Live, Life, Love – Choreographed by Charles Askegard
Performance Garage presents DanceVisions 2025-2026: Live, Life, Love – A Celebration of American Music and Dance.
Performance Garage presents the world premiere of Live, Life, Love – A Celebration of American Music and Dance, a three-performance concert by 2025–2026 DanceVisions resident artist Charles Askegard.
To celebrate America’s 250th anniversary, this program honors three American composers whose work has made an enduring contribution to the nation’s classical music legacy. Each ballet will be performed with live musical accompaniment.
The first ballet, In/Still Life, is set to William Grant Still’s Suite For Violin and Piano, music that was inspired by three different sculptures, which also served as a source of inspiration for the dance.
Next, Where Lies Love, is choreographed to Florence Price piano compositions. This ballet examines relationships and uses the music as its foundation to tell their stories.
The final ballet, Firmament (Life After/Life), is set to a Philip Glass score Sonata For Violin and Piano, and represents the energy, passion, and pursuit of life. It also explores life’s circular qualities and spiritual aspects.
Dancers from Philadelphia Ballet: Yuka Iseda (Principal Dancer), Oksana Maslova (Principal Dancer), Yuval Cohen (Soloist), Nicholas Patterson (Soloist), Federico D’Ortenzi (Demi Soloist), Charlotte Erickson, Jorge Garcia Alonso, Siobhan Howley, Kyleigh Johnson, Sophie Savas-Carstens
Choreographer: Charles Askegard
Musicians: Jenny Chen (Piano), Tess Varley (Violin)
Music: Florence Price, William Grant Still, Philip Glass
*** Friday, May 17 VIP event.
- VIP ticket holders are cordially invited to a preview reception in the adjacent Bethany Mission starting at 6:00 pm, and meet with the DanceVisions Artist in Residence and choreographer Charles Askegard.
- Special reserved performance seating.
- Post-performance meet and greet reception with the dancers and musicians.
- Invitation to the dress rehearsal on Thursday, May 14 at 2:00 pm.
- A portion of the ticket price is tax deductible.
Poetic, Ethereal, Human
“Live, Life, Love, these are the most meaningful pursuits. To live the life you love. Love the ones around you, your family, and your friends. To love the work you do, and the world you live in. These three words are what drives me as an artist. Each of these ballets explores these themes: To live, to feel life, to pursue life, and breathe life into something, and to explore different aspects of love. These are the forces behind my work, they are my guide and my compass. On this, our 250th anniversary of America, I am celebrating the country’s birthday by using American composers who left an indelible mark on the country’s contribution to classical music, and whose music I felt brought to life these three themes.” –Charles Askegard.
Charles Askegard:
Charles Askegard is a world renowned dancer, teacher and choreographer. Growing up in Minnesota gave him the opportunity to study with Loyce Houlton, the choreographer and founder of the Minnesota Dance Theatre. His training there enabled him to attend many ballet summer intensives with the San Francisco Ballet, School of American Ballet, and the American Ballet Theatre. At age sixteen he moved to New York to further his studies where he trained with famed teacher Maggie Black.
Mikhail Baryshnikov, who was then directing the American Ballet Theatre, hired Askegard when he was eighteen years old as a member of the corps de ballet. He performed with the ABT for ten years rising to the rank of soloist and performing many lead roles in both full length and repertory ballets. He was appreciated for both his technical prowess, as well as his dramatic and artistic skills starring in ballets by Agnes de Mille, Glen Tetley, Twyla Tharp, Antony Tudor, Sir Kenneth MacMillan, Natalia Makarova and more. He left ABT to join the New York City Ballet as a soloist, and the following year was promoted to Principal Dancer. There he worked with Jerome Robbins on several of his ballets, created roles in ballets by Peter Martins, Christopher Wheeldon, along with other emerging choreographers, and also performed a large part of the Balanchine repertory, dancing many of the most demanding male roles.
When he retired from the stage, he co-founded his own company “Ballet Next,” which had successful seasons at the Joyce Theatre, BAM Fishman in NYC, and toured to the British Virgin Islands, Syracuse University, and the Lensic Theatre in New Mexico. During this time, Askegard was sought after as a guest dancer, teacher, and choreographer. Choreography was always a passion, and he has continued to pursue that aspect of his artistry for many years, commissioned for work by the Columbia Ballet Collective, the Minnesota Dance Theatre, Philadelphia Ballet II, and the main company of Philadelphia Ballet.
DanceVisions:
DanceVisions began in 2017 with the aim of developing more seasoned work from the selected choreographers by having the time, space, and support for thoughtful and mentored creation.
The Performance Garage provides the DanceVisions Resident Artist with mentorship, marketing, publicity, box office, and a $10,000 stipend. Included in their support is video documentation, photography, and light design for their three-performance season when they premiere their new residency choreography.
Performance Garage presents DanceVisions 2025-2026: Live, Life, Love – A Celebration of American Music and Dance.
Performance Garage presents the world premiere of Live, Life, Love – A Celebration of American Music and Dance, a three-performance concert by 2025–2026 DanceVisions resident artist Charles Askegard.
To celebrate America’s 250th anniversary, this program honors three American composers whose work has made an enduring contribution to the nation’s classical music legacy. Each ballet will be performed with live musical accompaniment.
The first ballet, In/Still Life, is set to William Grant Still’s Suite For Violin and Piano, music that was inspired by three different sculptures, which also served as a source of inspiration for the dance.
Next, Where Lies Love, is choreographed to Florence Price piano compositions. This ballet examines relationships and uses the music as its foundation to tell their stories.
The final ballet, Firmament (Life After/Life), is set to a Philip Glass score Sonata For Violin and Piano, and represents the energy, passion, and pursuit of life. It also explores life’s circular qualities and spiritual aspects.
Dancers from Philadelphia Ballet: Yuka Iseda (Principal Dancer), Oksana Maslova (Principal Dancer), Yuval Cohen (Soloist), Nicholas Patterson (Soloist), Federico D’Ortenzi (Demi Soloist), Charlotte Erickson, Jorge Garcia Alonso, Siobhan Howley, Kyleigh Johnson, Sophie Savas-Carstens
Choreographer: Charles Askegard
Musicians: Jenny Chen (Piano), Tess Varley (Violin)
Music: Florence Price, William Grant Still, Philip Glass
*** Friday, May 17 VIP event.
- VIP ticket holders are cordially invited to a preview reception in the adjacent Bethany Mission starting at 6:00 pm, and meet with the DanceVisions Artist in Residence and choreographer Charles Askegard.
- Special reserved performance seating.
- Post-performance meet and greet reception with the dancers and musicians.
- Invitation to the dress rehearsal on Thursday, May 14 at 2:00 pm.
- A portion of the ticket price is tax deductible.
Poetic, Ethereal, Human
“Live, Life, Love, these are the most meaningful pursuits. To live the life you love. Love the ones around you, your family, and your friends. To love the work you do, and the world you live in. These three words are what drives me as an artist. Each of these ballets explores these themes: To live, to feel life, to pursue life, and breathe life into something, and to explore different aspects of love. These are the forces behind my work, they are my guide and my compass. On this, our 250th anniversary of America, I am celebrating the country’s birthday by using American composers who left an indelible mark on the country’s contribution to classical music, and whose music I felt brought to life these three themes.” –Charles Askegard.
Charles Askegard:
Charles Askegard is a world renowned dancer, teacher and choreographer. Growing up in Minnesota gave him the opportunity to study with Loyce Houlton, the choreographer and founder of the Minnesota Dance Theatre. His training there enabled him to attend many ballet summer intensives with the San Francisco Ballet, School of American Ballet, and the American Ballet Theatre. At age sixteen he moved to New York to further his studies where he trained with famed teacher Maggie Black.
Mikhail Baryshnikov, who was then directing the American Ballet Theatre, hired Askegard when he was eighteen years old as a member of the corps de ballet. He performed with the ABT for ten years rising to the rank of soloist and performing many lead roles in both full length and repertory ballets. He was appreciated for both his technical prowess, as well as his dramatic and artistic skills starring in ballets by Agnes de Mille, Glen Tetley, Twyla Tharp, Antony Tudor, Sir Kenneth MacMillan, Natalia Makarova and more. He left ABT to join the New York City Ballet as a soloist, and the following year was promoted to Principal Dancer. There he worked with Jerome Robbins on several of his ballets, created roles in ballets by Peter Martins, Christopher Wheeldon, along with other emerging choreographers, and also performed a large part of the Balanchine repertory, dancing many of the most demanding male roles.
When he retired from the stage, he co-founded his own company “Ballet Next,” which had successful seasons at the Joyce Theatre, BAM Fishman in NYC, and toured to the British Virgin Islands, Syracuse University, and the Lensic Theatre in New Mexico. During this time, Askegard was sought after as a guest dancer, teacher, and choreographer. Choreography was always a passion, and he has continued to pursue that aspect of his artistry for many years, commissioned for work by the Columbia Ballet Collective, the Minnesota Dance Theatre, Philadelphia Ballet II, and the main company of Philadelphia Ballet.
DanceVisions:
DanceVisions began in 2017 with the aim of developing more seasoned work from the selected choreographers by having the time, space, and support for thoughtful and mentored creation.
The Performance Garage provides the DanceVisions Resident Artist with mentorship, marketing, publicity, box office, and a $10,000 stipend. Included in their support is video documentation, photography, and light design for their three-performance season when they premiere their new residency choreography.
Good to know
Highlights
- 1 hour 30 minutes
- all ages
- In person
Refund Policy
Location
Performance Garage
1515 Brandywine Street
Philadelphia, PA 19130
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