Press: New take on iconic poster celebrates artist, ballet

By Jo Anne Triplett for LEO Weekly

October 11, 2017

A ballet pointe shoe resting atop an egg. How simple — and how odd. The two do not normally go together. And yet that vision by the late designer Julius Friedman became an iconic poster of international renown.

“Toe on Egg,” as it became known, was created in 1980. Because of it and “Fresh Paint,” another poster with eggs that has become well-known, Friedman started describing himself as “the egg man.”

In the book “Julius Friedman: Images & Ideas,” designer Leslie Friesen wrote that Friedman used “the combination of incongruous elements to create an unexpected, attention-grabbing image … The results are memorable, etching themselves in your mind.”

Friedman admired dance and especially the Louisville Ballet, and he gifted “Toe on Egg” to the troupe. “Julius was a true artist,” said Cherie Perez, the Louisville Ballet’s director of marketing. “His love for the Ballet and the Louisville community ran deep.”

But even icons can be revisited, much like revivals on Broadway.

The advertising agency Mightily was hired by the Louisville Ballet in May to promote its 2017-18 season, which opens in November with “Stravinsky!” The program consists of “Rubies,” a Stravinsky/Balanchine collaboration, and the world-premiere of a contemporary version of “Firebird.”

Read More

SWAN LAKE

November 11-14 2021
The Brown Theatre
Choreography by Robert Curran
Music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchakiovsky

This will close in 0 seconds

The Brown-Forman Nutcracker

December 11-23, 2021
Whitney Hall, Kentucky Center
Choreography by Val Caniparoli
Music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

This will close in 0 seconds

ChorShow

January 12-22, 2022
Louisville Ballet Studios

This will close in 0 seconds

Spotlight Series: Impressionism to Jazz

March 3-5, 2022
The Brown Theatre
A mixed repertory evening featuring:

Emeralds

Choreography by George Balanchine

Music: "Pelléas et Mélisande" + "Shylock" by Gabriel Fauré

In G Major

Choreography by Jerome Robbins
Music: "Piano Concerto in G Major" by Maurice Ravel

World Premiere Work

Music by Louisville-based Jazz Composer and Musician, Dick Sisto

This will close in 0 seconds

Sleeping Beauty

March 31 - April 2, 2022
The Brown Theatre
Choreography by Adam Hougland
Music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchakiovsky

This will close in 0 seconds