Over the Rhine's music comes to life with Cincinnati Ballet
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Dancers Philip Fedulov and Sirui Liu. Photo: Courtesy Cincinnati Ballet/Aaron M. Conway
Beloved local folk-rock band Over the Rhine is handing its songs over to Cincinnati Ballet this weekend.
Why it matters: A full symphony orchestra will join in to create something entirely new, something band member Linford Detweiler calls "truly the gig of a lifetime."
- The hope is OTR fans discover ballet, while ballet regulars leave with a new favorite band.
Driving the news: OTR's Detweiler and Karin Bergquist will join the ballet and 55 Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra musicians Nov. 6-7 for "Live!" at Music Hall.
- The three-performance production transforms 16 of the band's songs into three world-premiere ballets.
Flashback: This isn't OTR's first dance with Cincinnati Ballet.
- The husband-and-wife duo collaborated with the company in 2011 and 2014, when artistic director Cervilio Amador was still a dancer.
- "It was one of the most moving experiences of our career, watching our songs made three-dimensional in front of our eyes," Detweiler says.
Amador loved it, too. When he became artistic director, he wanted to do it again — only bigger.
The big picture: An October report from SMU DataArts found paid attendance at arts and cultural organizations remains 20% below pre-pandemic levels. Even free events are lagging.
- "Any opportunity that I have to introduce the art form to new audience members, I will take that opportunity," Amador says.
Inside the room: OTR gave three choreographers free rein over its expansive catalog, letting them choose songs that inspired them.
- Some dances "bring the lyrics to life," Detweiler says. Others are more abstract.
- The setlist remains largely under wraps, but Detweiler offered one teaser: The opener is a song OTR usually saves for the end of its concerts.
Arranger Patrick Warren gave the songs what Detweiler calls "evocative and bold" orchestral arrangements.
- "They made surprising choices," Detweiler admits, but he says they also "brought an emotional intelligence to the songs that feel alive and authentic."
Fun fact: Detweiler has picked up some ballet vocabulary along the way.
- "My favorite is hearing the dancers telling each other 'merde' before a performance, the French word for s**t," he says. "It's their version of 'break a leg.'"
Yes, but: Detweiler sees something bigger in bringing so many artists together.
- "In a world of small screens, seeing 90 people performing together in real time is powerful — and needed."
If you go: Performances are 7:30pm Friday and 2 and 7:30pm Saturday. Tickets start at $50.