourite annual outdoor dance event. Unwind with a sumptuous picnic spread at the park and enjoy an evening of dance with your family and friends!
Performance Line Up for 12 – 14 June:
*Double Contrasts by Choo-San Goh*
Double Contrasts is both elegant and classical in dance form. The two sets of dancers reflect the two solo pianists; one set being full and youthful enthusiasm and the other more sophisticated in nature. The work has energy, wit and style. The dancers exude chic and elegance in their formal costumes. Double Contrasts presents many technical challenges for the dancers. It is fast, as are all Choo-San’s ballets at their heart and it leaves the audience exhilarated. It is one of Choo-San’s first ballets that stood the test of time and it is performed on a consistent basis from its premiere till now.
*Rubies by George Balanchine*
Rubies is sponsored by the Artistic Director’s Fund. Rubies is part of the Jewels series by George Balanchine. Jewels is a full-length, three-act plotless ballet that uses the music of three very different composers. Balanchine was inspired by the artistry of jewellery designer Claude Arpels, and chose music revealing the essence of each jewel. Each section of the ballet is distinct in both music and mood. Emeralds, which Balanchine considered ‘an evocation of France — the France of elegance, comfort, dress, perfume,’ recalls the 19th century dances of the French Romantics. Rubies is crisp and witty, becoming the epitome of the collaboration of Stravinsky and Balanchine. Diamonds recalls the order and grandeur of Imperial Russia and the Maryinsky Theater, where Balanchine was trained.
*Lambarena by Val Caniparoli*
Val Caniparoli’s Lambarena was inspired by a score of the same name that blends traditional African rhythms and melodies with extended passages from Johann Sebastian Bach. In response to this exciting and unusual piece of music, and seeking to make a ‘joyous celebration of dancing,’ Caniparoli choreographed an emotion filled work in eight movements that boldly merges the vocabularies of classical ballet and African dance. The 1995 World Premiere of Lambarena at the San Francisco Ballet was made possible, in part, by a 1994 Choo San Goh Award for choreography from the Choo-San Goh & H. Robert Magee Foundation. This piece was first performed by SDT in 1997 and has been a continuing part of the repertory. In 2012, Caniparoli also specially created an Asian-inspired work titled Chant for SDT, and in 2014, SDT saw the company premiere of Caiparoli’s Swipe.
Performance Line Up for 19 – 21 June
*Concerto Barocco by George Balanchine*
Concerto Barocco was successfully brought into SDT’s repertoire with the generous support of the members from Ambassadors’ Circle 2009. Balanchine created Concerto Barocco to Bach’s Double Violin Concerto in D for a 1941 tour to South America with American Ballet Caravan. The ballet was performed as the first work on the opening evening of the New York City Ballet in 1948. The dancers are dressed in pure white leotards and skirts to accentuate their line, and this ballet is considered to be one of the most musically attuned pieces in the world and virtually flawless in terms of choreography. Concerto Barocco consists of two principal ballerinas with eight women who form the body of the work. A single male dancer partners the female principal dancers in an extended adagio movement in the middle of the ballet. The 3rd and final movements of the ballet are one of those most demanding and fast paced pieces of choreography Balanchine ever devised. One can watch it repeatedly and always see something new in it. Over the years dancers’ techniques have become more sophisticated and elegant and yet still they struggle to achieve the choreographic demands of Concerto Barocco. To dance the ballet with accomplishment is a major achievement in the life of any dancer privileged enough to be cast in it.
*Schubert Symphony by Choo-San Goh*
Given his penchant to experiment with his Asian heritage and Western training, Choo-San was capable of surprises set to Franz Schubert’s symphony No. 2. Goh’s ballet is conceived as a purely classical work. After its premiere, it was stated that Schubert Symphony was ‘a major triumph…an eagerly awaited world premiere…’ By the prevailing standard of ballet choreography, Schubert Symphony is unquestionably a fine work. It demonstrates, beyond a shadow of doubt, that Goh can manipulate a stripped down neo-classical idiom skilfully. Schubert Symphony was created for the Washington Ballet, and has been performed by the Royal Swedish Ballet, Cape Town City Ballet, and Singapore Dance Theatre.
*Serenade by George Balanchine*
Serenade was successfully brought into SDT’s repertoire with the generous support of the members from Ambassadors’ Circle 2010. Serenade is a milestone in the history of dance. It is the first original ballet Balanchine created in America and is one of the signature works of New York City Ballet’s repertory. The ballet is performed by 28 dancers in blue costumes in front of a blue background. Originating it as a lesson in stage technique, Balanchine worked unexpected rehearsal events into the choreography. When one student fell, he incorporated it. Another day, a student arrived late, and this too became part of the ballet. After its initial presentation, Serenade was reworked several times. In its present form there are four movements — “Sonatina,” “Waltz,” “Russian Dance,” and “Elegy.”
Ballet Under The Stars is happening from Friday, 12 June to Sunday 14 June and Friday, 19 June to Sunday, 21 June at Fort Canning Green.
To purchase tickets, please click [here](http://www.sistic.com.sg/events/ballets0615).