Nashville Ballet will continue their 2022-23 season and kick off the new year with the world premiere of Anthology. Conceptualized by Emmy Award-winning Artistic Director Paul Vasterling, Anthology will highlight unexplored stories of Music City’s past. Inspired by his passion for community, music, and movement, Anthology will be Vasterling’s final world premiere as Artistic Director of the company.
“In my 34 years with Nashville Ballet, I’ve always been mesmerized by the city around us,” shared Vasterling. “It is full of artists, creators, musicians, and visionaries; new ideas, collaborations, and voices. But it’s important to remember that there are people that came before us that made all of this, and so much more, possible. My hope with Anthology is that it would give names, faces, and recognition to those whose influence, accomplishments, and sacrifices, are so often forgotten. Everyone’s story deserves to be told.”
A poignant exploration of Nashville’s rich cultural tapestry, Anthology will explore the stories of both well-known locals and everyday people of the past, including formerly enslaved philanthropist Lucinda Bedford, the first women to serve on the Nashville Police Force, dance visionary Albertine Maxwell, the first peoples of Middle Tennessee, and more.
Known for his cross-disciplinary collaborations, Vasterling has enlisted a variety of choreographers, musicians, and composers to contribute to the project, including multi-award winner Sidra Bell, newly appointed Resident Choreographer Mollie Sansone, longtime Nashville Ballet Teaching Artist Shabaz Ujima, Windship Boyd, Company Dancer Aeron Buchanan, MORGXN, Jordan Lehning, and local composer Larissa Maestro. Similar in kaleidoscopic style to his nationally-acclaimed ballet, Lucy Negro Redux, which recently premiered on PBS’ Great Performances series as Black Lucy and the Bard, Anthology will highlight a variety of art forms on stage in addition to dance, including original songs, musical scores, and live projection.
Anthology is sponsored in part by Vanderbilt University, DANCE/USA, and the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation and will make its world premiere at TPAC’s Polk Theater February 10–12, 2023. To learn more about Nashville Ballet, upcoming performances, or to purchase tickets, please visit nashvilleballet.com.
Nashville Ballet is the largest professional ballet company in Tennessee. Nashville Ballet presents a varied repertoire of classical ballet and contemporary works by noted choreographers, including original works by Artistic Director Paul Vasterling. Nashville Ballet and the second company, NB2 (a pre-professional training company), provide more than 55,000 arts experiences to adults and children annually through virtual and in-person season performances and its Community Engagement programming. Curriculum-based Community Engagement programs bring dance education to community centers, colleges, public libraries, and public elementary, middle, and high schools across the state. School of Nashville Ballet brings world-class dance instruction to students ages 2 and up. To learn more about Nashville Ballet, please visit nashvilleballet.com.
Nashville Ballet receives public funding from Metro Arts, Tennessee Arts Commission, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Contributions from local, regional, and national institutional funders and community partners, as well as hundreds of generous individuals, provide ongoing support of Nashville Ballet’s mission-critical programs.
