Firebird by Kent Stowell is a vibrant, dramatic ballet that reimagines the classic tale through dynamic choreography, striking visual design, and Stravinsky’s powerful score, telling the story of a magical Firebird who helps a young hero defeat evil and free an enchanted kingdom.

Firebird by Kent Stowell is a richly theatrical, visually striking reinterpretation of the legendary Russian fairytale, set to Igor Stravinsky’s iconic, rhythmically powerful score. Stowell’s version blends classical ballet vocabulary with bold dramatic staging, creating a magical world filled with enchantment, danger, and heroic transformation.

The ballet begins as Prince Ivan wanders into a mysterious, twilight forest ruled by supernatural forces. There he encounters the Firebird, a radiant and otherworldly creature whose movements are quick, shimmering, and filled with fierce, avian energy. After a tense struggle, Ivan captures her—but instead of harming her, he chooses compassion. Grateful, the Firebird offers him a magical feather that will come to his aid in times of peril.

Ivan then discovers a group of maidens held captive by the evil sorcerer Kastchei, whose grotesque minions guard his enchanted realm. Drawn to one maiden in particular—the Beautiful Tsarevna—Ivan joins their plight but is soon caught by Kastchei. At the moment of greatest danger, Ivan summons the Firebird with the feather. She appears in a blaze of power, dancing with wild, hypnotic energy that forces Kastchei and his creatures into a fevered, chaotic dance until they collapse.

The Firebird reveals the secret to the sorcerer’s destruction, allowing Ivan to break Kastchei’s spell. With the curse lifted, the captives are freed, the kingdom awakens, and the ballet concludes with a triumphant celebration as Ivan and the Tsarevna are united.

Stowell’s Firebird is admired for its expressive storytelling, atmospheric design, and its central role for the Firebird—a character whose brilliant, fiery choreography embodies both mystery and strength. The production balances fantasy and emotion, creating a powerful, family-friendly ballet that brings the classic legend vividly to life.

Red Angels by Ulysses Dove is a powerful, high-energy ballet for four dancers that blends sharp, athletic movement with intense musical drive, creating an atmosphere of tension, passion, and electric physicality.

Red Angels by Ulysses Dove is a striking, high-intensity contemporary ballet created in 1994, known for its fierce physicality, dramatic lighting, and electrifying emotional atmosphere. Set to a driving electric violin score by Richard Einhorn, the ballet explores themes of power, desire, and human connection through movement that is both precise and explosive.

The work is choreographed for four dancers—two men and two women—who perform in vivid red costumes under stark, sculptural lighting. The stage is stripped down, emphasizing the dancers’ bodies and the tension between them. Dove’s signature style is immediately present: sharp lines, split-second timing, bold extensions, and choreography that pushes the dancers to their physical limits.

Throughout the piece, the dancers move in a dynamic interplay of attraction, confrontation, and partnership. The choreography highlights both individual strength and ensemble unity, often building to moments of near-athletic intensity. The solo violin part, performed live in many productions, serves as a “fifth character,” amplifying the emotional stakes and giving the ballet its unmistakable edge.
 

Little Mortal Jump is a playful, cinematic contemporary ballet that blends humor, theatricality, and emotional depth, using quick transitions, unexpected staging, and dynamic movement to explore human relationships and the fragile, unpredictable nature of life.

Little Mortal Jump is a highly theatrical and emotionally layered contemporary ballet by Alejandro Cerrudo, known for its inventive staging, cinematic atmosphere, and seamless blend of humor, intimacy, and poetic movement. The work unfolds as a series of interconnected vignettes, each exploring different facets of human relationships—connection, longing, playfulness, vulnerability, and the delicate balance between trust and uncertainty.

Cerrudo uses a mixed soundtrack that includes classical, contemporary, and atmospheric music, creating a shifting emotional landscape that guides the audience from lighthearted moments to deeply reflective ones. The choreography is fluid and modern, marked by soft, elastic partnering, unexpected lifts, and transitions that seem to melt from one scene into another. Dancers move with a sense of weightlessness and sensitivity, often in close physical dialogue.

A defining feature of the ballet is its imaginative use of props and staging: moving platforms, sliding panels, shifting light boxes, and sudden changes of scene create the illusion of stepping through different worlds, like snapshots from a dream or fragments of memory. These theatrical elements enhance the work’s sense of surprise and keep the audience constantly engaged.

At its core, Little Mortal Jump reflects on the fleeting nature of human experience—how connections form, dissolve, and transform, and how moments of joy often coexist with moments of fragility. The ballet’s title evokes the small but profound leaps people make every day—toward each other, toward risk, toward love, toward change.

Praised for its originality, emotional accessibility, and visual poetry, Little Mortal Jump has become one of Cerrudo’s signature works, celebrated for its warmth, creativity, and deeply human spirit.