STORY BALLET
new work in development
premiering 2026
STORY BALLET is a contemporary re-contextualization of Hector Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique into an evening length multidisciplinary dance theater phantasmagoric nightmare.
The work utilizes the backstory of Hector Berlioz’s psychedelic symphony to create an ‘evening length ballet’. Berlioz’s original narrative objectifies “the/a woman” as an obsession. STORY BALLET queers this concept, redefining the symphony’s story as 5 performers being haunted by the ghost of themselves. The fixation on physical identity and preservation within a dancer’s career serves as a framework for shaping each performer’s ghost.
Within our work we are often extending the dramaturgy of its concepts through the incorporation of bespoke technological media systems. Within STORY BALLET, we are working with holographic projection, motion capture flesh blobs, haze, and a laser in addition to the incorporation of surreal and stark lighting to illustrate the performers' descent into dissolution.
STORY BALLET is set to premiere in 2027.
Credits
directed by:
taylor knight | anna thompson
STORY BALLET collaborating artists:
Theo Bliss | | Maree ReMalia
Christian Warner
STORY BALLET design collaborators:
slowdanger (Direction / Choreography / Sound)
Thom Weaver (Lighting Design)
ProjectileObjects (Scenic Design / Projection Mapping)
Kate Ladenheim (Motion Capture Design)
Uma Shannon (Costume Design)
advisory committee:
Morgan Peterson | Liana Maneese | Kathleen Gaines
dramaturgical advisor:
Adil Mansoor
creative producer:
Joshua Bristow
Support
STORY BALLET is supported by New Music USA’s Organization Fund in 2025-26, Opportunity Fund, the New Work Development Residency at Texas A&M's College of Performance, Visualization and Fine Arts, The PNC Charitable Trusts, The Pittsburgh Foundation A W Mellon Fund, with development support from Kelly Strayhorn Theater and Jacob's Pillow.
Funding has been provided by The Eisemann Edge Initiative at Communities Foundation of Texas and The Eisemann Edge Endowment at the Eisemann Center Foundation.
STORY BALLET is a National Performance Network (NPN) Creation & Development Fund Project co-commissioned by Dance Place in partnership with Texas A&M University, and NPN. The Creation & Development Fund is supported by the Doris Duke Foundation and the Mellon Foundation. For more information, visit www.npnweb.org
