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Sarasota, FL (November 4, 2026) – Two Company premieres, a stage transformed by sculptural design, and live music await audiences as The Sarasota Ballet presents Program Two, November 20 - 21, 2026, at the Sarasota Opera House. Continuing the Company’s 2026 - 2027 Season, celebrating 20 Seasons under Director Iain Webb, the program features the Company premieres of Sir Kenneth MacMillan’s Solitaire and Alexei Ratmansky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, alongside the return of Jessica Lang’s Lyric Pieces. Jared Oaks conducts the Sarasota Orchestra in Solitaire and performs as solo pianist for Lyric Pieces. Guest pianist Cameron Grant, who performed at the world premiere of Pictures at an Exhibition, joins the Company for its premiere of Ratmansky’s ballet.
From the poignant world of a young outsider to unfolding paper landscapes and bursts of Kandinsky-inspired color, each ballet offers a distinct experience of music and movement. Together, they reflect Webb’s commitment to presenting works that challenge the dancers, reward curiosity, and give audiences something new to discover.
“Alexei Ratmansky is one of the most important choreographers working anywhere in the world today, and bringing his artistry to Sarasota is particularly exciting,” said Iain Webb, Director of The Sarasota Ballet. “His ballets are performed by the world’s great companies, and to welcome him into our studios and add Pictures at an Exhibition to our repertoire is a significant moment for us. It speaks to the caliber of our dancers and gives our audiences the opportunity to experience an extraordinary work right here in Sarasota. I can think of few more fitting ways to celebrate my 20th Season.”
Sir Kenneth MacMillan’s Solitaire opens the program with a touching portrait of a young girl who longs to join the activity around her but remains on the edges of the group. Created for Sadler’s Wells Theatre Ballet in 1956, the ballet combines lively dances with quieter moments that reveal her loneliness and desire to belong.
Set to Sir Malcolm Arnold’s Eight English Dances, with additional music composed for the ballet, Solitaire draws on the spirit of English country dance. The contrast between the spirited ensemble and the solitary girl reveals the expressive storytelling that would become a hallmark of MacMillan’s career. The Company premiere features costume designs by Desmond Heeley and staging by Yuri Uchiumi.
Jessica Lang’s Lyric Pieces returns following its Company premiere in April 2024. Originally created for Birmingham Royal Ballet in 2012 under the artistic direction of Sir David Bintley, the ballet brings ten selections from Edvard Grieg’s intimate piano works to life through scenes of wit, warmth, and unexpected invention.
The stage itself becomes part of the dance. Expandable paper structures created by Vancouver-based design company molo stretch, fold, and reshape in the dancers’ hands, creating new landscapes as the music changes. Lang’s choreography makes these transformations integral to the ballet, inviting audiences into a world that is at once playful and poetic.
With costumes by Elena Comendador and lighting by Nicole Pearce, Lyric Pieces reveals how even the simplest materials can create moments of theatrical wonder.
The program concludes with Alexei Ratmansky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, a vivid meeting of ballet, music, and visual art. Created for New York City Ballet in 2014 and set to Modest Mussorgsky’s original piano suite, the work sends ten dancers through intimate encounters, playful exchanges, and exhilarating ensemble passages.
Projections by Wendall K. Harrington draw on Wassily Kandinsky’s Color Study: Squares with Concentric Circles, surrounding the dancers with shifting forms and color. Costumes by Adeline André extend that visual language, while Ratmansky’s choreography gives each dancer a distinct presence within the changing group. This Company premiere is staged by Amar Ramasar, with lighting design by Mark Stanley.
Live music accompanies all three ballets, ranging from the full orchestral sound of Solitaire to the solo piano scores of Lyric Pieces and Pictures at an Exhibition. Jared Oaks leads the Sarasota Orchestra in Arnold’s score before taking to the piano himself to perform Grieg’s selections for Lyric Pieces. Cameron Grant performs Mussorgsky’s original piano suite for Pictures at an Exhibition, bringing his experience as the pianist for the ballet’s 2014 world premiere with New York City Ballet to these Sarasota performances.
With two Company premieres, the return of Lang’s imaginative Lyric Pieces, and live music, Program Two offers audiences an opportunity to experience the breadth of ballet in a single visit. Three distinctive choreographic voices come together at the Sarasota Opera House for a program filled with human connection, visual invention, and the immediacy of live performance.
Performance and Ticket Information
Program Two | November 20 - 21, 2026
Sarasota Opera House
61 North Pineapple Avenue, Sarasota, FL 34236
Friday, November 20 at 7:30 PM
Saturday, November 21 at 2:00 PM and 7:30 PM
Tickets: $35–$145
To reserve seats for one of three performances, visit SarasotaBallet.org or call 941.359.0099.
Live Music
Solitaire — Sarasota Orchestra, conducted by Jared Oaks
Lyric Pieces — Jared Oaks, solo pianist
Pictures at an Exhibition — Cameron Grant, solo pianist
Program Two Repertoire
Solitaire - Company Premiere
Choreography by Sir Kenneth MacMillan
Music by Sir Malcolm Arnold
Lyric Pieces
Choreography by Jessica Lang
Music by Edvard Grieg
Pictures at an Exhibition - Company Premiere
Choreography by Alexei Ratmansky
Music by Modest Mussorgsky
About The Sarasota Ballet
The Sarasota Ballet has earned national and international acclaim under the leadership of Director Iain Webb, Executive Director Joseph Volpe, and Assistant Director Margaret Barbieri. The 2026 - 2027 Season marks Webb’s 20th anniversary as Director, celebrating two decades of artistic leadership that have shaped the Company’s international reputation for excellence. Together, Webb, Volpe, and Barbieri bring decades of experience and a shared vision that continues to advance the Company’s mission to enrich lives and strengthen the community through the art of dance.
In 2024, the Company made its London debut at the Royal Opera House, adding to acclaimed U.S. appearances at the Kennedy Center, New York City Center, and Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival. In 2026, the Company returned to The Joyce Theater in New York for its third week-long residency. Its expansive repertoire spans the works of iconic choreographers including Sir Frederick Ashton, George Balanchine, Sir Matthew Bourne, and Christopher Wheeldon.
Beyond the stage, The Sarasota Ballet enriches its community through Dance—The Next Generation, dance education through The Sarasota Ballet School, The Sarasota Ballet Studio Company, and The Conservatory, and community engagement programs that share the art and joy of dance.
When referencing the Company, please credit as The Sarasota Ballet.
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