June 13, 7:00pm
June 14, 2:30pm
At Touhill's LEE THEATER
An intimate performance experience featuring new works and encores of season favorites!
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All Tickets $33
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General Seating, First Come First Seated
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View Touhill's Lee Theater Seating Map
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Subscribers PRESALE April 1st at 10am
Overview and Program:
Step into an intimate evening of dance at the Touhill’s Lee Theater, where ENCORE brings you closer than ever to the artistry onstage. This up-close performance offers a rare, personal perspective on a dynamic program featuring audience favorites alongside exciting new premieres.
Experience fresh works by CiCi Houston Sudholdt, Bolero, and Christine Settembrino, alongside celebrated excerpts including Liturgy and Carousel (A Dance) Pas de Deux by Christopher Wheeldon and The Four Temperaments by George Balanchine.
Performed by Saint Louis Ballet company artists and rising stars from the Professional Trainee Division, ENCORE showcases both the power of the ensemble and the individuality of each dancer—all in a setting that invites you to feel every moment.
BOLERO
Music by Maurice Ravel
Choreography by CiCi Houston
From the Choreographer:
"Bolero - you probably know this music. It was originally commissioned as a ballet and has been reimagined for dance many times, sometimes iconically so. For that reason I never felt an impulse to choreograph to this music, not until I saw the music in a live performance by the SLSO last year. While I knew the piece, I didn't know which musician on the stage would "grab the baton" next, jumping out of the ensemble and into the spotlight. There emerged my structure: every dancer participates in the corps de ballet, and everyone is a soloist, just as Ravel had written it."
"Ravel’s ballet is deeply influenced by his parents—his mother’s Spanish heritage, reflected in floral elements like the carnation, and his father’s work as an engineer. The corps de ballet will embody this sense of industrial precision and repetition, while soloists highlight individual artistry, like flowers in a garden. Together, the dancers of our Professional Training Program showcase both their unique voices and the strength of a unified ensemble."
Below: A previous work by Houston, Grandel Theater, May 2025
Encore Performances of:
LITURGY
Choreography by Christopher Wheeldon
FOUR TEMPERAMENTS
Choreography by George Balanchine
CAROUSEL (A Dance)
Pas de Deux Only
Choreography by Christopher Wheeldon
Liturgy: "This contemporary pas de deux by Christopher Wheeldon starts off calm and grows into something breathtaking. The two performers move apart and return to one another with a measured restraint that slowly gives way to urgency. The darkness that ultimately envelops the dancers feels less like an ending and more like the beginning of something new, a shared disappearance that lingers long after the stage goes black."
Keira Reddington, St. Louis Dance HQ
A striking exploration of personality through movement, Four Temperaments brings bold musicality and dynamic contrast to the stage. With its blend of precision and individuality, this iconic work highlights the power of both the ensemble and the soloist—offering audiences a captivating glimpse into the range and artistry of our dancers in Encore.
