CCM Mainstage Presents Arpino's 'Birthday Variations'

The University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) presents a mixed-repertoire dance production culminating with Birthday Variations, choreographed by Gerald Arpino, co-founder of the Joffrey Ballet, and restaged by Nicole Duffy Robertson of the New York Dance Project. Directed by CCM Dance Professor Deirdre Carberry, the performances run Dec. 6-9, 2018 in Patricia Corbett Theater.

Arpino’s Birthday Variations features music by Giuseppe Verdi and was restaged for CCM by Duffy, a répétiteur for the Gerald Arpino Foundation. This ballet premiered in 1986, just two years before Arpino took over the Joffrey Ballet as artistic director upon Robert Joffrey’s death. Anna Kisselgoff of the New York Times describes the work as “a sparkling showpiece of classical dancing” that is “set to some of Verdi’s infectious opera-ballet music.”

The mixed-repertoire performance also showcases “Kitri’s Wedding” from Act III of Ludwig Minkus’ Don Quixote, which premiered at Moscow’s Bolshoi Theatre in 1869, with choreography by Marius Petipa and restaged by Carberry.

“This work is one of the most famous, enduring and exciting ballet adaptations in the classical repertoire,” says Jiang Qi, chair of CCM’s Dance Department, in his program notes for the production.

Three short pieces originally choreographed by CCM Dance will also take place during this program. The first is Bridges, a work by CCM Dance Professor Michael Tevlin, with music by Benjamin Britten. This piece describes seven types of bridge, from truss to arch to suspension, through dance.

After Bridges is senior CCM Dance student Hope Friedman’s Volume IV, which features original choreography to contemporary music like Marian Hill’s "Down" and Wax Tailor’s "Que Sera." It is an “exploration of what it means to be ‘normal’ and our connections with those around us,” Qi says.

Then CCM Dance presents Apertures and Vistas, choreographed by Judith Mikita, visiting assistant professor of dance. Mikita has worked with CCM Percussion Professor and Percussion Group Cincinnati member James Culley to develop a landscape of inventive movement with improvised accompaniment by four CCM percussion students.

This scintillating production is on stage Dec. 6-9, 2018 in Patricia Corbett Theater. Tickets are on sale now through the CCM Box Office; student discounts are available. Birthday Variations will last one hour and 45 minutes, including a 15-minute intermission.

• 8 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 6
• 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 7
• 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 8
• 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 9

Patricia Corbett Theater, CCM Village
University of Cincinnati

Ticket prices start at $28. Discounts are available for UC and non-UC students. Service charges may apply for online orders.

Single tickets are on sale now! Tickets can be purchased in person at the CCM Box Office, over the telephone at 513-556-4183 or online through our e-Box Office!

Visit ccm.uc.edu/boxoffice for CCM Box Office hours and location.

Parking is available in the CCM Garage (located at the base of Corry Boulevard off Jefferson Avenue) and additional garages throughout the campus of the University of Cincinnati. Please visit uc.edu/parking for more information on parking rates.

For detailed maps and directions, please visit uc.edu/visitors. Additional parking is available off-campus at the U Square complex on Calhoun Street and other neighboring lots.

For directions to CCM Village, visit ccm.uc.edu/about/directions.
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Mainstage Season Production Sponsor: Macy’s

Dance Department Supporter: The Corbett Endowment at CCM

The performance of Birthday Variations, an Arpino ballet, is presented with the permission of the Gerald Arpino Foundation and has been produced in accordance with the Foundation service standards established and provided by the Foundation.
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Featured image at top: Photo/Mark Lyons

Story by CCM Graduate Student Alexandra Doyle