Azara Ballet ends first season in Sarasota with celebration of love

Women, LGBTQ+ highlight of show

To close its first season, the new Azara Ballet is making a statement about cultural freedom and liberation with its program “LOVE between LINES.”

The performances at 7 p.m. on March 1 and 2 feature four original pieces that celebrate the many abilities of women, queer love and what dancers go through for their love of telling stories through movement.

Artistic director Kate Flowers said the company wants the audience to be aware of the varied expressions. “We don’t want anyone to come to the show and be surprised. We want to make sure it’s clear because we want to have supportive audiences.”

Flowers, who started the company with her partner, Martin Roosaare, said LGBTQ+ people feel welcomed in the dance world with friends and company members “but it’s also very rare that you see that representation on the stage under the umbrella of ballet” in depictions of relationships.

Flowers describes her opening piece “Love is Love” as a “pure celebration.”

She and Roosaare created “In the Studio,” which she said “invites people into our world. It ties in a bit to our overall mission as a dance company. We wanted to show people things they wouldn’t necessarily know or understand that dancers go through without us blatantly showing it.”

Flowers and Roosaare started the company with a focus on the mental and emotional well-being of the dancers and to embrace body positivity and individuality.

Roosaare also has choreographed “Kodumaa,” which means homeland. Roosaare was born in Estonia but left when he was 5 years old. “Kodumaa” tells about the 1991 “singing revolution” that is credited with helping Estonia win its liberation from the Soviet Union in 1991.

The program’s final piece is “Ms. Protagonist,” created by company member Olivia Huseonica. Her piece focuses on the many roles assigned to women in society, from sage to nurturer and crusader, and how women are more than the ways they are described.

Performances are at 7 p.m. March 1 and 2 at Neel Performing Arts Center on the State College of Florida Bradenton campus, 5840 26th St., West, Bradenton. Tickets are $35, $32 for seniors and ages 1-18 and $20 for streaming options. azaraballet.org

A scene from Martin Roosaare’s “Kadumaa,” which is part of Azara Ballet’s program “LOVE between LINES.”

PHOTOS PROVIDED BY AZARA BALLET Kate Flowers, top, artistic director of Azara Ballet, with dancer Elise Csizmadia. Flowers has choreographed “Love is Love,” one of four new pieces for the company’s season-closing program “LOVE between LINES.”