Hypnagogia, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa's second collaboration with Atlanta Ballet, transported audiences to that liminal space between wakefulness and sleep, where dreams blur with reality. The existing relationship between Lopez Ochoa and Atlanta Ballet, established during their collaboration on Coco Chanel: The Life of a Fashion Icon allowed her to make a unique piece for Atlanta Ballet that was inspired and created with the company dancers in mind.

Lopez Ochoa's inspiration struck during a flight as she gazed at the clouds, musing about the sensation of leaping into them and being weightlessly supported. How does one translate such an abstract feeling into a set for a ballet? The answer to that is the imaginative scenic and lighting design of renowned designer Christopher Ash, whose work has graced stages across dance, theater, and opera.

The journey of building out Hypnagogia’s scenic and lighting design began with sound and shared imagination. Ash reveals, "we began dreaming about Hypnagogia with only the music in mind and some initial research. Annabelle shared with me some images of Dalí and other surrealist artists. As we listened to the music she had chosen, we began to talk aloud about the pictures forming in our minds."

With Hypnagogia being a contemporary ballet piece, Ash and Lopez Ochoa were unburdened by a pre-established story or structure as the design process morphed into fluid exploration of limitless potential. As Ash notes, “when something can be anything, sometimes you have to explore every possibility of what it could be." He also points out that the practical constraints of construction schedules, budgets, and available time ultimately shape the boundless initial ideas.

"Scenic design for any kind of production is about creating the envelope in which the story unfolds," he explains. However, he notes a distinction for ballet: "With dance, you have a tremendous—and in some ways, unlimited—amount of freedom to interpret the material as you like. Since there are rarely any words, your space can become almost anything that serves the emotional narrative of the piece and satisfies the necessary moments you and the choreographer need to hit."

Ultimately, Ash hoped his scenic and lighting design for Hypnagogia would resonate with audiences on an emotional level. "In the end I hope there’s a bit of ooh, and pretty, and ahhh that goes through people’s minds. Maybe even a little bit of 'huh?' and moments of wow." The resounding cheers that followed each performance of Hypnagogia show that Ash has undoubtedly succeeded in creating that wow factor, providing the perfect conclusion to Atlanta Ballet’s 24|25 season.