By Mark Woolsey

The Atlanta Ballet will close out its 2024-2025 season in Cobb County with a mixed bill of performances billed as explosive, athletic and groundbreaking.

Set for May 9-11, Catch Tuplet will feature its first two performances as return engagements from 2019’s “Directors Choice” performance and 2020/s Heart/Beat program respectively.

The third item on the bill, the world premiere of “Hypnagogia,” will command significant attention. It is a work arising from the imagination of famed Colombian-Belgian choreographer Annabelle Lopez Ochoa.

Hypnagogia is that middle ground between waking and sleep, where you’re here/not here, and she wanted to explore that,” says Atlanta Ballet artistic Director Gennadi Nedvigin.

“It’s an abstract work. It has freedom for everybody’s imagination, to interpret the way they want.”

He adds that the production has several scene elements that no one has seen yet. He says it should be a spectacular outing from many angles.

Nedvigin says Ochoa told him the idea arose from a plane ride during which she was watching clouds out a window. The ride took her to a place where she wondered what it would have been like to jump into the clouds and be supported.

Nedvigin says the result of that flight of fancy will be reflected on stage.

“I saw the process in the studio, the actual process. There’s a continuity of movement making it look weightless and sort of floating in the clouds.”

Working with the famed choreographer  required some flexibility, Nedvigin indicated, saying that the ballet shifted its calendar so that Ochoa could come to town and choreograph the presentation during two weeks that turned out to be nonconsecutive due to a prior engagement.

Since she had worked with the Atlanta dancers last year during a production of “Coco Chanel, the Life of a Fashion Icon” at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center there was quite a bit of familiarity  between Ochoa and the company’s 37 performers, which translated into the finished work.

“It was inspired and created with the company dancers in Atlanta in mind,” is how Nedvigin put it.

He says that with the that with Ochoa becoming familiar with the company and dancers last year, he suggested to her that she consider creating brand new works with the dancers.

“She agreed and I was very proud that she was able to find time,” says the artistic head.

In fact, “All of the dance company is very excited. It’s very special to work with the choreographer and be creative because they feed off of each other and they create something new together.”

Also on the mixed bill (and accounting for its title) are performances of “Catch” and “Tuplet.”

Tuplet, from Swedish choreographer Alexander Ekman, is described as featuring an “unmatched, multi-sensory experience.” It’s unusual in that the dancers use the floor and other surfaces as percussion instruments.

Catch comes from British choreographer Liam Scarlett and is said to hinge on mesmerizing, flowing movement and music that together capture the athleticism of the Atlanta Ballet dancers in action.

The ballet says you csn look for a variety of music and styles during the mixed bill, from classical to much more contemporary.

Catch Tuplet is set to be performed Friday, May 9 and Saturday May 10 at 8 p.m., with  matinees set for Saturday, May 10 and Sunday May 11 at 2 p.m. All performances are set for the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre.

Visit the Atlanta Ballet website for more information and to purchase tickets.