Forsythe wished for the work to be an homage to all the dancers worldwide who have recently been unable to access formal classes but have nonetheless sustained themselves by diligently doing ballet barre by any means possible.

His classical, yet unpredictable choreography delights in revealing a surprising range of dynamic potential contained within a barre, and artists Tiler Peck, Lex Ishimoto, Brooklyn Mack, and Roman Mejia, revel in the opportunity to put the workman-like demands of daily ballet class in a refreshingly different light.
 
In addition to the performance, get a behind-the-scenes look at the bi-coastal creative process that brought this unique piece of art to life. Experience the creative process up close as Forsythe choreographs the entire show via Zoom from his east-coast studio while the dancers bring his vision to life on stage in California. From anywhere in the world, enjoy a front-row seat to breathtaking talent and genuinely stunning dance.

THE PERFORMANCES

BUZZARD & KESTREL

a modern theatre experience for a new normal

THE BARRE PROJECT: BLAKE WORKS II

LULLABY FOR MY INSOMNIAC

200 PRESS

ABOUT THE SHOW

Conceived in the midst of the pandemic that has swept the globe, choreographer William Forsythe, New York City Ballet Principal Dancer Tiler Peck, and CLI Studios present The Barre Project (Blake Works II). Choreographed for film, with the feel of a live performance, The Barre Project was created via Zoom, with all rehearsal, filming and assembly taking place bi-coastally and entirely remotely.
 
Set to the music of popular singer-songwriter James Blake, The Barre Project is the second in a series of Forsythe’s works to music by Blake. While theaters were dark and stages vacant, Forsythe set to work looking for a common theme running through our challenging times. Inspired by dancers worldwide who were unable to access formal classes but committed to sustaining themselves and their art, The Barre Project consists of five musical episodes that focus on the most primary feature of ballet training: barre.

WORLD PREMIERE MARCH 25 AND MARCH 27, 2021

SUPPORT DANCE EDUCATION

For this special event, we’ve partnered with the National Dance Education Organization (NDEO), a non-profit dedicated to advancing dance education centered in the arts for people of all backgrounds.

NDEO advances the field of dance education by providing standards, research, and professional development for dance teachers, and advocates for access to dance education for everyone, regardless of gender, age, race or culture, socio-economic status, ability or interest.

Support NDEO in their effort to ensure #DanceEducationForAll - donate today.

THE ARTISTS

Born and raised in New York, Forsythe was trained initially in Balanchine and Bournonville ballet techniques. He moved to Germany in 1973 to dance with the Stuttgart Ballet and subsequently became resident choreographer. 

In Frankfurt, Germany, he directed the Ballet Frankfurt at the opera house and the independent Forsythe Company, for 30 years. His work has been featured in the repertory of every major ballet company in the world and his installation works are currently presented by museums and visual arts organizations globally.

William Forsythe

Tiler Peck is an award-winning Principal Dancer with the New York City Ballet, an actress on film, stage and screen, a curator, author and fashion designer.  She made her Broadway debut at age 11 and has continued to create at the highest levels across multiple disciplines.
 
Tiler founded and taught a national daily ballet class #turnitoutwithTiler on her @tilerpeck Instagram account to keep dancers moving and connected during the pandemic. She believes that dance is a universal language that has the power to heal bodies and hearts and unite us all.

Lex Ishimoto, of Irvine, CA, began his career at age 11 performing on the national tour as “Billy” in Billy Elliot The Musical. He trained at Boston Ballet under the direction of Mikko Nissinen for two years before joining Travis Wall’s Shaping Sound company. He won So You Think You Can Dance in 2017 and appeared as an All-Star for the 15th season. 

Lex can be seen in music videos such as Sia’s “The Greatest” and BeBe Rexha’s “I’m a Mess” and recently completed the MUSE 2019 world tour. With his self-made slogan “STAYLEGENDARY’’, Lex continues to push boundaries and inspire those around him to do the same.

Brooklyn Mack, of Elgin, South Carolina, is highly in demand as a guest Principal dancer the world over. He began his dance training at age 12 with the Pavlovich Dance School, received a scholarship to study at the Kirov Academy of Ballet, apprenticed with the Joffrey Ballet of Chicago, and later joined American Ballet Theatre’s Studio Company. 

Before joining Washington Ballet where he would dance for 9 years, Mr. Mack spent three seasons as a principal dancer with Orlando Ballet. Since, he has performed at the London Coliseum, the historic Bolshoi in Moscow, the Palais Garnier, and most recently the Metropolitan Opera, where he debuted as a guest Principal with American Ballet Theatre in Le Corsaire.

Roman Mejia was born in Fort Worth, Texas, and though he was exposed to ballet at the age of three, he began studying ballet seriously at the age of eight with his mother and father. He trained with the School of American Ballet and New York City Ballet before officially joining NYCB in 2017 at the age of seventeen. 

His Principal roles include Peter Martins' Romeo and Juliet, Balanchine's Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux, Jerome Robbins' Fancy-Free, and Justin Peck's Principia. He can be seen dancing annually as a guest artist at the prestigious Vail Dance Festival and is a 2019 Princess Grace Award recipient. 

RSVP FOR LIVE STREAMING

Reserve your spot for The Barre Project (Blake Works II) live streaming on March 25, 2021 at 5:00 PM PDT and March 27, 2021 at 5:00 PM PDT.

By reserving your spot, you’ll have free access to both live streams. The show will run for approximately 30 minutes, followed by a Q&A segment with the choreographer, William Forsythe and performing artist, Tiler Peck. 

The live stream will happen on this webpage. You’ll receive a reminder and link to this webpage the day of both showings.

LINDISFARNE I

Tiler Peck

Lex Ishimoto

Brooklyn Mack

Roman Mejia