Segerstrom Center for the Arts and American Ballet Theatre emerged after a year-long performance hiatus to premier their new dance project titled Uniting in Movement on April 25. The program will be available to virtual audiences May 12-26.
United in Movement is a collection of works choreographed by contemporary choreographers Lauren Lovette and Darrell Grand Moultrie as well as a way to express ABT’s classical heritage through a virtuosic showcase of ballet technique Grand Pas Classique choreographed by Victor Gsovsky and Swan Lake Act II pas de deux with choreography after Lev Ivanov.
ABT and Segerstrom Center effectively created a bubble in which dancers, choreographers and artistic staff could safely rehearse and come together to present the first performance in front of a live audience at Segerstrom Hall since live theater was indefinitely shut down in March 2020 due to COVID-19. The closures came only one week after the world premiere of ABT’s new production of Alexei Ratmansky’s Of Love and Rage.
Residency for the production began March 22. Outside of rehearsals in the Center studios, the program’s participants isolated themselves at the Avenue of the Arts Costa Mesa, A Tribute Portfolio Hotel across the street from the Center. All rehearsal and performance activity strictly adhered to medical and safety guidelines, including an initial quarantine and testing period prior to the start of the residency period.
Evident through their work, Lovette and Moultrie share personal and unique visions for the future of ballet.
Originally created for ABT Studio Company last spring but never before seen due to COVID-19, Lovette’s piece now features main company dancers Emily Hayes and Jonathan Klein, Abbey Marrison and João Mengussi, Kiely Groenewegen and Tyler Maloney and Chloe Misseldine and Jose Sebastian.
La Follia Variations is set to music of the same name composed by Francesco Geminiani and performed by East Coast Chamber Orchestra. Costumes are designed by fashion designer Victor Glemaud.
“The progression of steps is one of my favorites among the classical ballet style,” Lovette says. “These dancers give me hope for the future of dance, and this piece of choreography is a celebration of that hope.”
As an expansion of his earlier work for the Company created in an East Coast quarantined bubble in fall 2020, Indestructible Light will mark Moultrie’s first work for ABT.
The piece premiered digitally in November 2020 with six dancers but has since been reimagined for the stage. Indestructible Light celebrates the demonstrated resilience of artists against impossible odds over the past year.
“I wanted the great music of American composers Duke Ellington, Neal Hefti, Billy Strayhorn, and Count Basie to serve as the foundation to take the dancers on an exciting, physical journey that resonates with audiences,” says Moultrie. “I’m always excited about finding ways to use great music and the dancers’ bodies to bring inspiration to people. No matter what’s happening around us, we must always remember here’s a light within that can never be shut off.”
Set to music by Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Neal Hefti and Billy Strayhorn, the piece will feature dancers Betsy McBride and Jacob Clerico, Anabel Katsnelson and Melvin Lawovi, Hannah Marshall and Duncan McIlwaine, and Scout Forsythe and Joseph Markey, costumes by Mark Eric and lighting by Brad Fields.
SCFTA and ABT's Uniting in Movement
Segerstrom Center and ABT are proud of what they were able to accomplish despite the challenges faced during production.
“As you can imagine, Uniting in Movement is a complex project requiring the combined, or uniting, resources and experience of both the Center and ABT, particularly during this period of quarantine,” Segerstrom Center President Casey Reitz says. “We are especially proud of how Uniting in Movement so beautifully confirms the resilience and indomitable spirit of the arts and artists.”
Tickets for Uniting in Movement begin at $25 per household and will be available to access digitally May 12 – 26.
Featured Photo for Uniting in Movement of Betsy McBride and Jacob Clerico in Indestructible Light © Todd Rosenberg Photography
