Houston Ballet's mixed reperatory program Director's Choice: Legends and Prodigy with Stepping Stones by Jiří Kylián, Grosse Fuge by Hans van Manen, and Year of the Rabbit by Justin continues this weekend.
Stepping Stones, a ballet for eight dancers, is set to John Cage’s Sonatas and Interludes for Prepared Piano and Anton Webern’s Six Bagatelles for String Quartet, and acts as a reflection on the handing-on of cultural heritage. Kylián created the ballet in 1991 for the Stuttgart Ballet as a reverence to tradition and heritage. The dancers move with miniature copies of sculptures that range from prehistoric time to the time of Brancusi. All the while, they are watched by statues of Egyptian cats who have witnessed over 3,000 years of human evolution.
Hans van Manen’s Grosse Fuge, originally created for Netherlands Dance Theater on April 8, 1971, is an abstract, contemporary work for eight dancers. Grosse Fuge examines love and relationships, a common theme in van Manen’s choreography. It is set to Ludwig van Beethoven’s Grosse Fuge, Op. 133 and Cavatina Op. 130, one of the composer’s last works for string quartet. Pulitzer-Prize winning author and musician Edmund Morris recently observed that Beethoven’s Grosse Fuge is “deliberately harsh music that is cruel to play and cruel to listen to. It’s like Beethoven wanted to push the body always beyond its own limits.” Beethoven’s aggressive music is reflected to some degree in van Manen’s choreography, which features vigorous male partnering, and strong group and ensemble work. The costumes, designed by van Manen, are notable for the long, divided, Martha Graham-like skirts worn by the male dancers.
