Colorado Ballet Celebrates the Denver Premiere of The Great Gatsby with Performances January 30-February 8, 2025

The Great Gatsby blends classical ballet with authentic 1920s dance styles and cinematic storytelling, transporting audiences to the decadent world of the Jazz Age. Glamorous costumes and evocative sets immerse audiences in history’s most decadent decade. Carl Davis’s groundbreaking score captures the essence of the 1920s Jazz Age with a thrilling mix of traditional dance forms—Charleston, Foxtrot, Tango—woven into a symphonic tapestry that evokes both the era’s exuberance and its underlying heartbreak.

“When I first saw Jorden’s work, I was struck by his ability to create vivid, emotionally rich characters through movement,” said Artistic Director Gil Boggs. “The Great Gatsby pushes our company artistically while bringing Fitzgerald’s iconic story to life in a way that feels both grand and deeply human. The visual world of this ballet—its sets, costumes, and choreography—will transport audiences straight into the heart of the 1920s.”

Choreographer Jorden Morris, celebrated for blockbuster ballets like Moulin Rouge – The Ballet and Peter Pan, explains his inspiration: “I’ve always been drawn to stories that explore timeless themes—humanity, ambition, love, nostalgia, and loss. Gatsby is a romantic dreamer, trapped by ambition and delusion, a victim of his own devices. Working with Carl Davis’s cinematic, jazz-infused score allowed us to create a ballet that feels both spectacular and soulful. My hope is that audiences experience not just the glamour of the Jazz Age, but the emotional heartbeat of these characters.”

About The Great Gatsby

Set against the glittering backdrop of the Jazz Age, The Great Gatsby follows the doomed love story of Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan—from a tender farewell during World War I to a passionate reunion five years later amid the opulence and excess of Long Island’s elite. As Gatsby’s dream collides with harsh reality, secrets unravel and lives spiral toward tragedy. Based on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s great American novel, The Great Gatsby features an original score by Carl Davis and dramatic choreography by Jorden Morris. Colorado Ballet presents the Denver premiere of the ballet.

A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM

March 6–15, 2026
Colorado Ballet proudly presents two-time Tony Award®-winning choreographer Christopher Wheeldon’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Originally commissioned by the Ballet in 1997, this celebrated production returns for the first time in a decade, with today’s dancers bringing fresh vitality to Wheeldon’s masterful choreography. Shakespeare’s beloved comedy unfolds to Felix Mendelssohn’s iconic score, performed live by the Colorado Ballet Orchestra. This revival features sumptuous new sets and costumes by internationally acclaimed designer Robert Perdziola, whose visionary work has graced leading ballet and opera stages around the world.

MASTERWORKS | Sponsored by Denver Ballet Guild

April 10–19, 2026
MasterWorks, Colorado Ballet’s annual repertory production, returns with a captivating trio of powerhouse masterpieces that put artistic excellence and innovation on full display—Concerto Barocco by George Balanchine; The Rite of Spring by Glen Tetley with the Igor Stravinsky score that revolutionized and radicalized original audiences; and the world premiere of a new contemporary work by Yoshihisa Arai commissioned by Colorado Ballet, choreographed to Rachmaninoff’s “Piano Concerto No. 2.”