Shorts | Oklahoma City Ballet

Gerald Arpino’s Birthday Variations  

Birthday Variations was commissioned as a birthday present to the owner of Chicago’s Civic Opera House, who loved Verdi’s music. Oklahoma City Ballet is proud to perform this ballet in both in Oklahoma City and in Chicago as a part of the centennial celebration of Gerald Arpino’s birth. “…the result is more than a piece d’occasion. Birthday Variations, set to some of Verdi’s infectious opera-ballet music, is a sparkling showpiece of classical dancing.” —Anna Kisselgoff, New York Times   

George Balanchine’s Western Symphony 

Set on a rugged Old West street populated by cowboys and dance hall girls, Western Symphony nevertheless is very much a classical work. The steps Balanchine uses from the traditional ballet vocabulary allude to the steps, formations, and gestures of American folk dancing. The ballet is a striking example of Balanchine’s fascination with American themes.  

Twyla Tharp’s The Golden Section 

Using the music of Grammy award-winning musical artist David Byrne, Twyla Tharp’s choreography in The Golden Section sends golden-clad dancers soaring through space, bursting with momentum. Originally used as the finale from her Broadway work The Catherine Wheel, The Golden Section is now performed as a standalone work and is one of Tharp’s most beloved creations.