Not a lot of projection…in fact- none…but this is my gig for the week and it looks pretty great. I know I know…I actually like doing lights once in a while, it’s where my roots are and I’m a sucker for good dance lighting anyway. Expertly crafted by Laura Glover, it’s always a pleasure to get to focus her work. The Dance program here at Butler is outstanding and any time they get to do a piece like this, it’s a happening. Por Vos Muero, a dance by contemporary Spanish choreographer Nacho Duato, will be the centerpiece of Butler Ballet’s Midwinter Dance Festival, which will take place at 8 p.m. Feb. 17 and 18 at Clowes Memorial Hall. This is the first time a college program has been given permission to perform a Duato piece.

Ticket prices are $21.50-$28.50 for adults, $14-$20 for groups of 15 or more, $17-$23 for seniors and children ages 12 and under, and $10-$15 for students. They’re on sale at the Clowes Hall box office, (317) 940-6444.

Nacho Duato is the new artistic director of Russia’s Mikailovsky Ballet – a rare appointment of a foreigner in Russia. Kevin Irving, former artistic director of The Gothenburg Ballet in Sweden and longtime associate of Duato’s, will be at Butler in January and February to set Duato’s Por Vos Muero.

Larry Attaway, chair of Butler’s Dance Department, describes Por Vos Muero as a brilliant, seamless work that reflects upon the timelessness of human relationships. The title, which translates as “For thee I Die,” comes from a poem by Garcilaso de la Vega; the words of the poem are spoken as part of the 15th and 16th century Spanish music that comprise the score.

“This juxtaposition of text and sound is a beautiful complement to the choreography, which moves between traditional Spanish social dance and classical and contemporary ballet,” Attaway said. “At its heart, this is a dance about love, desire, sadness, joy. It’s filled with humor and mystery, as all relationships should be. The Butler Ballet is excited and humbled to have been selected as the only American College Dance program to perform a Nacho Duato work. We hope that everyone in the dance community comes out for this rare glimpse into the genius of one of our contemporary ballet masters.”

Midwinter also will feature Bourneville’s “Flower Festival” set by Marek Cholewa, Stephan Laurent’s “Enigma Variations,” a work by visiting artist Michael Johnson and a brand new, large-scale piece by Cynthia Pratt. This remarkable evening of dance will present audiences with the chance to see the ballet stars of tomorrow in a diverse evening of visual splendor.

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