In February, Ballet Arizona will trade in its ballet slippers and tutus for high-heeled shoes and cocktail dresses.

The costume switch is for “Sinatra Suite,” a modern dance piece choreographed by Twyla Tharpe. Set to five songs by “Ol’ Blue Eyes” the work will be performed during Ballet Arizona’s February program, “Valentine Fire.”

“Sinatra Suite” is a new look for Arizona’s premier dance company. The troupe hasn’t performed anything quite like it since Ib Anderson became artistic director of a company known for seeking out new work and for breaking ground.

“We are not an old hat company here,” Anderson says. “Everything we do is either new to Arizona or new to the world.”

Anderson doesn’t want to single out any one program in a season that has plenty of firsts, including a new staging of the season-opening “La Sylphide,” which will be the first time the tragic, romantic-era ballet has ever been shown in Arizona.

The piece is being staged by New York City Ballet principle dancer, Nikolaj Hübbe, who staged the work last year for the Royal Danish Ballet.

And because Denmark is the birthplace of Auguste Bourneville, who choreographed “La Sylphide” in the 19th century, “you can’t really get any higher recognition than doing that,” Anderson says.
“Original Collection II,” — a new ballet currently being created by Anderson — will be performed along with “La Sylphide.”
And at the end of March, Anderson will debut a new interpretation of the classic comedic ballet “Coppelia.”

“It’s hard to really say at this point what it’s going to be, but it will be my ‘Coppelia.’ A new ‘Coppelia.’ Will it be more traditional? I don’t know. Because it’s too early in the phase of that.”

But Anderson does know that the five programs in the 2004-2005 season, which was specifically tailored with the ballet’s temporary home at the Orpheum Theater in mind, will have something for everyone.

“Every program has some kind of diversity,” Anderson says. “There’s a rich palette here in terms of what you’re going to see in each program.”