The Persistence of Memory

Learning about how fabulous things were after the fact really does us no good. Sure, we can try to revel in the afterglow and study what made said occurrence so wonderful — but neither option makes us any more there. If you've missed something, you've missed it, right? Well, not necessarily. In the dance world, a piece of choreography can be learned by generations of dancers, and these masters of movement can invoke the past and pay homage to the original work for the benefit of those of us who were absent for the first performance. Such is the case with George Balanchine's Apollo, which was first staged in 1928. No doubt very few of the original audience members are still, shall we say, in the audience of life, but new memories will be created this weekend when the Houston Ballet presents this unforgettable piece at the Touhill Performing Arts Center on the University of Missouri-St. Louis campus (1 University Drive at Natural Bridge Road). In addition to Apollo, the company's weekend concerts showcase new works, including pieces by artistic director Stanton Welch and associate choreographer Christopher Bruce. Relive the past and get a jump-start on current fabulousness at 8 p.m. on Friday and at 2 and 8 p.m. on Saturday (October 8 and 9). Tickets for the ballet cost $30 to $50 and can be purchased at 314-516-4949 or www.touhill.org.
Fri., Oct. 8; Sat., Oct. 9, 2010