Ballet Memphis will be making its Cleveland debut this weekend at the Ohio Theatre at PlayhouseSquare in Cleveland.
Hailing from the same city that spawned such legends as Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis and B.B. King, the ballet company has been an admired troupe in Memphis for 25 years.
Led by Dorothy Gunther Pugh, the company’s founding artistic director, the troupe shies away from confining itself to classical ballet and instead has a repertoire consisting of contemporary pieces inspired by the musical literary culture of its hometown and region, as well as iconic dance works and story ballets.
“We do things our own way, thank you very much,” says Pugh. “I just knew with a European-based art form we could quickly dance ourselves into meaninglessness and irrelevance if we didn’t find ways to appeal to as many people as possible.”
As a result of Pugh’s innovative vision, Memphis has opened its arms to the ballet company’s vivid and refined artistry, along with the soul, rock and blues styles that have long flourished in the city.
“It’s interesting that such a small city, and what in some ways is a depressed region financially and in other ways, would actually have so much creative spirit,” says Pugh. “It’s kind of friendly to start-ups with an interesting idea.”
Ballet Memphis will be performing Trey McIntyre’s “In Dreams,” Jane Comfort’s “S’epaniour,” Steven McMahon’s “Being Here With Other People,” Robert Battle’s “Takademe” and Julia Adam’s “Curtain of Green” under the auspices of DanceCleveland. Shows are at 8pm on Saturday, March 10, and 3pm on Sunday, March 11.
Tickets are available through playhousesquare.org or by phone at 216-241-6000 and cost $30 to $45.
