The recently announced Ballet Arizona 2022-2023 Season features diverse programming across six programs.
Phoenix audiences will enjoy two classical full lengths – Cinderella and The Nutcracker – accompanied by The Phoenix Symphony, as well as Giselle.
Balanchine lovers will appreciate the All Balanchine program that covers three of his most iconic pieces. Those new to the works of the master will be finely introduced to the choreography that will forever remain part of the neoclassical canon.
And Ballet Arizona demonstrates their contemporary talents in a program dedicated solely to the genre as well as in their annual residency at Desert Botanical Garden, a nature-intense playground for Artistic Director Ib Andersen’s new creations.
Ballet Arizona 2022-2023 Season Schedule
Contemporary Moves | September 22-25, 2022
Orpheum Theatre
- Within the Golden Hour by Christopher Wheeldon
- TBA by Alejandro Cerrudo
- TBA by Nayon Iovino
Contemporary Moves celebrates masterful and diverse choreography, music, and tone with works from both emerging and celebrated choreographers. Christopher Wheeldon’s Within the Golden Hour is just one of the incredible works that will kick off our 37th Anniversary season with an evening of three short but dynamic ballets, similar to a collection of short stories.
Cinderella | October 20-23, 2022
Symphony Hall
- Cinderella by Ib Andersen
Ib Andersen’s Cinderella vividly brings this romantic tale and its well-known characters to life on stage. His staging and choreography will delight audiences with the beauty and majesty of classical ballet, wrapped in the promise of “happily ever after,” and generously sprinkled with a wonderful dose of humor.
The Nutcracker | December 9-24, 2022
Symphony Hall
- The Nutcracker by Ib Andersen
Celebrate the joy and wonder of the season with Ib Andersen’s The Nutcracker as Tchaikovsky’s cherished score is masterfully performed by The Phoenix Symphony. Follow Clara’s wintry adventures as she battles mischievous mice and charms the Sugar Plum Fairy. Whether this is your first Nutcracker or your 101st, this heartwarming tradition never fails to enchant and draw smiles from all!
Giselle | February 9-12, 2023
The Madison Center for the Arts
- Giselle by Ib Andersen
This ghost-filled, haunting masterpiece is one of the most beloved and romantic ballets of all time. Giselle tells the tragic yet passionate tale of a lovely young woman who dies of a broken heart. The ballet is famous for the Wilis, maiden spirits who take revenge on the young nobleman that betrayed Giselle. Achingly beautiful, Giselle is an enrapturing work of art that draws audiences in with themes of enduring love, tragedy and romance.
All Balanchine | May 4-7, 2023
Symphony Hall
- Raymonda Variations by George Balanchine
- Emeralds by George Balanchine
- The Four Temperaments by George Balanchine
Three different ballets by The Father of American Ballet, George Balanchine, including a work never before performed by Ballet Arizona.
Set to a melodic and enchanting musical score, Raymonda Variations is a bustle of precise ballet technique that materializes into a spectacle of dance, with a succession of remarkable solos at its center.
Breaking with convention, Balanchine’s The Four Temperaments is an experimental work that portrays the medieval concept of the four personality types (Melancholic, Sanguinic, Phlegmatic, and Choleric). Brilliantly choreographed and filled with arresting solos and ensembles, The Four Temperaments introduced new possibilities for ballet that continue to challenge dancers and audiences equally.
Emeralds (from the full length Jewels) evokes the elegance and romanticism of 19th century ballet. With a lush score by Fauré and dancers dressed in Romantic-length tutus, Emeralds is a window into the nostalgia inherent in much late 19th-century art, with its idealized view of the Middle Ages, chivalry, and courtly love.
An Evening at Desert Botanical Garden | May 16 – June 3, 2023
Desert Botanical Garden
- TBA by Ib Andersen
From the choreographer that brought you new works such as Eroica, Topia, and The Four Seasons, An Evening at Desert Botanical Garden promises a spectacular experience that is uniquely Arizonan.
Surrounded by the matchless desert landscape with the setting sun as a backdrop, Ib Andersen’s vision for dance in the desert continues in 2023. Expect the unexpected as Ballet Arizona evolves, takes chances, and challenges the boundaries of contemporary ballet in the desert that we call our home.
Featured Photo for the Ballet Arizona 2022-2023 Season by Rosalie O’Connor.
