Ilya Vidrin
As a choreographer-in-residence with Ballet Des Moines in September 2021, I created "Eclipse" (open rehearsal and artist talk above). Composer Beau Kenyon spearheaded the creation of a companion curriculum for middle school students in those same astrophysical concepts through the language of movement and music. The performance and curriculum was shared in partnership with 4H STEM, WGBH, and Iowa PBS.
Later in the 21-22 Season, I joined the production team for Of Gravity and Light - an evening-length contemporary ballet created for Ballet Des Moines conceived by composer Beau Kenyon. The work explores the relationship between ethics (care, empathy, trust, etc.) and astrophysical principles (lunar phasing, planetary motion, Newton's Laws, Kepler's Laws, etc.). I supported Artistic Director Tom Mattingly and Beau dramaturgically for this work, which premiered at the Civic Center in Des Moines in April 2022.