Ma Cong to host a World Premiere at BalletMet Columbus
Feb 9, 2010 in General
Just in time for Valentine’s Day, BalletMet Columbus presents the romantic comedy, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Feb. 5-14 at the Capitol Theatre. Based on William Shakespeare’s play, David Nixon’s ballet offers laughter, entertainment and engaging storytelling for all ages. Completing the program is a passionate world premiere by innovative choreographer Ma Cong.
Adventures and misadventures abound in Midsummer. The story features such recognizable characters as Puck, the knavish sprite; Oberon, Titania, queen of the fairies and Oberon their king; Helena and her unrequited love, Demetrius; and Hermia and Lysander, a couple in love. The kingdoms of these humans and fairies intertwine thanks to the mischievous Puck and a spell he casts with the juice of a magical flower pierced by Cupid’s arrow.
The beloved music of Felix Mendelssohn accompanies the ballet. Mendelssohn created his captivating overture to A Midsummer Night’s Dream in 1826 at the tender age of 17. The overture and more of Mendelssohn’s timeless music is featured in the production.
“I have seen a number of well known ballets of Midsummer and David Nixon’s is by far the most satisfying and amusing to watch,” said BalletMet Artistic Director Gerard Charles.
To accompany the one-act Midsummer, Ma Cong presents a new dance work that speaks sensually about Mediterranean culture and spirituality through organic, grounded movement. The work presents the contrasts between softness and strength, femininity and masculinity. Complimenting the movement is eclectic jazz music by artists including Anouar Brahem and Dhafer Youssef. The costumes, designed by BalletMet Costume Shop Manager Rebecca Turk, are inspired by East Indian body art and textiles. Cong, in Columbus in January to set his new work, looks forward to once again working with BalletMet.
“It has always been such a wonderful experience working with BalletMet dancers,” Cong said. “They are all very good movers with strong technique. They react very fast and process movement fast.”
THE CHOREOGRAPHERS
David Nixon’s career began at the National Ballet of Canada. In 1985 he joined the Deutsche Oper Ballet in Berlin and won the 1987 Critics Award for Best Male Performance. Nixon held positions with National Ballet of Canada, Bayerisches Staatsballett Munich and Royal Winnipeg Ballet before returning to Deutsche Oper Ballet in 1994 as first ballet master.
Nixon became BalletMet’s Artistic Director in 1994. During his six-year tenure he added several premieres to the repertoire, including his own productions of The Nutcracker, Dracula, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and more. He left BalletMet in 2001 to become Artistic Director of Northern Ballet Theatre. He was voted Director of the Year by Dance Europe Magazine in 2003 and 2006. In 2010, he was awarded an Order of the British Empire honor for contributions to dance.
Ma Cong joined Tulsa Ballet in 1999 after dancing with the National Ballet of China. Trained at the Beijing Dance Academy, he received many accolades during his career including one of Dance Magazine’s “25 to Watch” and was a finalist at the Paris International Dance Competition and the New York International Ballet Competition. In 2008 he earned first prize in the 21st Century Choreographic Competition and was named a choreographer for the National Choreographers’ Initiative that same year. Cong has created many works for Tulsa Ballet including Carmina Burana for Tulsa’s 50th anniversary and works for companies including Ballet Des Moines and Ballet Nouveau Colorado. He created Two of Us for BalletMet’s 30th anniversary program in 2007.
