73 lines
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73 lines
4.0 KiB
Plaintext
Message-ID: <14411665.1075855488570.JavaMail.evans@thyme>
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Date: Thu, 10 May 2001 17:53:00 -0700 (PDT)
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From: enron.announcements@enron.com
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To: all.houston@enron.com
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Subject: Houston Ballet's Miller Theater Performance of Coppelia
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Houston Ballet gives free performances of Copp,lia
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at Miller Outdoor Theatre in Hermann Park
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8:00 p.m. Friday May 11, Saturday May 12, & Sunday May 13, 2001
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sponsored by AZURIX and ENRON
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Considered the great comedy of classical ballet, Copp,lia tells the story of
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a doll so enchantingly lifelike that she mesmerizes an entire village,
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captures the heart of a young swain named Franz and inspires the eccentric
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toymaker Dr. Copp,lius to attempt to transform her into a living, breathing
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human being.
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AZURIX and ENRON are Corporate Sponsors for Houston Ballet's Miller Theatre
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performances, helping to present these free performances of Copp,lia to the
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people of Houston. Houston Ballet has a limited number of tickets for the
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seated area each night for employees of AZURIX and ENRON. These tickets are
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available on a first-come, first-served basis by calling William at
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713-535-3235 no later than 5 PM today . (Please be aware that all unoccupied
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seats are released at 10 minutes before curtain.)
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Other, free, general public tickets for the seated area (max 4 per person)
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are available at the Miller Theatre 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. on the day of
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performance; for more information call 713-284-8351 for the Miller Theatre
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ticket information line. Tickets are not required for the lawn area.
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About Coppelia
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Copp,lia was first performed on May 25, 1870 at the Th,atre Imp,rial de
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L'Op,ra, featuring choreography by Arthur Saint-L,on and music by L,o
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Delibes. The work maintains a special place in the history of dance, serving
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as a kind of bridge from the glory of the French Romantic ballet in the early
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nineteenth century to the masterpieces of the Russian Imperial Theater at the
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turn of the century. Writing in The International Dictionary of Ballet,
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critic Karen Dacko analyzes the unique characteristics of the piece as
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follows: "Copp,lia owes its longevity to its inspired, very danceable score.
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But the ballet is also remarkable for its perennial appeal and for its
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historical significance as Romanticism's grand finale and classical ballet's
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prologue."
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Copp,lia first entered Houston Ballet' repertoire in October 1974, in a
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staging by Frederic Franklin (who also performed the role of Dr. Copp,lius),
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and featuring scenery by Peter Farmer. In November 1979, former Royal Ballet
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ballerina Anne Heaton re-staged the work for the company. When Houston Ballet
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premiered its new production of the work in March 1992 featuring breathtaking
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d,cor by Desmond Heeley, Carl Cunningham of The Houston Post wrote, "It would
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be hard to imagine anything to cap the joyous, gentle, and glorious looking
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new production of Copp,lia the splendidly prepared company of dancers and
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musicians put forth Thursday evening on Wortham Center's Brown Theater
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stage." (The Houston Post, March 21, 1992)
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Heeley's designs for Copp,lia never fail to enchant, most notably in the
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second-act depiction of Dr. Copp,lius's workshop. The sampling of dolls on
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display pay homage to the era when automatons, or mechanical toys, were the
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rage in Europe -- and to Heeley's inexhaustible creativity. Among the
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eye-popping toys featured in the workshop are a huge astrologer with a
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pointed hat and a robe covered in shooting stars and moons; a strongman with
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a handlebar mustache and barbells; Puss n Boots; an acrobat hanging from a
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trapeze holding the man in the moon; and a small ballerina dancing on the
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back of a goat. In the first act, the vibrant reds, golds, and oranges of the
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costumes worn by the peasants in the village conjure up a wonderfully
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picturesque vision of nineteenth century Bavaria. |