Werner Sonata by Silas Farley

“I wanted to choreograph a work for this moment, one that fulfills our deep, collective need for rest, reflection, and renewal,” muses Silas Farley, the 27-year-old ballet artist. Werner Sonata is the first work he’s made for a professional company since retiring from New York City Ballet nearly a year ago. Filmed during twilight in the spring meadows of Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts, Farley’s Werner Sonata is a breath of life that honors ballet’s history and traditions while simultaneously projecting a vibrant future for the art form, its artists, and its audiences. Set for 14 dancers to composer Kyle Werner’s Sonata for Violin and Piano, Farley’s three-movement work spotlights the virtuosity of TWB dancers. “The music Kyle wrote was a great inspiration. He and I both have a similar calling to our art forms to embrace the classical tradition with a sense of renewal. With this piece, my hope is that audiences will have something beautiful to behold.”