This ballet is a full length. Meaning, one ballet with intermissions, similar to a book with chapters.
Born in Adelaide, Australia, Mr. Wörtmeyer is a multi-award-winning choreographer, dancer, designer (of décor, costumes and fashion) and teacher who trained in classical dance at The Australian Ballet School.
Formerly a principal with Dutch National Ballet, he also danced with The Australian Ballet and American Ballet Theatre and guested internationally, dancing on the world’s greatest stages including Sydney Opera House, New York’s Metropolitan Opera House, The London Coliseum and Sadler’s Wells, St Petersburg’s Alexandrinsky Theatre, New National Theatre Tokyo, the Grand Theatres of Shanghai and Hong Kong, National Centre for the Performing Arts Bejing, Palais de Congrès and Théâtre du Châtelet Paris.
Mr. Wörtmeyer’s one-act and evening-length choreographic works include creations for Dutch National Ballet, Queensland Ballet, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Benois de la Danse, and a bespoke pas de deux – Penumbra – for Roberto Bolle and Melissa Hamilton (Arena di Verona, 2022). Remi’s ballet Significant Others (on the subject of artists Sonia and Robert Delauney) headlined Atlanta Ballet’s spring season earlier this year.
Remi’s fashion and sculptural works have been exhibited by galleries in Amsterdam, Sydney and Berlin. His collaboration with haute couturier Ronald van der Kamp saw him debut his own high-end handmade sculptural jewellery as part of RVDK’s spring/summer 2023 collection at Paris Fashion Week.
Mr. Wörtmeyer was named Artistic Director of BalletMet in June 2024 where he will continue to choreograph new works for companies both domestically and abroad.
Giacomo Puccini (1858–1924) is one of opera’s most popular composers. His operas are famed worldwide for the drama and pathos of their plots, for their wonderful melodies and for the wealth of great roles they provide singers.
Puccini was born in Lucca to a family of church musicians. In 1880 he moved to Milan to study at the Milan Conservatory and while a student attended many performances at La Scala. Puccini wrote his first opera, the one-act Le villi, for the Sonzogno Competition; though rejected by the judges, its successful 1884 premiere led Giulio Ricordi to take Puccini on. His second opera, Edgar (1889) was a failure, but he scored a major triumph with Manon Lescaut (1893), his first mature work. While completing Manon Lescaut, Puccini began a fruitful collaboration with librettists Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica, with whom he wrote arguably his three greatest operas: La bohème (1896), Tosca (1900) and Madama Butterfly (1904). Following the death of Giacosa in 1906 Puccini struggled to find new subjects and collaborators. However, he continued to create impressive works, with the dramatic ‘Wild West’ opera La fanciulla del West (1910), the tender ‘lyric comedy’ La rondine (1917) and his most ambitious project, the three one-act operas that make up Il trittico (1918).
Puccini’s last years were spent working on his final opera Turandot, set in ancient China. Puccini never completed the final act – he died of throat cancer while working on the final love duet in 1924. Turandot had its premiere two years later, in a version completed by Franco Alfano.
See below for quick answers to common questions regarding the BalletMet Digital Ticket Wallet!
There are parking garages near the Ohio and the Capitol theatres, as well as limited metered street parking (most of which is free after 6 pm and on Sundays).
Ohio Statehouse Parking Garage
$5 during events
Enter from westbound Broad Street or Third Street.
Riffe Center Parking Garage
$5 during events
Enter from Front Street. Take the elevators to the third floor and proceed along the hall to the Davidson Theatre. (For the Box Office or Will Call, descend the escalators to the first floor.)
Downtown traffic can be heavy, so please plan ahead. We recommend arriving 20-30 minutes early to park, find your seat, explore the program and relax before the performance. Audience members who arrive late may not be seated until intermission.
This is our most-asked question, and the answer is: You probably won’t feel out of place no matter what you wear. If you want to wear jeans, go for it—we promise you won’t be alone. If you want to dress up, feel free. Many others do, too. We don’t see as much formal-wear in the theater as we once did, though it wouldn’t be unusual to see a tux or a gown at a performance. Basically, anything goes.
No, dancers express the story or meaning through the movement. In some story ballets, dancers will use pantomime (exaggerated movements) to help you understand what’s happening. If you see a ballet with pantomime, head to the lobby, where we’ll have more information and guidance. If you ever struggle to follow along, feel free to chat with a BalletMet staff member in the lobby who will happily answer any questions you have.
If you are wowed by something you just saw, please do applaud. At BalletMet, we love to hear clapping. It’s uplifting to those performing, as they can often feel your excitement and energy on stage. So applaud whenever you see fit! Note: Not every ballet company feels this way, so keep that in mind if you happen to be at another company’s performance.
All sales are final and tickets are non-refundable. Casting, program, schedule, and pricing subject to change without notice. BalletMet reserves the right to return and refund any tickets identified as being sold above face value, minus ticket fees.