Classically Contemporary

The combination of contemporary dance and classical music is unusual enough that the challenge inspired choreographer Michelle Diane Brown of Kacico Dance to set her new ballet, Innerlying Landscapes, to Tchaikovsky's "Serenade for Strings." The world premiere of the piece — at 8 tonight at the Folly Theater (300 West 12th Street) — marks the first theatrical collaboration between Kacico Dance and the Kansas City Chamber Orchestra with conductor Bruce Sorrell. Two other contemporary dance pieces, including Julie Rothschild's "Time: imparts forward motion," will also be performed before the premiere ballet, which features projections of landscapelike microscopic photos of metal by Georgia artist Michael Oliveri and elaborate costumes by designers Colin Coit, Laura Powell, Jenn McElvie and Brown herself. For ticket information, call the Folly box office at 816-474-4444.
Sat., Oct. 17, 8 p.m., 2009