Ballet Under The Stars: Evening of Contemporary Dance featuring Expressions Dance Company

PUBLISHED April 20th, 2014 03:20 pm | UPDATED May 9th, 2018 03:13 am

SDT’s signature event, Ballet Under the Stars, will return to the stage this July with two weekends of classical and contemporary ballets, by award-winning international choreographers!

Ballet Under the Stars will be presented at Fort Canning Green from 18 – 20 July and 25 – 27 July.

Expect a medley of classical and contemporary works in the likes of Allegro Brillante and Theme and Variations by the legendary George Balanchine, the Asian-inspired Chant by Val Caniparoli, breath-taking works The Winds of Zephyrus and Opus 25 by Chinese-American choreographer Edwaard Liang, and the poignant Piano Concerto No. 2, Opus 102 by Edmund Stripe. The biggest highlight would be the world premiere of a new work by Australian Contemporary choreographer Natalie Weir, known for her highly physical partner work.

Performance Line up 18 – 20 July

Piano Concerto No. 2, Opus 102 by Edmund Stripe

Piano Concerto in F Major (music composed by Dimitri Shoskatovitch) by Edmund Stripe, is a 20-minute piece that features 7 female and 6 male dancers on stage in a fast-paced and exciting work. Audiences will probably find the music of the first movement of this choreography familiar as it was featured in the Disney movie, Fantasia 2000. This ballet was created for SDT and premiered in 2007 at Ballet Under the Stars.

A pas de deux by Natalie Weir (World Premiere)

Natalie Weir is an established and acclaimed choreographer, known for her highly physical partner work, her organic movement style and her touching insight into human nature. Natalie Weir has created over 150 professional works in her 20+ year career. She was a founding member of Expressions Dance Company (EDC) and has worked extensively throughout Australia, creating many works for most of the country’s major classical and contemporary dance companies including the Australian Ballet, West Australian Ballet, Queensland Ballet, Expressions Dance Company, Australian Dance Theatre, Dance North and Tasdance. The pas de deux will be danced by two different couples for each weekend of Ballet Under the Stars.

Chant by Val Caniparoli

Created especially for SDT in 2012, Chant is an Asian-inspired work featuring thirteen dancers, performed to Lou Harrison’s Double Concerto for Violin and Cello with Javanese Gamelan. In the movement Caniparoli created, one will eventually see a repetitive movement motif that corresponds to a way a chant is repeated over and over to create a sense of harmony and purpose. Val Caniparoli is one of the most sought after American choreographers in the United States and abroad and has created ballets for more than 35 companies including Pacific Northwest Ballet, Boston Ballet, Northern Ballet Theatre, Pennsylvania Ballet, Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Ballet West, Washington Ballet, Singapore Dance Theatre and Tulsa Ballet.

The Winds of Zephyrus by Edwaard Liang

First created for SDT in 2011, The Winds of Zephyrus brings contemporary dance to stratospheric heights with dancers portraying the wind in all its forms. Winner of the Prince Prize Grant for Choreography and the Choo San Goh Award for Choreography, Edwaard Liang’s pieces have been performed all around the world by companies such as New York City Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Shanghai Ballet and the Joffrey Ballet. Edwaard Liang is currently the Artistic Director of BalletMet Columbus.

Performance Line up 25 – 27 July

Allegro Brillante by George Balanchine

Choreographed in 1956, Allegro Brillante by George Balanchine demonstrates the dramatic possibilities inherent in pure dance when coupled with the Russian romanticism of Tchaikovsky’s score. The music’s vigorous pace makes the steps appear even more difficult, but the ballet relies on strong dancing, precise timing, and breadth of gesture. Balanchine once said of the ballet, ‘It contains everything I know about the classical ballet in 13 minutes.’

A pas de deux by Natalie Weir

A world premiere by Natalie Weir, also performed at Ballet Under the Stars from 18 – 20 July.

Theme and Variations by George Balanchine

The legendary George Balanchine’s Theme and Variations, a company premiere, is a grand masterpiece of ballet. This breath- taking ballet showcases the intensive development of the classic ballet lexicon, featuring a cast of 26 dancers. Performed to Tchaikovsky’s brilliant score, ‘the moment’ for the ballet is found in the grand polonaise which exudes drama and excitement. This ballet is a crowd pleaser, offering the audience any number of favourite moments, with dazzling choreography, gorgeous music, spectacular costumes and the remarkable culmination of all these elements on stage in performance.

Opus 25 by Edwaard Liang

Opus 25 is a specially commissioned work for SDT’s 25th Anniversary in 2013, choreographed to showcase the talents of SDT. Danced to a dynamic composition by American composer Michael Torke, this piece showcases the development of the organisation over the past 26 years. The ballet is a grand spectacle, featuring 32 dancers, and brings out the unique attributes and personalities of the dancers in SDT.


Tickets are available through all SISTIC outlets and SDT office from 1 May onwards.