Frances Hildegarde LaBianca, Arizona Sonoran News

Duncan Barlow was not expecting his choreography to be featured in the upcoming Ballet Tucson Spring Concert.

“I was completely blindsided by it,” said Barlow, who has been creating choreography since he was still a student. “I just did not expect my piece to connect with people in that way.”

After the September “Footprints at the Fox” performance, which showcased pieces choreographed by eight Ballet Tucson dancers, audience members voted on what piece they would like to see again in that year’s Spring Concert. Barlow’s piece, “Asphodel,” won first place.

Margaret Mullin, artistic director of Ballet Tucson, said that a dancer getting their choreography into a mainstage performance is not only an opportunity for it to be seen by a wider audience but also a chance for it to be featured alongside works from famed choreographers.

“New works are the lifeblood of any great dance company,” said Mullin, “While we maintain the integrity of historic works, we also need to explore how we can contribute to helping the art of dance evolve.”

Barlow’s piece is centered around the story of someone leaving a relationship due to circumstances outside of their control.

“I’m used to much more abstract ideas in my choreography and this one is a little more explicit of a story, which was interesting to play with,” said Barlow.

Footprints at the Fox features Ballet Tucson apprentices, the lowest ranking and often youngest dancers in a ballet company. Barlow said that using such young dancers at the start of their careers made the piece a coming of age story as well, focusing on “rejection and loss and grief.”

Barlow starts his choreographic process with the music. For this piece he chose a contemporary rock song for the first movement and an indie folk song for the second. The uptempo beat of the music helps bring some playfulness to the otherwise emotional storyline.

“I think music is what dance is really about. Music is the driving force behind what we do as artists,” said Barlow. “It has to always come back to what the music is telling me.”

The two-movement piece has 12 dancers including Barlow, who is stepping in for another dancer at the last minute.

Barlow said that working as a choreographer with his coworkers and friends has felt natural.

“I want it to be a fun atmosphere, I want it to be interesting, I want it to be engaging,” he said. “I think, especially when it’s your coworkers, you don’t want to step on anyone’s toes, you don’t want to be a problem at the front of the room.”

Ballet Tucson dancer Jenny Martin, who is dancing in Barlow’s piece, describes the choreographer as having a warm and generous personality.

“You can feel his passion and energy in every rehearsal,” she said.

Besides Asphodel, there are three other pieces on the Ballet Tucson program.

• “Sum Stravinsky, a Ballet Tucson premier, choreographed by Kiyon Ross to music by Igor Stravinsky.
• “Piano Dance,” another company premiere, was choreographed by Paul Gibson to music by Frédéric Chopin, John Cage, Gyorgy Ligeti, Béla Bartók and Alberto Ginastera.
• “Paquita,” choreographed by Ballet Tucson Associate Artistic Director Chieko Imada after Petipa to music by Ludwig Minkus.

“These three pieces are very dynamic and diverse so I couldn’t possibly pick a favorite among them,” said Mullin, “but I can promise that it will be an exciting way to close the 2023-2024 season.”

“Our spring concert has something for everyone and really demonstrates the broad range Ballet Tucson has as a whole,” added Martin.

Ballet Tucson will perform its Spring Concert at 7 p.m. Friday, March 22, 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday, March 23, and 2 p.m. Sunday, March 24, at the Leo Rich Theatre, 260 S. Church Ave. Tickets ($20-$50) are available through ballettucson.org.

Arizona Sonoran News is a news service of the University of Arizona School of Journalism.