Come In
Choreography by Aszure Barton Music by Vladimir Martynov Come In! By arrangement with G. Schirmer, INC. publisher and copyright owner Costume Design by Aszure Barton
Lighting Design by Leo Janks Staged by Taylor LaBruzzo
Katherine Burkwall-Ciscon , Celesta Denise Tarrant , Violin
World Premiere: Come In was created for Mikhail Baryshnikov and Hell’s Kitchen Dance in Buffalo, NY on June 8, 2006. Houston Ballet Premiere: March 21, 2019 in the Brown Theater at Wortham Theater Center in Houston, Texas. WHAT YOU’RE WATCHING Originally choreographed for ballet legend Mikhail Baryshnikov, this contemporary work for thirteen male dancers offers a raw and immersive experience through its honest, nerve-tingling ensemble movements and breathtaking solos. Set to the meditative all-string score of Vladimir Martynov, Come In explores the depths of human connection and expression. The choreography delves into themes of vulnerability and resilience, creating an intimate dialogue between the dancers and the music. WHAT YOU’RE LISTENING TO Come In!, a 1988 work for strings, celesta, and woodblock by Russian composer Vladimir Martynov, might sound at first like the slow movement of a Romantic-era string quartet, but the contemplative mood is soon interrupted by a “knock” at the door. According to Martynov, “all our deeds are but a timid knocking on this mysterious door”— that is, the door to heaven. Woven into six continuous movements, the celesta and woodblock “knocking” continues as two solo violins soar above a string ensemble chorale. We seem to get our response at the very end, but what is beyond the door is left unanswered.
Is anything as sublime as a stage full of ballet dancers barely moving, simply and purely, in unison? I think not. Aszure Barton’s Come In opens ... on a meditative note that feels like a palate cleanse from the world’s noise. It’s a rumination on the passage of time, the kind of dance that brings you back to life’s most essential truth: We are young, then we are old.” MOLLY GLENTZER, HOUSTON CHRONICLE (2019) “
HOUSTON BALLET
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