Etesian

2006, Boston Ballet, Director, Mikko Nissinen.
2008, Louisville Ballet, Director Bruce Simpson

Reviews for Etesian

The world premiere of Helen Pickett’s “Etesian” opened the show on an elegant and introspective note. When one sees a detailed solo phrase as long and varied as the opening melody of Bach’s “Goldberg Variations,” it’s evident the choreographer is full of innovation. Sudden unison phrases interrupt duets and improvisations, music from Bach and Beethoven drifts in and out, and the result is both emphatic and ethereal.
-Theodore Bale, Boston Herald

Kathleen Breene Combes began the piece dancing silently in movements alternately balletic and loopy, as if parts of her body were behaving independently. You’d think such eccentric movements would war with those of classical ballet, but Pickett wed them seamlessly into a piece whose overall feel was beautifully lyrical. This is Pickett’s first commission, yet she’s already an impressive artist.
-Alan Helms, INNEWSWEEKLY