Championing the relevance and advancement of dance in the 21st century, The Washington Ballet continues its commitment to the creative process. The Washington Ballet’s 2019.20 Season opener, NEXTsteps – a program debuting new, never-before-seen ballets in the heart of the nation’s capital – features works by emerging and acclaimed choreographers Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, John Heginbotham, and Jessica Lang. NEXTsteps supports the evolution of both ballet and the dancer, and celebrates the evolving beauty and resonating power of our art.
Julie Kent on NEXTsteps:
NEXTsteps reflects the voices and works of our time. It is the responsibility of the leaders of our art form to allow for the development of new works and to steward ballet into the 21st century. Creating new works of art is an exciting, creative, and collaborative process for the choreographers, dancers, and community and I’m excited to see this initiative grow and evolve.
Annabelle Lopez Ochoa's Delusional Beauty
Choreography: Annabelle Lopez Ochoa
Lighting Design: Joseph R. Walls
Costume Design: Mark A. Zappone
Music: Kentucky by Aaron Martin, The Escape and Helixa by Christen Lien, and “We Insist”
composed and performed by Zoë Keating © 2005 (ASCAP). All rights reserved. zoekeating.com
Funding provided in part by the DC Mayor’s Office on Latino Affairs
“Delusional Beauty is an ode to Salvador Dali’s surrealist world. As a child I used to collect postcards with his paintings, and one of them was “La femme à la tête de fleur.” While making the work, it struck me that I could still watch and enjoy his images while as a creative myself my art evaporates into the realm of memory once it happens, leaving merely a sensation.” – Annabelle Lopez Ochoa
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About Annabelle Lopez Ochoa
The Colombian-Belgian Annabelle Lopez Ochoa completed her dance education at the Royal Ballet School of Flanders in Belgium. She started choreographing at the early age of 11, and decided in 2003 to end her dance career to focus her energies solely on choreography. In that same year, she was hailed “rising star of the Dutch dance scene” (NRC newspaper) and only seven years later the Temecula Performing Arts Examiner wrote: ”Ochoa is truly a masterful choreographer with an edge for what dance can and should be in this constantly changing industry”.
Ochoa is a prolific choreographer who has created works for 60 dance companies around the world such as the Dutch National Ballet, Ballet of Flanders, Pennsylvania Ballet, BalletX, BJM-Danse Montreal, Ballet Hispanico, Ballet Nacional de Cuba, Scottish Ballet, Ballet Nacional de Cuba, West Australian Ballet, The Washington Ballet, Joffrey Ballet, English National Ballet, Hong Kong Ballet, Grands Ballets Canadiens, San Francisco Ballet, and New York City Ballet.
Among the honors her work has received: A Streetcar Named Desire, created for the Scottish Ballet in 2012, won Best Choreography Classical from Critics’ Circle National Dance Awards UK and was nominated for the prestigious Olivier Award. Broken Wings, the life and work of Frida Kahlo, created for English National Ballet, was named one of 2016’s best premieres by Dance Europe and other Newspapers; and was nominated for several Critics’ Circle National Dance Awards. Sombrerisimo, created for Ballet Hispanico is on the repertoire of four companies and received Cuba’s Villanueva Award in 2015.
Ochoa is the recipient of the Jacob’s Pillow Choreography Award 2019.
CASTING:
Wednesday, October 23, 7:30PM
Golden Figure KATERYNA DERECHYNA
Katherine Barkman
Ayano Kimura
Lucy Nevin
Brittany Stone
Adelaide Clauss
Javier Morera
Corey Landolt
Stephen Nakagawa
Alex Kramer
Thursday, October 24, 7:30PM
The Golden Figure SONA KHARATIAN
Ayano Kimura
Katherine Barkman
Victoria Arrea
Ashley Murphy-Wilson
Esmiana Jani
Gian Carlo Perez
Ariel Martinez
Daniel Roberge
Gilles Delellio
Friday, October 25, 7:30PM
The Golden Figure KATERYNA DERECHYNA
Katherine Barkman
Ayano Kimura
Lucy Nevin
Brittany Stone
Adelaide Clauss
Javier Morera
Corey Landolt
Stephen Nakagawa
Alex Kramer
Saturday, October 26, 1:30PM
The Golden Figure KATERYNA DERECHYNA
Katherine Barkman
Ayano Kimura
Lucy Nevin
Brittany Stone
Adelaide Clauss
Javier Morera
Corey Landolt
Stephen Nakagawa
Alex Kramer
Saturday, October 26, 7:30PM
The Golden Figure SONA KHARATIAN
Ayano Kimura
Katherine Barkman
Victoria Arrea
Ashley Murphy-Wilson
Esmiana Jani
Gian Carlo Perez
Ariel Martinez
Daniel Roberge
Gilles Delellio
Sunday, October 27, 1:30PM
The Golden Figure SONA KHARATIAN
Ayano Kimura
Katherine Barkman
Victoria Arrea
Ashley Murphy-Wilson
Esmiana Jani
Gian Carlo Perez
Ariel Martinez
Daniel Roberge
Gilles Delellio
Jessica Lang's Reverence
Choreography: Jessica Lang
Lighting Design: Joseph R. Walls
Costume Design: Jillian Lewis
Music: Schumann’s Symphonic Studies Op. 13
Music performed by Glenn Sales
Jessica Lang’s new ballet for The Washington Ballet is a variation on a theme of Robert Schumann’s Symphonic Etudes. Comprised of eight dancers (four men and four women), the 11-movement piece evokes the beauty and full dynamic of classical ballet. Lang has focused on the etudes (live piano performed by Glenn Sales) and costumes (by fashion designer Jillian Lewis) defining her vision to combine music and movement into a single focus. There is no story. But audiences can expect to be transported into a world of beauty. Lang considers the audience part of the experience.
This will be the 104th ballet Jessica Lang has created. She sees herself as a ‘supportive guide’ in the collaborative process working together with the dancers and the pianist to create a new work of art. Schumann’s Etudes are considered one of the most difficult works for piano. They will be reborn with this new ballet along with a masterwork that defines dance today and continues into the 21st century.
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About Jessica Lang
Jessica Lang is an American choreographer originally from Bucks County, PA. As one of the most celebrated choreographers of her generation, Lang choreographs and teaches throughout the world.
Since 1999, Lang has created more than 100 original works on companies worldwide including American Ballet Theatre, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet (2013 Manchester Theatre Award nominee), the National Ballet of Japan, The Joffrey Ballet, and her eponymous company Jessica Lang Dance, among many others. Additional commissions include new works for the Kennedy Center with the National Symphony Orchestra, The Harris Theater and the Chicago Architecture Biennial in collaboration with architect Steven Holl, the Dallas Museum of Art and the Guggenheim Museum for its Works and Process series. For opera, Lang made her directorial debut creating Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater at the 2013 Glimmerglass Opera Festival that was presented at Lincoln Center’s White Light Festival in 2017 performed by Jessica Lang Dance. In 2016, she choreographed San Francisco Opera’s production of Aida, directed by Francesca Zambello that was presented at Washington National Opera and Seattle Opera in the 2017/18 season.
Lang was Artistic Director of Jessica Lang Dance from 2011-2019. Founded in 2011, the company toured and performed in over 85 cities presented by major venues including Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Los Angeles Music Center, The Kennedy Center, The Harris Theater, New York City Center, Northrop Auditorium, Winspear Opera House, Tel Aviv Opera House, Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, BAM Fisher and Helikon Opera, among many others.
She is the recipient of a 2018 Martha Hill Mid-Career Award, the 2017 Arison Award and a 2014 Bessie Award. She has been a fellow of New York City Center and NYU’s Center for Ballet and the Arts, and in 2019 named a Caroline Hearst Choreographer-in-Residence at Princeton University. Lang’s work has also been performed by numerous educational institutions including The Juilliard School, SUNY Purchase, NYU Tisch School of the Arts and Southern Methodist University, among many others. She was a part of the founding faculty of American Ballet Theatre’s Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School and a teaching artist for the Make-a-Ballet program.
Jessica Lang is a graduate of the Juilliard School under the direction of Benjamin Harkarvy and a former member of Twyla Tharp’s company, THARP!
CASTING:
Wednesday, October 23, 7:30PM
Victoria Arrea
Brittany Stone
Ashley Murphy-Wilson
Stephanie Sorota
Daniel Roberge
Tamas Krizsa
Ariel Martinez
Masanori Takiguchi
Thursday, October 24, 7:30PM
Eun Won Lee
Adelaide Clauss
Ayano Kimura
Tamako Miyazaki
Corey Landolt
Gian Carlo Perez
Alex Kramer
Lope Lim
Friday, October 25, 7:30PM
Victoria Arrea
Brittany Stone
Ashley Murphy-Wilson
Stephanie Sorota
Daniel Roberge
Tamas Krizsa
Ariel Martinez
Masanori Takiguchi
Saturday, October 26, 1:30PM
Eun Won Lee
Adelaide Clauss
Ayano Kimura
Tamako Miyazaki
Corey Landolt
Gian Carlo Perez
Alex Kramer
Lope Lim
Saturday, October 26, 7:30PM
Eun Won Lee
Adelaide Clauss
Ayano Kimura
Tamako Miyazaki
Corey Landolt
Gian Carol Perez
Alex Kramer
Lope Lim
Sunday, October 27, 1:30PM
Victoria Arrea
Brittany Stone
Ashley Murphy-Wilson
Stephanie Sorota
Daniel Roberge
Tamas Krizsa
Ariel Martinez
Masanori Takiguchi
John Heginbotham's RACECAR
Choreography: John Heginbotham
Lighting Design: Joseph R. Walls
Costume Design: Maile Okamura
Unnamed Original Composition by Jason Treuting
Music performed by Sō PERCUSSION by arrangement with Alliance Artist Management
A balletic palindrome set to percussion music composed and performed live by Jason Treuting and members of Sō Percussion match the tone of RACECAR, choreographed by John Heginbotham. The 20-minute neo-classic piece uses 16 dancers that explore themes of organized chaos, balance, symmetry, and asymmetry. The movement is organic, human and rhythmically complex, incorporating classical ballet technique and pointe shoes. Heginbotham draws on his background as a modern dancer in creating this athletic, structured, and exciting work.
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About John Heginbotham
Originally from Anchorage, Alaska, John Heginbotham graduated from The Juilliard School in 1993, and was a member of the Mark Morris Dance Group (1998-2012). In 2011, he founded Dance Heginbotham (DH), a performance group devoted to the presentation of his dance and theatrical work. The company has been presented and commissioned by Bard College, Baryshnikov Arts Center, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Carolina Performing Arts, Duke Performances, Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, The Joyce Theater, The Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, and the Metropolitan Museum of Arts, among others. In the Spring of 2016, DH traveled to Indonesia, Laos, and the Philippines as part of DanceMotion USASM, a cultural diplomacy initiative of The US State Department, produced by the Brooklyn Academy of Music. DH celebrated its 5th Anniversary in February 2017, at The Kennedy Center with the world premiere of Lola, performed with the world-renowned violinist Joshua Bell and the National Symphony Orchestra.
In addition to DH, Heginbotham is active as a freelance choreographer. Recent projects include John Adams’ Girls of the Golden West, directed by Peter Sellars (San Francisco Opera 2017, Dutch National Opera 2019); Candide with the Orlando Philharmonic (2016) and The Knights (2018, 2019); Daniel Fish’s 2015 Bard Summerscape production of Oklahoma! (Off-Broadway 2018, Broadway 2019); Angels’ Share for Atlanta Ballet (2014); and two projects with Isaac Mizrahi: The Magic Flute with the Opera Theatre of St. Louis (2014) and Peter & the Wolf for Works & Process at the Guggenheim (2013), which has become an annual holiday event.
A frequent collaborator, Heginbotham has worked with numerous and diverse artists and ensembles, including Alarm Will Sound, Brooklyn Rider, Raymond Scott Orchestrette, composers Tyondai Braxton, Ethan Iverson, and Colin Jacobsen, vocalists Gabriel Kahane and Shara Nova, puppeteer Amy Trompetter, and artist and author Maira Kalman.
Heginbotham is the recipient of the 2014 Jacob’s Pillow Dance Award and numerous Fellowships, including a Guggenheim Fellowship (2018), a National Center for Choreography Akron (NCAA) Research Residency Fellowship (2018-2020), a City Center Choreography Fellowship (2017-18), an NYU Center for Ballet and the Arts Fellowship (2016), and two Jerome Robbins Foundation New Essential Works (NEW) Fellowships (2010, 2012). He is the Director of the Dartmouth Dance Ensemble, and is a founding teacher of Dance for PD®, an ongoing collaboration between the Mark Morris Dance Group and the Brooklyn Parkinson Group.
CASTING:
Thursday, October 23, 7:30PM
Gilles Delellio
Tamako Miyazaki
Eun Won Lee
Samara Rittinger
Kimberly Cilento
Ayano Kimura
Brittany Stone
Audrey Malek
Andrea Allmon
Nardia Boodoo
Olivia Lipnick
Alexa Torres
Javier Morera
Corey Landolt
Oscar Sanchez
Lope Lim
Thursday, October 24, 7:30PM
Katherine Barkman
Sarah Steele
Victoria Arrea
Adelaide Clauss
Ashley Murphy-Wilson
Helga Paris-Morales
Sona Kharatian
Kateryna Derechyna
Lucy Nevin
Stephanie Sorota
Jessy Dick
Abigail Granlund
Daniel Roberge
Andile Ndlovu
Tamas Krizsa
Masanori Takiguchi
Friday, October 25, 7:30PM
Gilles Delellio
Sarah Steele
Eun Won Lee
Samara Rittinger
Kimberly Cilento
Ayano Kimura
Brittany Stone
Audrey Malek
Andrea Allmon
Nardia Boodoo
Olivia Lipnick
Alexa Torres
Javier Morera
Andile Ndlovu
Oscar Sanchez
Saturday, October 26, 1:30PM
Katherine Barkman
Sarah Steele
Victoria Arrea
Adelaide Clauss
Ashley Murphy-Wilson
Helga Paris-Morales
Sona Kharatian
Kateryna Derechyna
Lucy Nevin
Stephanie Sorota
Jessy Dick
Abigail Granlund
Daniel Roberge
Andile Ndlovu
Tamas Krizsa
Masanori Takiguchi
Saturday, October 26, 7:30PM
Katherine Barkman
Sarah Steele
Victoria Arrea
Adelaide Clauss
Ashley Murphy-Wilson
Helga Paris-Morales
Sona Kharatian
Kateryna Derechyna
Lucy Nevin
Stephanie Sorota
Jessy Dick
Abigail Granlund
Daniel Roberge
Andile Ndlovu
Tamas Krizsa
Masanori Takiguchi
Sunday, October 27, 1:30PM
Gilles Delellio
Tamako Miyazaki
Eun Won Lee
Samara Rittinger
Kimberly Cilento
Ayano Kimura
Brittany Stone
Audrey Malek
Andrea Allmon
Nardia Boodoo
Olivia Lipnick
Alexa Torres
Javier Morera
Corey Landolt
Oscar Sanchez