Ballet Arizona is excited to announce the return of its beloved yearly tradition, ‘An Evening at Desert Botanical Garden’. Surrounded by the matchless Desert Botanical Garden landscape with the setting sun as a backdrop, Artistic Director Ib Andersen’s vision for dance in the desert returns May 17 to June 2, 2022, with 15 performances.

Andersen promises a spectacular experience that is uniquely Arizonan, as he revisits his unparalleled works, Round and Mosaik. Inspired by his 2016 world premiere, Andersen’s Round, Reimagined For A New Stage, will come back with new choreography that embraces and showcases the vast natural backdrop of the desert. Pieces of Andersen’s 2004 original production, Mosaik, an abstract ballet will also return to the Ballet Arizona stage for the first time since 2011.

Round: Reimagined For A New Stage, will encompass the same cutting-edge choreography and innovation audience members know and love from an Ib Andersen production at Desert Botanical Garden. Expect the unexpected as Ballet Arizona evolves, take chances, and challenges the boundaries of contemporary ballet in the desert that we call our home.

“I look forward to revisiting a work I created in 2016 through fresh eyes and with a focus on reworking the choreography so it's all facing one direction rather than in the round,” said Ib Andersen. “Anytime I re-stage a work with different dancers, new ideas and new interpretations emerges. I'm excited to see how the choreography comes together with this reimagined Round.”

In 2016, The New York Times’ senior dance critic Alastair Macaulay described Round as the most sophisticated work by a skillful choreographer he had seen to date.

The Ballet Arizona performance series at Desert Botanical Garden is made possible by support from Mayo Clinic, National Bank of Arizona, and Plexus. An Evening at Desert Botanical Garden Opening Night Sponsor is F. Francis and Dionne Najafi of Pivotal Foundation

Ticket prices for An Evening at Desert Botanical Garden start at $60 and are available at balletaz.org or by calling 602.381.1096.

Ballet Arizona

Ballet Arizona is dedicated to preserving and celebrating classical dance while creating new and innovative works. Under the artistic direction of internationally acclaimed choreographer Ib Andersen – a former Principal Dancer with The New York City Ballet and The Royal Danish Ballet – Ballet Arizona follows his lead to the future of dance in Arizona. The School of Ballet Arizona promotes access to the art form of ballet through dance education, with a focus on excellence in the form, directing each student to a life-long love of dance. Following this vision, Ballet Arizona connects to more than 35,000 children and families every year through its free and low-cost outreach programs. For more information, visit http://www.balletaz.org.