CAMINO REAL BEGAN in 1953 with the Tennessee Williams play of the same name. In it, Camino Real is a surreal walled-in city that becomes a kind of purgatory for the play’s characters, famous figures from literature and history and those of Williams’ own invention.
Atlanta Ballet revisits that time and place this weekend in its own Camino Real, a world premiere by choreographer in residence Helen Pickett. The story, told from the perspective of Kilroy (dancer Heath Gill), a patriotic character from World War II, deals with human mortality, the desire to connect and the will to live. It’s Pickett’s fourth piece for Atlanta Ballet and her first full-length ballet for the company. Performances are Friday-Sunday.
At 11 a.m. Thursday, Pickett chats live with Encore Atlanta editor in chief Kristi Casey Sanders, and you can be there. You can just watch, or, better yet, ask questions live (or in advance) through the Google Q&A app or by tweeting them to @EncoreAtlanta. Go HERE to join.
Pickett was born in San Diego, where she studied before moving to the San Francisco Ballet School. She’s been Atlanta Ballet’s resident choreographer since 2012. Previous pieces for Atlanta Ballet include The Exiled (2014), Prayer of Touch (2012) and Petal (2011).
She also has choreographed for Aspen Santa Fe Ballet, Ballet West, Ballet X, Boston Ballet, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Louisville Ballet, Royal Ballet of Flanders, Scottish Ballet, Semper Oper/Dresden Ballet, Sacramento Ballet, Smuin Ballet, Vienna State Opera and Washington Ballet.
JOIN THURSDAY’S CONVERSATION @ 11 a.m. HERE.
