O zlozony / O composite – Past Event

Performances by Pennsylvania Ballet

Part of Pennsylvania Ballet’s Balanchine and Beyond program

Merriam Theater
250 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102
Directions and parking information.
Wheelchair accessible

Thursday June 9 || 7:30pm TICKETS
Friday June 10 || 7:30pm TICKETS
Saturday June 11 || 2pm TICKETS
Saturday June 11 || 8pm TICKETS
Sunday June 12 || 2pm TICKETS

“I wanted the work to be abstract. But a bird flies past every once in a while.” Trisha Brown

“Strong emotional resonances and a sense of mystery arise from the dancers’ delicate actions . . . provokes thunderous, ecstatic applause.” Dance Magazine

Brown’s own black and white ballet.

O zlozony / O composite (2004) combines the richness of Brown’s most complex movement and partnering with the refined action of classical dance. The ballet was inspired by the poetry of Polish writer Czeslaw Milosz and Edna St. Vincent Millay, which is incorporated into Laurie Anderson’s score. Brown infused her abstract dances with subtle but recognizable imagery and emotional expression in the latter part of her career. Here the dance unfolds in an atmosphere of hushed mystery created through the music and a spectacular backdrop by painter Vija Celmins.

Originally created on stars of the Paris Opera Ballet, Pennsylvania Ballet’s presentation of O zlozony / O composite marks first time an American ballet company has ever performed a dance by Trisha Brown. Pennsylvania Ballet’s final performance series of their 2015-2016 season, Balanchine and Beyond, also includes Hammerklavier (Hans Van Manen) and The Four Temperaments (George Balanchine).

Choreography Trisha Brown Sound Laurie Anderson Visual Design Vija Celmins Costumes Elizabeth Cannon

Photo: Julieta Cervantes