FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 6th, 2022
TULSA, Okla. – October 6, 2022 –Tulsa Ballet will present its first full-length ballet of the season with a World Premiere production of Carmen, based on Bizet’s much-loved opera. This exciting new ballet will feature choreography by esteemed British choreographer, director, producer and Northern Ballet’s Resident Choreographer Kenneth Tindall, who in 2021 received a double nomination by the British Critics Circle for their National Dance Award.
While this is a brand new production, it is not the first time Tulsa Ballet has produced a Carmen. In 2001, the Company premiered Amedeo Amodio’s version, which was a co-production with one of the most prestigious Italian opera houses, Maggio Musicale Fiorentino. Artistic Director Marcello Angelini says, “While I love Amedeo’s choreography, I feel the work needs to be reimagined based on the cultural shifts of the past two decades. I have been looking for the right choreographer to transform and translate this story into a dance piece that is artistically compelling while telling the story in the optics of the 21st century.”
Angelini found the perfect fit with British choreographer, Kenneth Tindall. A former principal dancer, his first full-length ballet Casanova received much critical acclaim and standing ovations throughout its 2017 tour of the UK. Tindall went on to choreograph nationally and internationally, amassing a number of choreographic awards including Production Prize at the 26th International Choreographic Competition in Hanover, Best Classical Choreographer and Emerging Artist at the National Dance Awards and became the recipient of the Outstanding Achievement in a new Dance Production at the Broadway World UK Awards 2017. Angelini continues, “Kenneth is a choreographer I have been watching for years; he is a great story teller, one whose choreography tells the story with each step, each breath, each glance. He excels in creating works on tales of passion, intrigue and drama. This will be an epic Carmen!”
Tindall says, “I am delighted to have been asked to choreograph Carmen for Tulsa Ballet and thank Marcello for trusting me with his beautifully gifted company and giving me the opportunity to create my first full length ballet in the United States. Carmen has a long performative history and many interpretations through multiple mediums. Whilst I have looked to nod to and take inspiration from the original source material of the Prosper Novella and the Bizet opera this Carmen will look to contextualize these characters and narrative through a modernized lens.”
The music of Carmen comes from the Bizet score and allows the characters to come to life in every scene, which is essential for the psychologically charged, passionate story of Carmen, Don José, and Escamillo. While the main storyline stays true to the original, Tulsa Ballet’s version will refocus the audience’s attention on Don José’s inability to accept Carmen for who she is and how those factors affect the outcome of the story.
Carmen will run from November 4-6 at the Tulsa Performing Arts Center. Tickets start as low as $25 and may be purchased by calling (918) 749-6006 or by visiting www.tulsaballet.org.
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Tulsa Ballet’s Carmen
QUICK FACTS
Dates:
November 4th at 7:30 p.m.
November 5th at 7:30 p.m.
November 6th at 2:30 p.m.
Tickets:
Call (918) 749–6006 or visit www.tulsaballet.org.
Tickets to Carmen start at $25.
Hi-Res images and interview opportunities available:
Lacy Applegate, Marketing Manager
(918) 749-6030 X228