ABOUT THE PRODUCTION
Ballet Austin presents Stephen Mills’ GRIMM TALES, a full-length work inspired by the visual art of Natalie Frank.GRIMM TALES is a contemporary re-imagining of the 19th-century fairy tales—encompassed by Frank’s vibrantly colored and nightmarishly riveting art. Tony Award-nominee Constance Hoffman will bring fresh urgency and contemporary fashion to the costumes, along with the illustrious set designs of George Tsypin and an original score by renowned composer, Graham Reynolds (A Scanner Darkly, Bernie, Before Midnight)—GRIMM TALES will indulge your senses. Viewer discretion advised.
Commissioned by the Butler New Choreography Endowment
CHOREOGRAPHY: Stephen Mills
MUSIC: Graham Reynolds
VISUAL ART: Natalie Frank
Visual Art by Natalie Frank
Photography by Anne Marie Bloodgood
All rights reserved | No unauthorized use
HIGHLIGHTS
- Choreography: Stephen Mills
- Music: Graham Reynolds
- Visual Art: Natalie Frank
- Costume Design: Constance Hoffman
- Lighting Design: Tony Tucci
- Set Design: George Tsypin
- Dramatist: Edward Carey
- Projection Design: Howard Werner
- Run-time: 80 minutes (PROLOGUE |THE FROG KING | SNOW WHITE | THE JUNIPER TREE)
- Dancers: 22 (11 men & 11 women)
- Awards: 7 (The Austin Critics Table Awards) – BEST DANCE CONCERT | BEST CHOREOGRAPHY | BEST ORIGINAL SCORE | BEST COSTUMING | BEST DIGITAL DESIGN | BEST DANCER (MALE & FEMALE)
PREMIERES
THE LONG CENTER | BALLET AUSTIN
Austin, TX – 2019 (World Premiere)
PRESS
“Mayhem and murder star in a fairy tale ballet”
The Wall Street Journal
“…Stephen Mills dives into the dark, uncensored side of three of the world’s best-loved fairy tales…”
Pointe Magazine
“…subverting the happily-ever-after Grimm Brothers tales in favor of their more sinister roots and an emphasis on female power.”
Galerie Magazine
“It was a match made in heaven for multiple reasons.”
ArtNet News
“As each story unfolds, Mills’s choreography is meticulous, not prescriptive. Dancers coil and unwind fluidly per narrative beats, encountering each other with convincing surprise or clandestinely stalking one another with poetic gaits. There’s a dreamy quality to their movements apropos of the fairy-tale settings, suggesting a world akin to our own, but having existed long enough ago that the fog of memory makes gravity a little bit softer.”
Glasstire
“Frank’s drawings and Mills’ work emphasize feminist perspectives…presents the full force of the Grimm Brothers, while updating its concerns and aspirations for a new generation.”
Broadway World
“…Stephen Mills transforms twisted versions of some well-known classics into something truly unique. Blending classical and contemporary ballet, Mills’ choreography lends itself to the challenging and at-times dark subject matter.”
Archaic Press
“Frank’s colorful drawings underscore the provocative nature and feminist voice of the Grimms’ stories, an element that has also been adapted into the world of ballet.”
Yahoo Lifestyle
“Neither artist had previously embarked on a collaboration of this scope, rooted in conversation. And although daunting for both in the beginning, the experience of discomfort has paid creative dividends.”
Women’s Wear Daily
“Dark fairy tales take Ballet Austin
PaperCity Magazine
to a fantastical new world – viewer discretion advised.”
“The numerous vantage points of hunger persisting throughout the performance point out the dilution (or perhaps sweetening) of Disney’s interpretations. Here, the violent questioning of agency over one’s body, coupled with the gender expectations of dance, create a key distinction.”
Cool Hunting
Good artistic collaborations entail multiple paths of individual talents merging into one, reaching a generally agreed upon destination or vision. Such is the case with Ballet Austin’s latest original work “Grimm Tales’.”
Tribeza Magazine
“It is almost impossible to register in mere words the force and originality of this reimagining of three Grimm fairy tales. All I can say is that we are extremely lucky to see it first. I’m betting that other ballet companies around the country will be do everything possible to make sure they can restage Austin’s unforgettable “Grimm Tales’.”
Austin 360
“Stephen Mills choreographed the full-length piece, inspired by
Whitewall
[Natalie Frank’s] drawings of The Frog King, Snow White, and The Juniper Tree. Revolving around the theme of hunger—physical, sexual, and literal—New York-based Frank created over 30 drawings to work from with costume designer Constance Hoffman and set designer George Tsypin.”
“…the result is an interpretation in ballet of stories that relate to sexual hunger (Frog King), the hunger for beauty (Snow White) and the hunger for power (Juniper Tree). That interpretation can only be described as a landmark event in early 21st century ballet. The fusion of the visual, the dance, and the music is powerful, and certainly rose to the level of shocking at times.”
Sun News Austin
“Ballet Austin dances a vivid, unsettled version of Grimms’ Fairy
Sightlines Magazine
Tales”
“Stephen Mills and company embody an artist’s fabulous vision”
The Austin Chronicle
“Ballet Austin explores feminism and the dark side of fairy tales in the world premiere of a new ballet”
Austin Monthly