Alonzo King's collaboration with the Grammy Award winning composer and bass virtuoso Edgar Meyer is a welcoming piece of stunning moments, heart-piercing melodies, and touches of narrative rarely seen in King's choreography.
Created for the Company's 30th anniversary, Meyer is lusciously textured with a striking backdrop of synchronized water created by the Academy Award winning designer Jim Doyle. Meyer speaks of the complexities of human behavior in a piece that pulses with playfulness. King's solos and duets alternate from exhilarating tear-up-the-space dancing to his sensitive and at times contentious partnering.
Meyer's commissioned score, an appealing mix of classical and jazz for cello, violin, double bass, and piano, gives the piece and the performers a feeling of improvisational freedom uniquely honoring the roots of both contemporary dance and classical ballet.
Writing Ground draws its inspiration from the words of writer Colum McCann. In this piece, Alonzo King explores the wealth of traditional music from the Jewish, Christian, Muslim and Tibetan traditions. His choreography becomes a language, at once poetic and electrifying.
Combining a classical technique with personal intervention, Alonzo King projects his performers in a nonstop dance translating into a staggering articulation of bodies. After a dancer's career at Alvin Ailey company and American Ballet Theatre, Alonzo King moved to San Francisco and in 1982 founded LINES Ballet which today is one of the most prestigious and exciting companies in North America. Highly recognized in the United States, he has worked regularly with opera, television and cinema. At the same time he is invited to work with the largest companies around the world. William Forsythe stated that “Alonzo King is one of the few, true Ballet Masters of our times.” Admirer of Balanchine, he creates bridges between tradition and modernity and developes an inventive, sensual and vibrant dance with impeccable classically trained dancers. Through his collaborations with artists from different disciplines and cultures, he proposes a work that is always new and fed by cultural diversity. As a visionary choreographer, Alonzo King is renowned for his incredible ability to grip the audience with a real humanity and a deep sense of freedom. The company ‘s repertoire includes 13 pieces, especially Meyer (2013), Biophony (2015), Sand et Art Song (2016) et Figures of speech (2017).