Is Ballet Dead? Not in Tulsa!

Soo Youn Cho and Alberto Montesso in the world premiere of Speaking of Each by Ma Cong, April 2010

There is no lack of cutting-edge, new works at Tulsa Ballet, the primary reason Jennifer Homans, author of Apollo’s Angels: A History of Ballet, thinks that ballet is dying.

“We are at a conservative moment in ballet, and dancers need to feel like they are doing new work,” Homans pointed out in an article printed by Independent.co.uk on April 5, 2011. “Unfortunately, for the most part, the new work is not living up to the old work.”

Not so at Tulsa Ballet. To date, ten new ballets have premiered in Studio K (Tulsa Ballet’s own theater located in Brookside) since the spring of 2008, to rave reviews. At least three of these works have been acquired by a number of companies in both Europe and the Far East. Tulsa has officially become an exporter of art worldwide.

“We are very fortunate in Tulsa to have a space like Studio K, dedicated to the creation of original works,” said Marcello Angelini, Tulsa Ballet Artistic Director. “At this time, there are only three other companies in this country that enjoy the luxury of an intimate, yet proper on-site theater in which to share dance with their audiences.”

On April 29 to May 8, the fourth annual Creations in Studio K series will premiere two more original works.

The first ballet, titled Tethered Pulse, is by Tulsa Ballet resident choreographer and principal dancer Ma Cong. This work is about people trying to understand different kinds of relationships, and the inspiration comes from Mr. Cong’s own personal experience.

“The emotion of this piece comes from the ideas and inspiration I have known in my own life,” said Mr. Cong.

The second new creation is Blur, by French choreographer Tony Fabre, who is a former principal dancer with companies ranging from The Royal Ballet I London to Compañía Nacional de Danza in Madrid. Recently, he served a decade long term as artistic director of Compañía Nacional de Danza 2. Blur is an ensemble work with the lead couple representing the struggle confronting every human being – that of choosing between instinct and conscience.

“That is when life becomes a bit of a "blur" and one struggles to find peace,” said Mr. Fabre. The third ballet, back by popular demand, is Ma Cong’s Blood Rush, which energized crowds at the opening of Studio K three years ago. Despite an absent storyline, Blood Rush is very direct in its presentation of the melding of two very different forms of dance – classical ballet and the tango.

“Tulsa Ballet has never played by the rules, and these three exciting pieces show that ballet can be fresh and new,” said Angelini. “Ballet is dying? Not in Tulsa.”