Square Dance
Choreography: George Balanchine
Music: Arcangelo Corelli and Antonio Vivaldi
Balanchine wrote about Square Dance, “The American style of classical dancing, its supple sharpness and richness of metrical invention, its superb preparation for risks, and its high spirits were some of the things I was trying to show in this ballet.” He combines the traditions of American folk dance (complete with a square dance caller) with classical ballet set to elegant Baroque music. The score includes Concerto Grosso in B minor, Op. 3 no. 10; Concerto Grosso in E major, Op. 3, no. 12 by Vivaldi and Sarabande, Badinerie e Giga by Corelli.
In honor of Balanchine’s 100th birth anniversary, the Kansas City Ballet premiere performance of Square Dance is being presented as it was in the original 1957 version, with musicians and a square dance caller on stage with the dancers. The male solo set to Corelli’s Sarabande was added in 1976.
World Premiere: November 21, 1957, New York City Ballet, City Center of Music and Drama
Kansas City Ballet Premiere: February 19, 2004, Lyric Theatre, Kansas City, Missouri