The Shakespeare Cycle Triptych

Photographer Steve Wilson.
Dancers Naomi Tanioka, Gavin Abercrombie and Cameron Thomas. Photographer Brad Austin.

Choreographer/Concept/Editor: Helen Pickett
Music: Peter Salem
Cinematographer: Brad Austin/Kansas City PBS
Camera Operator: Cole Blaise
Ballet Master: Parrish Maynard
Artistic Director & Producer: Devon Carney
Executive Director: Jeffrey J. Bentley
Episode Producer & Editor: Elizabeth Stehling

This triptych, from The Shakespeare Cycle, is a collaborative creation between KCB, Kansas City PBS and Helen Pickett. All three dances were created and rehearsed entirely on Zoom, in the dancers’ homes, the Kansas City Ballet studios, and in my apartment in Philadelphia. The ballets were filmed and produced at Kansas City PBS studios with Brad Austin at the helm. My heartfelt thanks to all involved for bringing this art to life. It was pure joy! Thank you to composer Peter Salem for generously donating his original music for all three dances. We prove, with every dance step, that we will thrive and make our art so that we may give it to our dance lovers. This collaborative effort proves that together is better!

Solo: What Angel Wakes Me (A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Act III, Sc I)

Duet: Look Here, Love (Cymbeline, Act I, Sc I)

Trio: Hurly-Burly (Macbeth, Act I, Sc 1)

These works were part of Kansas City Ballet’s New Moves 2021 Series which was presented virtually during the COVID-19 pandemic; premiering one episode online each week. All original works were filmed in beautifully iconic Kansas City locations. 


World premiere: Kansas City Ballet, March 18, 2021
PBS Studio, Kansas City Missouri


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