Mural Arts Philadelphia & Philadelphia Ballet Team Up For a Free Outdoor Pop-up Event Series

Mural Arts Philadelphia (Mural Arts) and Philadelphia Ballet are excited to announce Behind the Stage Door, a series of free, live, ballet performances that incorporate the installation of artist-designed stage doors to create the scene for the pop-up outdoor performances throughout Philadelphia. Beginning opening night April 29 at 7 pm at Cherry Street Pier, and with performances throughout May 2022 in various locations, the interactive project explores the “invisible” forces and off-stage talents that bring the Ballet to life with original choreography and musical composition, as well as live dance, film, and inventive multimedia stage design.

Amplifying behind-the-scenes perspectives and employees that the audience does not typically see, Mural Arts has selected four artists to create interpretive designs to complement the stories of four Philadelphia Ballet community members. The artists will design roughly 7 ft. x 5 ft. stage doors that will be used as background to set the stage for each 30-minute, free, family-friendly public performance. When not in use for performances, the doors will be displayed at Cherry Street Pier and “opened” to frame a special screen to play animated films focused on a particular off-stage or on-stage perspective of the Ballet. With animation by Cybee Bloss and Alex Aldrich Barrett, the films are a production of the Philadelphia Ballet and Big Picture Alliance.

The four local artists chosen for the project are:

• Artist Michelle Oosterbaan, creating work inspired by The Eugene and Alyce Fluder principal dancer Nayara Lopes’ animated film.

  • Michelle Oosterbaan’s drawings, paintings, and murals describe relationships between motion and stasis, and investigate the ideas of memory and place.

• A native of Brazil, and a rising star within the company, Nayara joined Philadelphia Ballet in its 2016-2017 Season and was promoted to Principal Dancer onstage during the company’s December 2021 performances of George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker ®.

• Artist Lindsay Bedford, creating work inspired by costume designer Holly Hynes’ animated film.

  • Lindsay Bedford is a 2021 Fellow from Mural Arts’ Philadelphia Fellowship for Black Artists, as well as the Marketing Engagement Manager at Eberlein Design Consultants Ltd. This is her second active project with Mural Arts Philadelphia since the Fellowship.

• Costume Designer Holly Hynes is an award-winning costume designer and consultant with over 250 ballets to her credit, including Philadelphia Ballet

• Artist Jonathan Laidacker, creating work inspired by choreographer and former Pennsylvania Ballet soloist Meredith Rainey’s animated film.

  • Jonathan Laidacker specializes in fine art painting, and has brought classic painting techniques to large-scale murals across Philadelphia and elsewhere. He has worked with Mural Arts for 17 years.

• Meredith Rainey began dancing at 15 in his hometown of Fort Lauderdale.  In 1985 he became the first African American dancer of the Milwaukee Ballet. In 1987, he was invited to join the newly formed Pennsylvania-Milwaukee Ballet. When the collaboration ended, he remained with the Pennsylvania Ballet for 17 years—much of that time as a soloist—until his retirement in 2006. Most recently, he created a new work as part of the May 2021 Digital contemporary program. Titled Spillway, it was set to the music of Philadelphia-based composer Jennifer Hidgon.

• Artist Kuo-Pin “George” Lin, creating work inspired by prop master Dan Amadie’s animated film.

  • Kuo-Pin “George” Lin is a painter and an assistant artist at Mural Arts. Many of his paintings are narrative portraits based on personal interviews.

• Dan is a second-generation Union Stagehand, becoming a member of IATSE Local 8 in 1998 and joining the crew of the Pennsylvania Ballet Association as the Property Master in April 2000.

“The doors used as part of the stage set are exciting pieces of artwork that have the unique ability to connect the audience with the stories of individuals who work behind the scenes,” said Jane Golden, founder and executive director of Mural Arts Philadelphia. “Through our partnership with the Philadelphia Ballet, we are able to put the spotlight on talented, local artists with diverse skill sets and perspectives, and those at the Ballet whose hard work and individual stories bring the dance art form to life.”

“Public Art is integral and important to Philadelphia Ballet as we expand our reach throughout Philadelphia. Through partnerships with institutions and artists, we have the opportunity to transcend traditional theater spaces and share our love of dance and inspire audiences in a new way,” said Angel Corella, Artistic Director, Philadelphia Ballet.

Following its successful Spread Your Wings performance and exhibition partnership in 2021, the Behind the Stage Door program is Mural Arts Philadelphia and Philadelphia Ballet’s second interactive, multimedia performing arts initiative together with the goals of spreading the joy of movement and making dance and art personal and accessible through creative storytelling. Educational workshops for the public and panel discussions featuring artists and artisans in the community will also be hosted throughout the partnership.