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Commissions of Work by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa and Helen Pickett

BalletX
Justin Flores in Annabelle Lopez Ochoa’s Still@Life. Photo by Alexander Iziliaev.
Justin Flores in Annabelle Lopez Ochoa’s Still@Life. Photo by Alexander Iziliaev.

BalletX commissioned new works by two female choreographers, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa and Helen Pickett, which examined gender issues in ballet culture. Ochoa's Still@Life, her first collaboration with an American dance company, was inspired by still life paintings and portraits from the Baroque era, set to music by J. S. Bach and van Wassenaer. Pickett's Union was an abstract ballet with original music by German composer and musician Bernd Sippel. The new works were presented on a program that also featured a revival of Numb Roads (2001), choreographed by BalletX's Christine Cox.


Recipient
BalletX

BalletX

Founded in 2005 by Christine Cox and Matthew Neenan, BalletX presents contemporary ballet with a focus on world-premiere choreography. To date, the company has produced more than 140 world premieres by more than 80 international choreographers, including Trey McIntyre, Nicolo Fonte, Jorma Elo, Olivier Wevers, and more, presenting in Philadelphia and in venues and festivals around the world like the Kennedy Center, The Joyce Theater, the Vail International Dance Festival, and Jacob's Pillow.

 

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Sonia Sanchez. Photo by Erika Vonie.
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Pew Fellows Candice Iloh and Armando Veve. Photos by Neal Santos.

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Enrique Bostelmann, Portrait of Cora Flores, 1980, part of Mirages series.

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EgoPo Classic Theater, rehearsal for Ramayana with Papermoon Puppet Theatre and Kalanari Theatre Movement, 2023, Java, Indonesia. Photo courtesy of EgoPo. 

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