Delicate Balance

Music: Frederic Chopin (Grand Fantasy on Polish Airs, Op. 13, 1828)
Choreography: Kent Stowell
Costume Design: Theoni V. Aldredge
Lighting Design: Randall G. Chiarelli
Duration: 18 minutes
Premiere: February 3, 1988; Pacific Northwest Ballet

Regarding his motivation for creating Delicate Balance when it premiered in February 1988, Kent Stowell said:

“The music of Frederic Chopin has played an important role in dance history. Some of the more significant ballet pieces created to his music include Michael Fokine’s Les Sylphides, Frederick Ashton’s A Month in the Country, and Jerome Robbins’ Dances at a Gathering. Working with a Chopin score, one is aware of the delicate and sensitive relationship between the dancers and the music. I looked forward to adding a Chopin piece to our repertoire.”

During its premiere year, Delicate Balance was also performed at the Spoleto Festival and for a KCTS television special.

Notes by Jeanie Tomas; edited by Doug Fullington, 2009.