AfriClassical: OperaBallet.Indiana.edu: An Evening of William Grant Still: "Highway 1, USA" and "19," a ballet choreographed by Sasha Janes [Feb. 4 & 5 livestreamed 7:30 PM ET]

Monday, January 24, 2022

OperaBallet.Indiana.edu: An Evening of William Grant Still: "Highway 1, USA" and "19," a ballet choreographed by Sasha Janes [Feb. 4 & 5 livestreamed 7:30 PM ET]

An Evening of William Grant Still

Music by W. G. Still

“Still's voice may be more relevant today than ever before.”

HOUSTON SYMPHONY

The Still of the evening.

Shattering color barriers in classical music with a string of firsts, William Grant Still became known as the “Dean of African American Composers.”

First, a deathbed promise fuels an emotional explosion at a small-town gas station on the seemingly tranquil Highway 1 in this intimate opera about human thresholds.

Then, ballet meets home life in times of quarantine, capturing the surreal state of a global pandemic.

Created to music from Still’s Afro-American Symphony, this finalized version of Jacobs’ 2020 Fall Ballet includes the third section of Sasha Janes’ work, as dancers are once again allowed freedom of movement.

In English with English supertitles.