Volkmar Posted October 7, 2004 Share Posted October 7, 2004 I am an Austrian Hebrew Bible scholar with a great interest in ballet. I use dancing for myself as a method of meditation. I am also very interested in the choreography of texts. How could I acquire biblical text by dancing/ballet? Please, let me know your suggestions. Link to comment
Alexandra Posted October 7, 2004 Share Posted October 7, 2004 Volkmar, I'm not sure I completely understand your question. Are you interested in ballets that have used Biblical texts? Or of ways to use Biblical texts to create your own choreography? If it's the former, two famous ones are George Balanchine's "The Prodigal Son" (still performed by many companies) and Ninette de Valois's "Job," which was made for the Sadler's Wells Ballet (the old name for Britain's Royal Ballet) and is not in current repertory anywhere, as far as I know. Link to comment
sandik Posted October 7, 2004 Share Posted October 7, 2004 If you are close to New York City, you should check the holdings at the New York Public Library, in the Performing Arts branch. I think they might have kinescopes of the old "Lamp Unto My Feet" program, which was a Sunday morning program that often included dance on sacred themes. You can access their catalogue online http://www.nypl.org/research/lpa/lpa.html Link to comment
Amy Reusch Posted October 8, 2004 Share Posted October 8, 2004 Would the following listing of Liturgical Dance Company sites be of any use? Dance Links: Other Dance Companies: Liturgical Dance Link to comment
Helene Posted October 8, 2004 Share Posted October 8, 2004 Jiri Kylian choreographed a piece to Stravinksky's Symphony of Psalms, which includes the Latin for Psalm 38 (verses 13 and 14), Psalm 39 (verses 2, 3 and 4), and Psalm 150. (Link to text here.). Balanchine believed that it was a piece of sacred music, and that it shouldn't be danced to. In one of his programs, he had the orchestra and chorus play the work onstage, and the dancers sat onstage and listened to it. If you're also interested in ballets choreographed to other religious music (or music using religious texts), Kylian choreographed a piece to Bohuslav Martinu's Field Mass (Polni mse). Kenneth MacMillan choreographed Gloria to Poulenc's composition by the same name. Both were conceived as anti-war pieces. Macmillan choreographed a piece to Andrew Lloyd Webber's Requiem as well. I'm sure there are more ballets choreographed to other Masses. Link to comment
Mme. Hermine Posted October 8, 2004 Share Posted October 8, 2004 Michael Smuin choreographed a ballet to Mozart's Mass in C Minor. Link to comment
Lynette H Posted October 8, 2004 Share Posted October 8, 2004 Jiri Kylian choreographed a piece to Stravinksky's Symphony of Psalms, which includes the Latin for Psalm 38 (verses 13 and 14), Psalm 39 (verses 2, 3 and 4), and Psalm 150. (Link to text here.). Balanchine believed that it was a piece of sacred music, and that it shouldn't be danced to. In one of his programs, he had the orchestra and chorus play the work onstage, and the dancers sat onstage and listened to it.If you're also interested in ballets choreographed to other religious music (or music using religious texts), Kylian choreographed a piece to Bohuslav Martinu's Field Mass (Polni mse). Kenneth MacMillan choreographed Gloria to Poulenc's composition by the same name. Both were conceived as anti-war pieces. Macmillan choreographed a piece to Andrew Lloyd Webber's Requiem as well. I'm sure there are more ballets choreographed to other Masses. Macmillan choreographed a piece to Andrew Lloyd Webber's Requiem as wel MacMillan's Requem is set to Faure. Lloyd Webber --eek. Link to comment
Alexandra Posted October 8, 2004 Share Posted October 8, 2004 MacMillan did two ballets named "Requiem" The one to Andrew Lloyd Webber was for American Ballet Theatre. It didn't last long! Link to comment
Volkmar Posted October 8, 2004 Author Share Posted October 8, 2004 Thank you for all informations about ballets using biblical texts. I will try to "reach" them as much as possible. Unfirtunately I don't live close to New York City. Currently I stay in Nuremberg/Germany. In January/February I will be in Vienna/Austria. In my profession as a bible scholar I have to deal with these texts (mostly from the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament), but normally this is done in a total intellectual way - as scholarship is. So it is interesting for me, what a choreographer would make out of these texts. And, of course, I am very interested to create own choreographies to biblical texts. That was/is my main purpose why I rose my question. Link to comment
Helene Posted October 8, 2004 Share Posted October 8, 2004 MacMillan's Requem is set to Faure. Lloyd Webber --eek. Yikes, I originally had the Faure Requiem, too. But I had started to put in comments after the (ABT) Lloyd Webber one like, "if you consider that music...", and I got a little hasty with the "delete" function. Link to comment
Alymer Posted October 8, 2004 Share Posted October 8, 2004 Some years ago there was a conference in Israel called The Bible in Dance, or something similar. I believe it was organised by an Israeli writer, Giora Manor (I'm not sure if I've spelled his surname correctly). If that is of interest I could try to find out how to get in touch with him. Maybe you could send me a private message. The ballet of the Vienna State Opera also had John Neumier's "Legend of Joseph" in its repertory some years ago and Neumier has also choreographed "Magnificat" and the St. Mathew Passion. Link to comment
Volkmar Posted October 9, 2004 Author Share Posted October 9, 2004 Dear Alymer, thank you for your message! I am very interested in this conference "The Bible and Dance". So, please, inform me how to contact Giora Manor. Neumeier choreographed also "The Messiah" by Handel, Spoerli also "Josephslegende". Link to comment
Dance_Scholar_London Posted October 20, 2004 Share Posted October 20, 2004 The original story-line of "The Wise Virgins" from William Walton is based on a biblical parable (of the foolish virgins). I have recently re-choreographed the complete ballet with a complete new storyline (though not related to the bible). It might be interesting for you to compare both :-) Feel free to email me - I am much more active on the dancer board but you should have my email from previous post over there. Link to comment
zerbinetta Posted October 28, 2004 Share Posted October 28, 2004 I'm not sure how protective of notation choreographers are, but perhaps you could contact those whose ballets you have not or cannot see & ask if they would let you have a copy of the dance notation. If you explain your situation, they might just be cooperative. You would need to be able to interpret the notation (or find someone who is able to "reconstruct" it for you) but it would give you some idea of the work. 2 other ballets come to mind: Peter Martins' "Stabat Mater" (Pergolesi) & Dennis Wayne's "Lazarus" (don't remember what music he used). Link to comment
rg Posted October 28, 2004 Share Posted October 28, 2004 d. wayne was the soloist showcased in the LAZARUS perceptively recalled here. the credits are as follows: Lazarus : Chor: Norman Walker; mus: Jan? Klusak. First perf: Illinois, Lake Forest, Barat College Drake Theater, Nov. 8-10, 1973; solo for Dennis Wayne. Link to comment
zerbinetta Posted October 29, 2004 Share Posted October 29, 2004 Ah, right. Norman Walker. I saw it in NY when Wayne had some seasons here. A very dark piece, rather repellant but not uninteresting. Link to comment
cygneblanc Posted November 30, 2004 Share Posted November 30, 2004 French choregrapher Angelin Preljocaj did two choreos based on some Bible's texts, Annunciation, Stéphane Roy (Crystal Music) Antonio Vivaldi (Magnificat : here is the synopsis : How does the Annunciation, that key moment which underpins a whole religion, resonate in us, what does it awaken ? While so many painters over the past 2000 years have sought time and again to understand the flurry of contradictory symbols, which in effect is what the Annunciation is, it comes as something of a surprise that a theme, a subject in which so many issues about the body are so manifestly implicated should have remined almost entirely absent from choreographic art. And yet, what we find here, deep down, is truly fascinating. In traditional iconography, Mary is often shown in an enclosed or walled garden, symbolising her virginity. There is, therefore, a parallel between what might be called her inner space and her surroundings. When the angel breaks into this private world, he is saying, in so many words, that the workings of her body are about to be dramatically altered. This explains why it is that, although in the Bible the Virgin displays a screne acceptance of the forthcoming event, many artists have chosen to make her the prey of doubt, anxiery, even rebelliousness. The strange co-existence of acceptance and rebellion, the collision of space and time, tell us that at the very moment the message is given, fertilisation takes place. We are, as it were, inside biology, the very act of conception. This coming to life in gradual stages takes us to the heart of the process of creating art; the message is no longer an abstraction, it is reality. Rather than something finished, isn't what we call nowadays conceptual art the portent of a new art, the Annunciation of an art yet to be born ? He also choregraphed a work for the twelve male dancers based on MC 14- 22 and called MC 14-22, this is my body. It has been danced by the POB and I hated that work :angry: Otherwise, Mireille,Nègre, a former principal of the POB that left to become a carmelite nun and actually didn't stay in her convent made a work based on Christ's passion. The music is Jean-Sebastien Bach's Magnificat Catherine Golovine did also some choreos, but I don't know more about that. Good luck with your research ! Link to comment
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