Beethoven's only ballet to be performed during Fall Arts Celebration

While Beethoven's composition résumé is filled with numerous historic and well-known works, many people are not aware that the multifaceted composer also wrote a single ballet in 1801.

Grand Valley students, along with renowned dance ensemble The Francesa Harper Project, will perform an original interpretation of "The Creatures of Prometheus" during this year's Fall Arts Celebration.

The Francesca Harper Project and Grand Valley dance students will present Beethoven's "The Creatures of Prometheus" ballet October 24 at 7:30 p.m. The event will take place in Louis Armstrong Theatre, located in the Performing Arts Center, and will be preceded by a carillon concert from 7-7:20 p.m.

Danny Phipps, Music and Dance Department chair, said "The Creatures of Prometheus" has little to do with the classical version of Prometheus, the mythical Greek titan who had a reputation of being a clever trickster, and who famously gave the human race the gift of fire and the skill of metalwork.

Instead, Beethoven imagined Prometheus as a righteous, idealistic god-like figure who brings to humans an understanding of morality and virtue — creating humankind through the power of music and art.

Based in New York City, The Francesa Harper Project was founded by Harper in 2005 as a nonprofit performing arts company dedicated to creating ground-breaking dance, music and theater works.

Phipps said it will be no easy task for the Grand Valley students joining The Francesca Harper Project in this full-scale ballet production.

"Performing music for a live ballet requires absolute concentration and attention to tempo and musical interpretation as the physical demands of dance leave little room for variance by the performers," Phipps said. "Our dance students will both collaborate with and observe one of the country's unique voices in choreography as Francesca Harper applies a modern and exceptional interpretation of both the Prometheus myth and Beethoven's own vision of the demigod as a liberator of mankind."

For more information about all of this year’s Fall Arts Celebration events, visit www.gvsu.edu/fallarts or call (616) 331-2185.