The Firebird & 3 New Works: SW Virginia Ballet

Long considered the most dramatic finale on any musical program, this powerful piece of music by Igor Stravinsky, performed by the young musicians in the Roanoke Youth Symphony Orchestra and the young dancers from Southwest Virginia Ballet, will create the most exciting weekend of performing arts in the Valley! With death and rebirth as its theme, this musical segment personifies nature in the form of a sprite who is summoned by a lone elk, the monarch of the forest. When the beauty of springtime is destroyed by the fury of the Firebird, who lives within an active volcano, it is up to the elk and sprite to once again bring life back to the ravaged forest and triumphantly reawaken what lies beneath the ashes.

In CELEBRATION youth in the arts is celebrated with collaborative performances by the Southwest Virginia Ballet and the Roanoke Youth Symphony Orchestra, together they will explore sound and movement in the classical genre.  First of the evening are three challenging and diverse world premieres by choreographers, Rebecca Weger, Abigail Williams and Pedro Szalay(SVB artistic director).  The musical scores are from the classical and character repertoires.  Then, the evening will culminate when the extraordinary choreography of Vicente Nebrada’s Firebird is danced by Southwest Virginia Ballet and the intricate score of Igor Stravinsky is performed by the Roanoke Youth Orchestra.  The choreography has been danced worldwide; Pedro Szalay was an original dancer when the production was set in the National Ballet of Caracas.  Szalay is proud to be able to put this production back on stage, bringing Nebrada’s spirit back to life and sharing his energy with the Valley.  With success and partnerships, Szalay will bring more of Nebrada’s work to life. The costumes made by the imaginative designer Christina Giannini and the lighting design of Dirk Kuyk will make this classic story live.