Robert Spano and Lauri Stallings at work on their first 'Rite of Spring' project in 2014. (credit: Thom Baker)

Creative consonance: The evolving collaboration of Robert Spano and Lauri Stallings brings forth a new ‘Rite of Spring’

Mark Gresham | 29 JAN 2025

FORT WORTH, Texas— In the anticipation that precedes an innovative performance, there’s an electric charge in the air, a silent promise of something extraordinary. This is the atmosphere surrounding the upcoming rendition of Igor Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring this weekend by the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra (FWSO), conducted by Robert Spano and choreographed by Lauri Stallings, featuring her intersectionality-centered movement platform, glo.

The creative relationship of Stallings and Spano, a blend of passion, innovation, and deep-seated mutual respect, is set to manifest in a way that will reframe your mind regarding the boundaries of ballet and orchestral music.

The Genesis of a Partnership

Their collaborative journey began with a spark of serendipity in Atlanta, where Spano’s music and Stallings’ movement first came together in 2011 under the avant-garde auspices of Tom Sherwood’s contemporary music ensemble Sonic Generator. “My first memory was when we did Kajia Saariaho’s ballet Maá in Symphony Hall,” Spano recalls, his voice tinged with nostalgia. “We had the audience on stage with us, which was quite something.” That project was a precursor to what would become a prolific collaboration marked by an adventurous spirit and a shared vision.

A scene from the very first Spano and Stallings collaboration, on Kajia Saariaho’s 'Maá' in 2011 at Atlanta Symphony Hall, the stage covered with live sod. (courtesy of glo)

A scene from very the first Spano and Stallings collaboration, Kajia Saariaho’s ‘Maá’ in 2011 at Atlanta Symphony Hall, the stage covered with live sod. (courtesy of glo)

In Maá (Finnish for ‘Earth’), Stallings choreographed a barefoot Spano as the work’s catalyst on a sod-covered stage of Atlanta Symphony Hall. The public was given a choice of seating, on the stage or in the house, dismantling and dissolving the “us/them” hierarchies associated with a conventional concert hall.

Stallings, with her Southern roots and a philosophy centered on emotion as the driver of art, adds, “I carry Maestro Spano with me. I can hear him. He’s in my heart, in my thoughts always.” This personal connection infuses their work with a unique warmth, transforming performances into something deeply felt.

Their First “Rite of Spring”

Since that initial creative encounter with Maá, Stallings and Spano have collaborated a handful of times on different projects.

One of those was their first Rite of Spring project in 2014, performed at Goodson Yards in Atlanta, with Spano and pianist Pedja Medzijevich playing Stravinsky’s four-handed version of the music on two pianos plus percussionists Tom Sherwood and Charles Settles playing percussion parts arranged from the orchestral score.

Ever since then, Stallings and Spano have wanted to do “Rite” again with a full orchestra. Given that musical difference, and because the 2014 performance was also site-specific, the choreography for this week’s performances is also entirely new.


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A Trilogy of Transformation

The FWSO’s presentation of The Rite of Spring is the zenith of a three-year ballet initiative built around Stravinsky’s music, following The Firebird in 2023 with Texas Ballet Theater and Petrushka in 2024 with Dallas Black Dance Theatre.

Spano explains, “We did Firebird, then Petrushka, and now Rite of Spring. Each was with a different company to explore the nuances of Stravinsky’s vision through varied lenses.” This trilogy is a testament to the orchestra’s evolving creative relationship, each performance building on the last, pushing music and dance into new expressive territories.

Emotion as the Muse

Stallings’ approach to choreography is less about steps and more about feeling. “Perhaps the choices I’ve made this time, in particular for this iteration of Rite of Spring, are molded mostly through the warmth and love I have for him,” she shares. Her work isn’t about performance in the traditional sense but creating an environment where everyone, performer and audience alike, lives the moment.

Spano resonates with this philosophy, describing his response when Stallings choreographed the music from his own Piano Sonata for “cloth,” another one of their interdisciplinary projects: “I had given her tapes of me playing my music, and when I saw what they were doing with it… I burst into tears. I felt they were giving me a whole new perception of my own music.” This emotional exchange is at the heart of their creative process, where music and movement are not separate but intertwined expressions of the same artistic soul.


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As they prepare for the upcoming Fort Worth performance of The Rite of Spring, the logistics of merging Stravinsky’s large orchestra and ample space for dance on the Bass Hall stage present new challenges. “We’ve built out an extension for this one,” Spano explains, his tone reflecting both excitement and determination. “It wipes out a few seats, but we couldn’t envision them being able to do anything without the extra space.”

Stallings, meanwhile, talks about the rituals she’s planning, like the drop of flower petals from above, turning the stage into a living canvas. “This is about creating an entire environment,” she says, painting a picture of an immersive experience. “It means there are fresh flower petals on the ground… and during intermission, we’re laying Astroturf across the stage. That’s where the work begins.” (Astroturf, because they were unable to use actual sod for this one.)*

*[Editorial update: As of Thursday, January 30, after this story was first published, we learned from an FWSO spokesperson that the flower petals will be artificial rather than fresh, and Astroturf will not be spread across the stage floor, although there will be an element of turf present.]

The Artistic Dialogue Continues

The collaboration of Spano and Stallings is characterized by a dialogue that goes beyond words, marked by moments of silent understanding and shared vision. “We’ve been on our bums, waving our arms around for hours, no words spoken,” Stallings laughs, reminiscing about the non-verbal communication that defines much of their work together. Spano adds, “Lauri has this gift of understanding music in ways I hadn’t imagined. What she does with movement enlightens the music itself.”

For this performance in Fort Worth, The Rite of Spring is paired with Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade, a choice Spano credits to the orchestra’s President and CEO, Keith Cerny. “It’s brilliant because Stravinsky drew so much from Rimsky-Korsakov,” he explains, showcasing his appreciation for programming that tells a story through music.


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As they finalize rehearsals, the anticipation is palpable. This Rite of Spring is more than a performance; it’s a celebration of a creative relationship that has matured over years, through trials of space, time, and artistic expression. It’s a testament to the idea that art is not static but a living, breathing entity shaped by those who dare to innovate.

In Fort Worth, audiences will witness not just a ballet or a symphony but the culmination of a journey where every step and note is imbued with the spirit of Robert Spano and Lauri Stallings’ unending dialogue. Here, music and movement will speak as one, their creative energy lighting up the stage, inviting all to partake in a moment where art transcends, where emotion reigns supreme, and where the essence of performance art is being danced into existence.

The Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Robert Spano, performs Rimsky-Korsakov’s ‘Sheherezade’ and Stravinsky’s ‘The Rite of Spring,’ featuring choreographer Lauri Stallings and ‘glo,’ this weekend at Bass Hall: Friday, January 31 at 7:30pm; Saturday, February 1 at 7:30pm; and Sunday, February 2 at 2:00pm.

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About the author:
Mark Gresham is publisher and principal writer of EarRelevant. He began writing as a music journalist over 30 years ago, but has been a composer of music much longer than that. He was the winner of an ASCAP/Deems Taylor Award for music journalism in 2003.

Read more by Mark Gresham.
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