American dance is highlighted in the conclusion of Kansas City Ballet’s season on May 5-8 at the Lyric Theatre!

Thurs, May 5 - 7:30 p.m.
Fri, May 6 - 7:30 p.m.
Sat, May 7 - 2:00 & 7:30 p.m.
Sun, May 8 - 2:00 p.m.

There’s something for everyone -- experience an exciting, eclectic evening of dance with THREE great ballets. The Catherine Wheel Suite by Twyla Tharp, the award winning creator of the smash hits Nine Sinatra Songs and Billy Joel’s Movin’ Out. A WORLD PREMIERE by Kansas City Ballet Artistic Director William Whitener… Mercy of the Elements set to music by Rimsky-Korsakov, and the Kansas City premiere of the ballet Moves by the legendary Jerome Robbins… creator of West Side Story.

The Program:

Moves
Choreography: Jerome Robbins
The performance opens with the Kansas City premiere of Jerome Robbins’ Moves. Danced without musical accompaniment, Moves features the stark clarity of the body as an expressive instrument, placing the focus on precise and changing choreographic patterns. Jennifer Dunning of The New York Times called Moves, “An extraordinarily powerful experience as theater and dance. Mr. Robbins achieves so much in the simplest terms.”

Mercy of the Elements
World Premiere by William Whitener
Music: Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
William Whitener says, "I have chosen the rarely performed Quintet in B-flat Major for Flute, Clarinet, Horn, Bassoon and Piano as the music for my new ballet because of its unusual combination of instruments and its element of surprise. The score is filled with quirkiness, gorgeous melody lines and great depth of feeling all of which lend themselves to dancing – especially when played live by musicians at our May performances."

The Catherine Wheel Suite
Choreography: Twyla Tharp
Music: David Byrne
The New Yorker calls The Catherine Wheel Suite, “A multi-level poetic fantasy with a twist of scalawag comedy.”

PHOTO CREDITS
Dancer Kimberly Cowen. Photographer Steve Wilson.