Ballet Tucson brings back ‘Spirit Garden’ to open 40th year

The Chieko Imada ballet that celebrates Día de los Muertos is a cornerstone of “Spirit Garden and Other Works,” which the company will perform Friday, Oct. 23 through Sunday, Oct. 25, at the Temple of Music and Art.

The ballet, which premiered in 2016, tells the emotional story of a family navigating that space between life and the joyful reunion of long-lost loved ones in the afterlife.

The work was a major collaboration that included music from Tucson desert rock legends Calexico and artwork from Lawrence W. Lee, who created visual elements including colorful catrinas — the skeleton characters in colorful costumes that play guitar and shake castanets in Día de los Muertos scenes.

The piece, which includes flamenco guitar from Misael Barraza-Diaz, runs 45 minutes and has nine scenes, each with a different style of music from Latin to jazz to party music.

Ballet Tucson’s concert comes just over a week before the holiday on Nov. 2 that honors the dead.

The “other works” on the concert include celebrated American choreographer Kiyon Ross' energetic tutu ballet “(NO HOLDS) barre'd” and a world premiere of “Ovation,” a collaboration between Ballet Tucson artistic leaders Imada, Margaret Mullin and Brik Middlekauff that celebrates the company’s “40 years of excellence in classical ballet.”

The ballet previewed the piece, set to Bach’s Concerto for Oboe and Violin, last summer with the St. Andrew’s Bach Society.

The company also will perform an encore of Maya Hughes' “The Storm Before the Calm,” which was part of its Steps Forward emerging choreographer's showcase at the Berger Center in September.

Performances are at 7 p.m. Friday, 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at the Temple, 330 S. Scott Ave. Tickets, $27.50 to $76.50, are available at ballettucson.org.