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Come see Grand Rapids Ballet perform ‘Beethoven’s 5th Symphony’ at ArtPrize Nine
By Adrienne Warber
Photo by Michael Auer for Grand Rapids Ballet
ArtPrize Nine is here and artists have come to Grand Rapids, MI from all over the world to share their talents with the community, including the art of dance. The art competition draws local, national and international artists from a variety of artistic disciplines to display works of art throughout downtown Grand Rapids. It is a unique partnership of community, artists and local businesses coming together to transform downtown Grand Rapids into a large art exhibition for 19 days. Artists have a chance to win prizes based on both a public vote and a jury of art experts vote, including two prizes of $200,000 for the public vote and the juried vote winners. ArtPrize Nine opens Wednesday, September 20 and will run until October 8. Dance art is prominent right at the start of ArtPrize. This weekend, you can experience the art of one of West Michigan’s leading art organizations, Grand Rapids Ballet. The ballet company has entered ArtPrize with four special presentations of “Beethoven’s 5th Symphony,” a segment of their critically acclaimed “Beethoven” ballet, which will be performed on Friday, September 22 on the Blue Bridge, Saturday, September 23 at Rosa Parks Circle and Ah-Nab-Awen Park, and Sunday, September 24 at the Harris Building.
Grand Rapids Ballet will present the art of dance in a series of four live performances in different locations throughout downtown Grand Rapids. The selection of the “Beethoven’s 5th Symphony” from internationally renowned choreographer Mario Radacovsky’s “Beethoven” showcases the diversity of dance art expression and the relationship between dance and music. The segment features dancers becoming a living orchestra as they imitate the musical instruments with their body movements. The “Beethoven 5th Symphony” piece was very popular with both dance critics and the audience when the “Beethoven” ballet premiered in 2015. The segment was fun to watch, cleverly choreographed, artfully danced, and captured the beauty of the composer’s music. It has something that fans of classical ballet, contemporary dance and classical music will all love. This is Grand Rapids Ballet’s first time-based entry into ArtPrize.
The pop-up performances are free to the public and each run for fifteen minutes. The four live performances of “Beethoven’s 5th Symphony” will take place at the following times this weekend:
- Friday, September 22 at 7 p.m. – The Blue Bridge
- Saturday, September 23 at 2 p.m. – Rose Parks Circle, located at Monroe Center and Monroe Ave.
- Saturday, September 23 at 6 p.m. – Ah-Nab-Awen Park, on Front Ave. NW
- Sunday, September 24 at 1 p.m. – The Harris Building, located on 111 S Division
Radacovsky’s inventive choreography, Grand Rapids Ballet’s talented cast of dancers and the classic beauty of the composer’s famous symphony may draw a larger audience to dance performances this Fall. Come see the performance and support your local ballet company by voting for them with ArtPrize vote code 66634. You can vote online at the ArtPrize website or on your phone with the ArtPrize mobile app. For more information on ArtPrize, visit the official website, which includes voting instructions.
Video clip of Grand Rapids Ballet’s performance of “Beethoven’s 5th Symphony” from Mario Radacovsky’s “Beethoven” ballet: