Heart's Desire

Celebrate Valentine’s Day with excitement, elegance, and a trio of exceptional dances!

Polyphonia, considered Christopher Wheeldon’s breakthrough contemporary ballet, pairs four couples to the spiky and complex music of Hungarian composer György Ligeti. The work is described by dancers as “the curtain goes up and it’s like being shot out of a cannon.” Incorporating this music made famous by Stanley Kubrick’s 1999 thriller Eyes Wide Shut, Wheeldon’s Polyphonia made its premiere in 2001 with the New York City Ballet.

Stephen Mills’ Desire finds passion and raw human emotion taking the spotlight. Featuring the exquisite music of Estonian composer Arvo Pärt, this breathtaking pas de deux is inspired by the challenging emotions of letting go. Performed in Paris, New York City, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico, Desire returns home to Austin. Dance Magazine proclaimed the “… energy was high, the gestures crisp, and the partnering bold…a strong sense of aesthetic purpose…”

The music of legendary crooner Tony Bennett provides the perfect soundtrack to Jessica Lang’s ZigZag. Recently created for American Ballet Theatre, Ballet Austin is the first company to acquire the work since its premiere two years ago. Lang worked with Tony Bennett to incorporate both his songs and visual artwork into her fun-filled dance work featuring 14 dancers. With a festive array of brilliant colors, a burst of polka-dots, and (of course) zig-zags, this upbeat piece brings together seven decades of Tony Bennett’s time-honored vocal favorites in a recording that also features a special duet by Lady Gaga. With costumes by Wes Gordon, creative director of the Carolina Herrera fashion house, this work brings together the worlds of theater, dance, and fashion.

CHOREOGRAPHY | Christopher Wheeldon, Stephen Mills, Jessica Lange

MUSIC | György Ligeti (Wheeldon),  Arvo Pärt (Mills), Tony Bennett (Lang)