CELEBRATING ST. LOUIS’ VIBRANT DANCE COMMUNITY
St. Louis Dance HQ’s Blog is a compilation of writings and performance reviews from a variety of St. Louis based dance writers. If you’re interested in sharing your writing on our blog, please email stlouisdancehq@gmail.com.
HQ Review: Saint Louis Ballet’s “Western Symphony,” “Serenade,” and “After The Rain”
Loose clusters of women stoically stand, arms outstretched diagonally above them. As the romantic swells of Peter Tchaikovsky’s music churn, the dancers’ arms softly ripple through space, and the dance commences with a harmonious simplicity that calls to life the spirit of George Balanchine. This opening tableau came to life when Balanchine first choreographed this work, “Serenade,” in 1934. During the rehearsal process, Balanchine saw the dancers blocking the sun out of their eyes, and he extracted this accidental encounter and utilized it as the opening gesture from which this choreography is born. That is just one of the ways Balanchine expanded how the form of ballet was created. He allowed the process itself to shape a work’s form. In addition, that form did not need anything outside of itself, be it narrative or preconceived context, to evoke emotion. This pioneering work continues to be an evocative piece that brings to life the beginnings of Balanchine’s career in America. It also makes one consider how the legacy of Balanchine continues to have a stronghold upon both the advances and limitations for how ballet exists within America.
Spotlight On: Cici Houston Sudholt for Women’s History Month
Spotlight On: Cici Houston Sudholt, Saint Louis Ballet Rehearsal Director.
HQ Review: Saint Louis Ballet’s LOVEX3
Saint Louis Ballet’s production of Love X 3, which took place at the Kirkwood Performing Arts Center February 16-18, 2024, featured three pieces of varying styles of ballet, created by three different choreographers. The performances in this show clearly displayed how versatile ballet can be and gave everyone in the audience something to appreciate about ballet, no matter what their personal preferences may be.
HQ Review: A Synopsis of St. Louis Ballet’s “Giselle”
Saint Louis Ballet opened their 2023-2024 season with Giselle at the Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center on the campus of University of Missouri-St. Louis. This haunting full-length ballet featured live music from the Chamber Music Society of Saint Louis, continuing a new tradition of excellence for the company.
Spotlight On: Mark-David Bloodgood
Mark-David Bloodgood is originally from Seattle, Washington and grew up training at the Pacific Northwest Ballet School. He studied there for 12 years and then danced in various companies throughout the country until he landed in St. Louis in 2016. His enthusiasm for life—both onstage and off—is contagious, and he was eager to converse during this interview the week before Saint Louis Ballet began its 2023-2024 season. The company’s first performance, Giselle, will take place on October 6-8 at the Touhill Performing Arts Center on the campus of University of Missouri-St. Louis.
HQ Review: St. Louis Ballet’s “Swan Lake”
Saint Louis Ballet presented Swan Lake at the Touhill Performing Arts Center on the campus of the University of Missouri—St. Louis from April 28-30. This production of Swan Lake was noteworthy for Saint Louis Ballet because it was originally part of the 2019/2020 dance season that the pandemic forced to an early end before Swan Lake could take the stage. The 2022/2023 season not only put Swan Lake back onstage, but it did so with live orchestra music for the first time in the company’s history, provided by the Springfield Symphony Orchestra.