Kiel

With Balanchine – Lee – Ivanenko, Ballett Kiel brings an impressively diverse evening to the opera house stage. Despite the difficult conditions caused by strikes behind the scenes, the ensemble delivered a convincing performance at the premiere, balancing tradition, abstraction, and humor. The evening opens with George Balanchine's Allegro Brillante, danced with virtuosity, elegance, and precision. Paul Boos, stage director of the Balanchine Trust, performed the work with the Kiel ensemble, which is accompanied by a recording of Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 3. Douglas Lee's Gatefall, a creation for Kiel, follows in stark contrast. In a fog-shrouded stage design and under cold neon lighting, classical ballet approaches meet electronic soundscapes by Nicolas Sàvva. The reduced aesthetic ...