By Elizab
eth Kramer for The Courier-Journal
February 26, 2016
The Louisville Ballet’s primary rehearsals studio overlooking Main Street looks a little different in the lead up to the opening of a new production.
“Don’t run into the chairs,” choreographer Adam Hougland called out to the dancers as they began to take their places.
In front and in back of the dancers were two lines of black chairs.
Hougland placed the chairs there as stand-ins for Louisville Orchestra musicians who will be playing on stage when both the ballet company and orchestra present its first co-production in early March.
The idea of a co-production goes back to late 2014 after Louisville Ballet artistic director Robert Curran took on the company’s leadership role and emphasized his strong devotion to have live music at performances. Curran met with the Louisville Orchestra’s Musical Director Teddy Abrams to find ways they could collaborate.
“We worked on rethinking everything and about how we can put the ballet and the music in a light,” Abrams said.
With the two companies committed to a co-production, the decision to feature a program with new musical work and choreography by Hougland – the ballet’s principal choreographer since 2003 – naturally followed.