Saint Louis Ballet's Fall Series: Oct. 11 & 12 at the Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center

This is the one where all the usual rules of ballet are thrown out the window. Legendary 5-time Tony Award winning Broadway & ballet choreographer Susan Stroman created “Take Five…More or Less” for Pacific Northwest Ballet‘s Laugh Out Loud Festival. Stroman had wanted to created a piece to jazz legend, Dave Brubeck’s inventive “Take Five” for a long time. What intrigued her most about the piece was its unusual 5/4 time signature. Stroman said, “The phrase 'take five' has always interested me. It asks you to stop working and relax for a bit. And while that might be true in the world outside of the arts, artists never really 'take five' – they are always thinking, always moving, always playing. Many times, I have told a band to stop playing, and, inevitably, the pianist starts noodling some other tune. Or a dancer starts practicing another step. Or an artist starts doodling on another piece of paper. Unless you put food in front of an artist, they won’t stop. That was the essence of how I found my way into the piece."

We open with a bored ballerina, asked to “Take Five”, who, after a sly smile, is off! Different relationships develop out of the different musical moods and themes. This challenging piece has a bit of everything - humor, musicality, sensuality… and lots of unexpected moments - (did someone say Tap?) The costumes were inspired by the bold colors of the work of Matisse, specifically those from his book, “Jazz."

We can’t wait to share this unique and masterful piece with St. Louis audiences for the first time!