As part of a series of events celebrating the culture that
evolved in St. Petersburg, Russia between 1703 and the present, the
University Dance Company will exhibit “Dances for St.
Petersburg” this week. The event, titled “Celebrating
St. Petersburg” commemorates the 300th anniversary of a city
that has had an enormous impact on American culture, especially
through dance and music.

The production will feature guest artist Alonzo King, founder of
San Francisco’s LINES Ballet and former choreographer for the
Joffrey Ballet, Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre of Harlem, and the
Frankfurt Ballet. The Los Angeles Times distinguishes his work as
“the most sophisticated modernism in classical dance.”
King choreographs Shostakovich’s String Quartet No. 15 in B
flat minor Op. 144 to be performed by the UM Rosseels String
Quartet.

The San Francisco Chronicle describes this particular piece as
“one of the San Francisco dancemaker’s most affecting
works…mirror(ing) the tragedy and hope of
Shostakovich’s music.” The dance includes a series of
small ensembles and solo performances.

Peter Sparling contributes choreography in his work, “The
Second Space,” which takes its title from a poem by Czeslaw
Milosz and is set to “Symphonies of Wind Instruments”
by Igor Stravinsky. The piece corresponds to St. Petersburg’s
long ascent to utopian order, and functions beyond religion and
politics. The work’s imagery is derived and influenced by the
Suprematist vision of avant-garde painter Kasimar Malevich.

Bill De Young also displays his work set to the music of
composer Edison Denisov. Denisov’s work, titled “Sonata
for Alto Sax and Piano Op. 37” portrays elements of both
American Jazz and Russian musicals from the 1960’s.

Faculty member Gay Delanghe will examine the influence of the
1904 trip to St. Petersburg by American modern dance pioneer
Isadora Duncan on the Russian Ballet choreographer Michel Fokine.
Her piece, entitled “La Duncan and Fokine” presents a
comical and insightful look at both styles.

Ruth Leney-Midkiff will use the work of painter Mikhail Larionov
to explore St. Petersburg’s reputation as the “Venice
of the North.” Her piece, entitled “Point of No
Return” is largely influenced by theories of light,
industrialization and the celebration of speed, much like the
Rayonist Painting Movement in Russia circa 1914. This piece is set
to Prokofiev’s “Etude Op. 2” and Sonata #7 in
B-flat major” played by Ming-Hsiu Yen, School of Music piano
performance major and Concerto Competition winner.

At large, the festival is a celebration and tribute to the great
Marinsky alum, George Balanchine. The festival examines various
elements of Balanchine’s life and art. Balanchine is known
for the way in which he transformed American popular dance and
culture by fusing it with St. Petersburg’s cultural heritage
and dance training.

Balanchine’s contributions outside of ballet are
multitudinous and significant. He made several contributions to
American pop culture through American film and Broadway. He also
worked extensively with great black dancers such as Harold and
Fayard Nicholas and Katherine Dunham. Although stepping outside of
his heritage when pursuing these endeavors, he never abandoned his
training in St. Petersburg.

Dances for St. Petersburg is partially supported by a grant from
the National College Choreography Initiative Foundation, a
leadership initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts with
additional support by the Dana Foundation. It is administered by
Dance USA, the national service organization for professional
dance.