PROJECT DETAILS
CHOREOGRAPHER: Roman Mykyta
COMPOSER: Richard Strauss
PREMIERE: February 23, 2024 | Momentum, Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts, Annapolis, MD | Performed by The Ballet Theatre of Maryland
CAST: 18 Women, 4 Men
RUN TIME: 22 minutes
SYNOPSIS:
Macbeth is a dramatic one-act ballet inspired by William Shakespeare’s timeless tragedy of ambition, power, and moral corruption. Set to the evocative music of Richard Strauss, the ballet follows Macbeth and Lady Macbeth as their desire for power leads them from prophecy and temptation to violence, guilt, and ultimate destruction.
Rather than emphasizing historical realism, the choreography explores the psychological and spiritual dimensions of Shakespeare’s drama. The mysterious Weird Sisters and Hecate become ever-present forces that blur the boundary between fate and human choice, revealing how unchecked ambition can imprison the soul long before it destroys the body.
SHAKESPEARE’S TRAGEDY
Written in the early seventeenth century, Macbeth remains one of William Shakespeare’s most compelling explorations of ambition, conscience, and the abuse of power.
BACKGROUND & INSPIRATION
A PSYCHOLOGICAL LANDSCAPE
Rather than presenting the story as historical drama, this ballet explores the inner world of its characters. The Weird Sisters and Hecate embody temptation, fatalism, and the unconscious impulses that gradually consume Macbeth and Lady Macbeth.
DARKNESS AND THE HUMAN SOUL
Drawing upon the Eastern Orthodox understanding of spiritual struggle, the ballet reflects on the gradual progression from temptation to captivity. Macbeth’s downfall begins within the human heart.
VIDEO SAMPLE
PHOTO GALLERY
