{"id":211580,"date":"2026-03-19T16:11:09","date_gmt":"2026-03-19T16:11:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/211580\/"},"modified":"2026-03-19T16:11:09","modified_gmt":"2026-03-19T16:11:09","slug":"how-two-dallas-groups-are-reimagining-a-stravinsky-masterpiece","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/211580\/","title":{"rendered":"How two Dallas groups are reimagining a Stravinsky masterpiece"},"content":{"rendered":"

By the 1910s, Igor Stravinsky<\/a> had established himself as the legendary composer of Sergei Diaghilev\u2019s Ballets Russes. The Firebird, Petrushka and The Rite of Spring remain Stravinsky\u2019s best-known works, the latter sealing his status and that of choreographer Vaslav Nijinsky when part of the audience loudly protested during the Paris premiere. It was time for something new.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey had done the three big ballets, but Diaghilev had to keep making money,\u201d explains Grover Wilkins III, artistic director of Orchestra of New Spain, which with Avant Chamber Ballet is producing what came next, the commedia dell\u2019arte inspired Pulcinella, marking the start in 1920 of Stravinsky\u2019s long neoclassical period.<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t easy. Stravinsky was at a loss about where to take his music. Diaghilev suggested some early baroque pieces he had encountered in his travels and thought they might be a good place to start for their next ballet together, Wilkins says in an interview about the program, which also includes Spanish composer Manuel de Falla\u2019s Andalusian-flavored El amor brujo.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat sparked in Stravinsky the next 30 years of his major works, totally changing the direction of what he was up to.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Wilkins was reminded how much he loved Pulcinella when he and his wife, New Spain marketing director Freya Bergren, saw a 2024 performance at the Op\u00e9ra Comique in Paris. \u201cAt the intermission, I said to Freya, \u2018We have to do this.\u2019 It\u2019s fun, it\u2019s happy, it\u2019s curious.\u201d<\/p>\n

They approached Avant artistic director Katie Puder<\/a> about a collaboration, having previously worked with the company on a flamenco show in 2017. Puder had choreographed a shorter, voiceless version of Pulcinella called The Italian Suite in 2013, so she jumped at the opportunity. <\/p>\n

\u201cI knew the music, I loved it and I\u2019ve been wanting to restage that ballet anyway,\u201d Puder says on a Zoom call with Wilkins and Bergren. \u201cTo be able to do in its full form with a full orchestra and voice was just something I couldn\u2019t say no to.\u201d<\/p>\n

Originally with a set and costumes designed by Picasso, the piece has been relocated from Italy to Mexico for local relevance and dubbed Pulcinella: Reimagined. The costumes are by Fernando Hernandez, and Fernanda Oliveira supplies additional new choreography.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t want to re-create the Diaghilev ballet because that\u2019s a masterpiece on its own,\u201d Puder says. \u201cBut you can evoke the bright, beautiful colors and some of the same hints of the graphic design of the harlequin.\u201d<\/p>\n

The new version will be performed by a 25-piece orchestra and about 20 dancers. <\/p>\n

\"Avant<\/p>\n

Avant Chamber Ballet dancers Mackenzie Oborny and Diego Miranda Monsman will perform in the production of Stravinsky’s “Pulcinella.”<\/p>\n

Jordan Fraker<\/p>\n

Pulcinella and El amor brujo couldn\u2019t be more different in temperament even as they share plot points. Both are love stories involving cheating that nonetheless end well. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe chose to contrast the light of Pulcinella with the dark of El amor brujo,\u201d Bergen says. \u201cWe were drawn to pairing the Spanish sounding piece with the French comedy. The combination struck us as very audience friendly.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pulcinella uses stock characters from broad 18th-century Italian theater. The title character cheats on his girlfriend but is forgiven after staging a mock stabbing. Brujo is about a woman who marries a man she doesn\u2019t love and who cheats on her. After his death, she\u2019s haunted by his ghost. Eventually through a series of rituals, she winds up with her true love.<\/p>\n

As Puder points out, there are only three or four human narratives. \u201cBrujo has the element of the ghost and that mysticism to it. Pulcinella is just pure comedy with a little bump in the road and then a big happy ending.\u201d<\/p>\n

The original vocals of Pulcinella are played in this version by instruments while Brujo features mezzo-soprano Carla Lopez-Speziale. The sprawling Brujo, choreographed by Puder, is danced by a cast of 33.<\/p>\n

Classical guitarist and educator Stephen Lochbaum will give a preconcert performance. Pulcinella: Reimagined, dubbed Pulcinella Jr., will be performed on its own as part of Avant\u2019s Family Series.<\/p>\n

Details<\/p>\n

Full program on March 27-28 at 7:30 p.m., with a preshow performance at 6:30 p.m. $45-$81. Pulcinella Jr. on March 28 at 2 p.m. $27. Moody Performance Hall, 2520 Flora St. orchestraofnewspain.org. avantchamberballet.org.<\/p>\n

\"'Native<\/a>What\u2019s happening in the North Texas arts world March 20 and 26<\/a><\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a list of performances and exhibitions across Dallas-Fort Worth from March 20 through March 26.<\/p>\n

\"St.<\/a>St. Vincent announces symphonic tour. Will she come to Dallas?<\/a><\/p>\n

The Lake Highlands High grad is also dropping an adventurous new album.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"By the 1910s, Igor Stravinsky had established himself as the legendary composer of Sergei Diaghilev\u2019s Ballets Russes. The…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":211581,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[5350,102,104,103,6569,5351,2509],"class_list":["post-211580","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-dallas","tag-classical-music","tag-dallas","tag-dallas-headlines","tag-dallas-news","tag-dance","tag-performing-arts","tag-theater"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/211580","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=211580"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/211580\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/211581"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=211580"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=211580"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=211580"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}