Shattered expectations at Charlotte Ballet

This review by longtime Charlotte arts critic Lawrence Toppman was published by The Charlotte Ledger on May 8, 2026. You can find out more about The Charlotte Ledger’s commitment to smart local news and information and sign up for our newsletter for free here. Ledger subscribers can add the Toppman on the Arts newsletter on their “My Account” page.

by Lawrence Toppman

There are three types of glass associated with Alejandro Cerrudo’s “One Thousand Pieces,” but you needn’t think about any of them for long to enjoy this 80-minute work.

Marc Chagall’s “America Windows,” a colossal stained-glass installation at Art Institute of Chicago, inspired Cerrudo to create his first full-length evening of dance in 2012, when he was resident choreographer at Hubbard Street Dance Chicago.

Cerrudo appreciates the music of Philip Glass, who for my money is the greatest living American composer, and he wove selections from half a dozen Glass works into the soundtrack for “Thousand,” which is now getting its premiere at Charlotte Ballet. Members of the Charlotte Symphony performed with precision and power under the baton of Christopher James Lees; Phillip Bush, who grew up in Charlotte and has toured with the Philip Glass Ensemble, tackled the herculean piano part and played it beautifully Thursday.

And the work running this weekend at Knight Theater has large rectangles of glass moving across the stage on panels or floating above it, sometimes creating the atmosphere of a dance studio and sometimes hovering above the dancers to reflect them, as if in the eye of God.

Yet in the end, what you’ll remember is pure movement, tricked out entertainingly with special effects in the first half and danced with enormous assurance and vividness in the gimmick-free second half. By the time the piece subsides into a nearly silent duet after 40 minutes of clamorous post-intermission excitement, you realize the extremely loose theme of love that runs through it has found its purest expression in one couple.

I initially wondered if Cerrudo didn’t trust his audience to follow him through a two-act show that had no narrative and music that might seem monochromatically similar after a while. (It isn’t; Glass varies rhythms and orchestrations skillfully. But some folks don’t hear that.)

The “check this out” bits began when the curtain rose and a male dancer rose with it, clutching the bottom for a few seconds before dropping off. Later, an angel (perhaps) descended from the ceiling on a harness to read a bland poem about romance. The crowning point in Act 1 came when dancers moved on a mat covered with water, amid clouds of mist. That changed the mood, making partnerships slower and more erotic, gestures more elongated and relaxed. I’m not sure what it all meant, other than a chance to give us unusual visual pleasure, but I liked it.

After intermission, though, Charlotte Ballet’s artistic director swept us away with dances that required speed, daring, even moments of ecstasy. I was reminded at times of Twyla Tharp’s “In the Upper Room,” also set to Glass, as dancers crossed and recrossed the stage with abandon. Charlotte Ballet’s company has never been stronger, and they showed not one second of hesitancy in meeting this challenge.

Cerrudo’s combination of ballet and contemporary motion works seamlessly in “One Thousand Pieces.” And though the moments he sets on one or two bodies sustain our interest, I found him especially compelling when he worked with all or most of his troupe, often moving them in unison with slight variations from individual dancers here and there.

For all the joie de vivre of the second half, two moments of quiet stood out. One was that final hug and twirl in the last seconds, depicting two bodies and spirits in perfect harmony. The other was the opening of Act 2, as all 24 company members lined up across the front of the stage for our examination. (It was impossible not to think about the famous tableau in “A Chorus Line.”)

Cerrudo’s work may be titled “One Thousand Pieces,” but the dancers who spin through it aren’t just pieces: They’re people of different ages and heights and hair lengths and body types and races. For a rare moment, before the whirling began, we had a chance to take that in.

Lawrence Toppman covered the arts for 40 years at The Charlotte Observer before retiring in 2020. Now, he’s back in the critic’s chair for the Charlotte Ledger — look for his reviews several times each month in the Charlotte Ledger.

Tune in to a recent episode of The Charlotte Ledger Podcast to learn more about Cerrudo’s artistic journey, what it means to direct a company in a fast-growing city and why this is the right moment to bring his acclaimed full-length work “One Thousand Pieces” to Charlotte audiences.