BALLET ARKANSAS: NEW WORKS
THURSDAY 5/4 & SUNDAY 5/6. ARKANSAS MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS. 7:30 P.M. $40.
All due respect to Tchaikovsky et al., you might be more likely to see a spark appear in a ballet fan’s eye when you mention works by living choreographers, or the chance to see a world premiere. In their time at Ballet Arkansas, directors Michael and Catherine Fothergill have remained devoted to keeping contemporary and new ballet compositions in the company’s repertoire, and though a program title like “New Works” might not ignite as much name recognition as, say, “The Nutcracker,” what happens on stage is perhaps a better indicator of where ballet is in 2023 as an art form: eager to innovate, committed to being in conversation with its cultural context and very much alive.
This May performance features five world premieres in collaboration with the newly reopened Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts in the museum’s intimate Glass Box space, and is followed by a Q&A with the choreographers. Tickets are available here.