When Igor Stravinsky’s ballet The Rite of Spring premiered in Paris in 1913, the audience rioted. The music was angular and dissonant. The dance ritualistic and based on pagan myths.
A century later, Stravinksy’s orchestral score is considered one of the most influential classical works of the 20th century. The ballet has been restaged innumerable times in more than 60 countries across five continents.
But it all began with the Ballets Russes, Sergei Diaghilev, Vaslav Nijinsky, and of course Stravinsky. Beginning Thursday night at the Pabst Theatre, Milwaukee Ballet choreographers Garrett Glassman, Timothy O’Donnell, and Nicole Teague-Howell will present reimaginings of three of the most iconic works from the Ballets Russes: The Firebird, Les Noces, and The Rite of Spring. And they're all set to the music of Stravinsky.
