Since 1952, the Louisville Ballet has consistently maintained its status as one of the country’s leading regional ballet companies. Faced with a pandemic in 2020, Louisville Ballet, like many performing arts organizations, asked the question: how can we transform ourselves to meet the needs of the moment?

Our Challenge

The challenge for a creative pillar like the Louisville Ballet was to do it in a way that enhanced their craft and honored their audience. How could we shape a complete season of ballet in a way that rejuvenated audiences, uncovered surprising freedoms within constraints, and expanded the life of the entire Louisville Ballet creative ecosystem?

 The Approach

Hard times are great catalysts for renewal and growth. The pandemic presented an opportunity to launch the ballet into a digital stage, an area that Artistic Director Robert Curran had dreamed of for years. Together, we built a new version of the Ballet, a one-year-only entity that had yet to be experienced. A fully virtual season - with cinematic “art” films for every performance. The ballet’s large rehearsal studio was transformed into a production studio, with lighting, backdrops, and cameras. We had to all quickly get up to speed on how to block for the cameras, and how to direct the choreography in a way that would translate to the screen. The creative hurdles were high as we worked to bring performances to life in a dynamic way. It became a conceptual re-imagining of the ways audiences can experience the Ballet as a multi-media reaction to and commentary on our world.

Season of Illumination Promo

 Results

We produced 2 performance films for the Ballet - Kentucky: Volume One, Rite of Spring, as well as Choregrapher’s Showcase, a set of 5 short films. Each resulted in cinematic translations of these ballets that showed dance and performance in ways that Louisville Ballet had never been presented in. Each piece was launched with great success throughout the season.

“The partnership between Louisville Ballet and KERTIS brought Louisville Ballet back into the hearts and minds of our audiences through the co-creation of Louisville Ballet’s new digital platform. Without their creativity and resilience, we would not have been able to continue making.moving.art during the pandemic. The films we made together have received rave reviews from our audiences and continue to serve as invaluable assets for the future. Our relationship with KERTIS is one we look forward to growing as we continue to explore the digital landscape for dance.”

- Robert Curran, Artistic & Executive Director, Louisville Ballet

Rite of Spring / Teaser

Performed to Igor Stravinsky’s provocative score, Louisville Ballet’s Rite of Spring is a completely reimagined vision – set in a frozen, arctic world, as a small band of humans test the boundaries of self-preservation as they do whatever it takes to ensure the success of a promised, impending rescue.