The young dancers of Houston Ballet II charge through the studio, filling out the contours of Harrison Guy’s intricate choreography and riding the driving rhythms of Gabriela Ortiz’s score with momentum and urgency. The 18 dancers are rehearsing for a one-of-a-kind, multidisciplinary performance event called Can We Know the Sound of Forgiveness. The work, co-commissioned by Shepherd School of Music at Rice University and Carnegie Hall, premieres on January 20, 2024, at the university’s Morrison Theater in Brockman Hall.
Inspired by visual artist James Drake’s drawing of the same title, the performance evokes themes of human suffering, isolation, immigration, violence, war, healing, and more through music, visuals, spoken word, and dance. (Drake’s monumental drawing is currently on view at Houston’s Moody Gallery through February 24.)
The dancers join an impressive creative team that, in addition to Guy and Ortiz, includes writer Benjamin Alire Sáenz, performance artist Shaun Leonardo, flutist Alejandro Escuer, Grammy-winning chamber choir The Crossing, and producer/director Stephen Jiménez. It is also Houston Ballet Academy’s first collaboration with the Shepherd School of Music.
