The Kansas City Ballet is about to embark on an artistic voyage as challenging as any it has navigated. As part of its 60th anniversary "Diamond Jubilee" season it will present six big, demanding works of contemporary ballet, all brand-new to the company and all to be performed within a two-weekend period at the Kauffman Center. There's even a world premiere by Andrea Schermoly, one the promising choreographic voices of today, commissioned especially for the event.
The April 6th through 8th program, titled "Diamonds," includes not only the KC Ballet premiere of the 1967 Balanchine classic bearing that same title (set to three of the four movements of Tchaikovsky's Third Symphony, which will be performed live by the Kansas City Symphony in the pit), but also a work by up-and-coming choreographer Matthew Neenan (The Uneven), whom New York Times critic Alastair Macaulay called "one of the strange originals of American ballet." The latter was commissioned for the New Dance Partners program at Johnson County Community College, where KCB performed its area premiere last September.
Devon has known young Matthew Neenan since he was a little boy, when he played the "dead child" in the Boston Ballet's 1984 Romeo and Juliet. (Devon was the production's Romeo.) Later Matthew would dance with Pennsylvania Ballet (where in 2007 he was named Choreographer in Residence) and with BalletX (which he co-founded with Christine Cox). Since then he has grown into a major choreographic talent, with works performed by Pennsylvania Ballet, Washington Ballet, Colorado Ballet, Ballet West, Milwaukee Ballet, Oregon Ballet Theatre, Tulsa Ballet, Ballet Met and many others. At its JCCC premiere, critic Libby Hansen described The Uneven as "smartly structured," with layered phrases that added depth and intrigue—"elegant transitions, woven together, especially a delicate bourrée that was unexpected every time." The Uneven is set to Philip Glass' Double Concerto for Violin and Cello from 2010—which was, coincidentally, commissioned (though for a different choreographer and ballet) by the Netherlands Dance Theatre. Here it will feature solo performances by KC Symphony Concertmaster Noah Geller and Principal Cellist Mark Gibbs.
Of special significance is the Ballet's first-ever performance of a work by the Prague-born 71-year-old many deem the world's greatest living choreographer: Jiři Kylián, whose work chiefly for the Netherlands Dance Theatre has transformed our very notions of movement. The 1991 Petite Mort is widely recognized as a defining moment in 20th-century dance: But it is fiercely demanding, Devon said, exposing even the tiniest of flaws of technique. "There's very little to hide behind in this work." Accordingly, Jiří is highly choosy about who he allows to perform it.
"I cannot tell you how important it is that we get to do this work," said Devon, who sent videos of the Ballet's recent work to the choreographer and was delighted to hear back from him almost immediately.
The April 13th through 15th program is titled for its feature work, James Kudelka's The Man in Black, set to eight chiaroscuro songs that Johnny Cash recorded during his last years—"songs with a message, a real mood and feeling to them," Devon said.
For tickets call 816-931-8993 or go to kcballet.org. Week 1 subscribers will already have tickets to the April 6-8 performances, Week 2 subscribers for April 13-15. Each can purchase tickets for the adjacent week at a 60 percent discount.