BY KAREN BOSSICK
EDITOR'S NOTE: Sadly, this program was cancelled, along with the ballet, because forecast low temperatures over the weekend may present unsafe performance conditions. The Library hopes to reschedule the conversation at a later date.
Renowned ballet choreographer Jessica Lang, one of the most celebrated choreographers of the past two decades, will discuss how she choreographed a new work for Ballet Sun Valley’s 2026 Summer Festival at 11 a.m. Friday, June 26, at The Community Library in Ketchum.
Lang spent a week in residence with the Library at the historic Ernest and Mary Hemingway House last summer, incubating the work as a co-commission between Ballet Sun Valley and Pacific Northwest Ballet
The world premiere will be performed by Pacific Northwest Ballet on Sunday, June 28, as part of Ballet Sun Valley’s two-day festival. The festival takes place at 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, June 27 and 28, at the Sun Valley Pavilion (tickets are available at https://www.balletsunvalley.org/).
Reserve your spot for Friday’s discussion featuring Lang at https://thecommunitylibrary.libcal.com/event/15087111. Or, watch it online at https://vimeo.com/event/5970397 or later om a recording in the Library’s Archive.
“I loved every second of my residency,” said Lang, who has created more than a hundred original works for dance companies around the world, including American Ballet Theatre and The Joffrey Ballet.
“Every day was spent being creative. Watching the sunrise, meditating, listening to music, and reading—but, overall, I was very focused on painting. At the Hemingway House, I didn’t have to focus on time or a schedule, and therefore I found a routine that served my creative energy best. I’ve had many residencies in my career, but none that gave me this type of freedom.”
The goal of the residency at the Hemingway House is to offer creative people the time and space needed for contemplation so they can develop new work, said Martha Williams, the library’s director of programs and education.
Lang said she drew literary inspiration from her time there looking out onto the Big Wood River and the Pioneer Mountains, seeing them change with the light: “The concepts are about aged books, short stories, and the library. My visions for the piece are beautiful and poetic.”
Kelli Quinlan, the executive director of Ballet Sun Valley, said she and those at Pacific Northwest Ballet immediately thought of Lang when they began exploring the idea of co-commissioning a new work.
“She is an extraordinary talent, the dancers have a deep connection to her work, and we, along with PNB, feel incredibly fortunate to bring her creative vision to life in our community,” she said.