Does anybody know something about the ballet "In the middle somewhat elevated"? I recently saw Darcy Bussell dancing an excerpt of it on TV and thought that it was a nice piece of Modern Ballet.
Svenia
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Ballet: In the middle somewhat elevated
Started by
svemaus
, Jun 10 2002 09:45 AM
3 replies to this topic
#1
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Posted 10 June 2002 - 09:45 AM
Hi!
Does anybody know something about the ballet "In the middle somewhat elevated"? I recently saw Darcy Bussell dancing an excerpt of it on TV and thought that it was a nice piece of Modern Ballet.
Svenia
Does anybody know something about the ballet "In the middle somewhat elevated"? I recently saw Darcy Bussell dancing an excerpt of it on TV and thought that it was a nice piece of Modern Ballet.
Svenia
#2
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Posted 10 June 2002 - 11:17 AM
Svenia -
The ballet was choreographed by William Forsythe to a score composed by Thom Willems ca. '87-9 for the Paris Opera Ballet and has since been taken into many other company's repertories. I don't recall the entire original cast, but as I recall it included many dancers who were or would later become etoiles, Laurent Hilaire, Sylvie Guillem, Isabel Guerin et al.
To me, the most interesting aspect of the work is its use of space - the stage is stripped to a bare shadowbox without wings or leggings, and every area within it is fair game for dance. The work feels very much historically of its time and is a very viscerally exciting work. A personal opinion, my caveat would be the more works like it you see, the more questions you have about the genre and its violence.
The ballet was choreographed by William Forsythe to a score composed by Thom Willems ca. '87-9 for the Paris Opera Ballet and has since been taken into many other company's repertories. I don't recall the entire original cast, but as I recall it included many dancers who were or would later become etoiles, Laurent Hilaire, Sylvie Guillem, Isabel Guerin et al.
To me, the most interesting aspect of the work is its use of space - the stage is stripped to a bare shadowbox without wings or leggings, and every area within it is fair game for dance. The work feels very much historically of its time and is a very viscerally exciting work. A personal opinion, my caveat would be the more works like it you see, the more questions you have about the genre and its violence.
#3
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Posted 10 June 2002 - 12:08 PM
Could you please explain to me what you mean with violence in this genre? In which way is this indicated?
I haven't been able to visit too many ballets yet, and I've never seen a full length modern ballet piece, so I don't really have a firm opinion concerning this topic.
Svenia
I haven't been able to visit too many ballets yet, and I've never seen a full length modern ballet piece, so I don't really have a firm opinion concerning this topic.
Svenia
#4
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Posted 10 June 2002 - 01:11 PM
I love this ballet! I'm afraid I don't have much time today to discuss it but I remember writing quite a bit about it in Leigh's "Interpreting Ballet" thread in the Aesthetic Issues section, [edited by LAW to include the link to that thread: http://www.balletale...=&threadid=4424 ] if you are interested (I was asking more questions than answering them really though!)
On Ballett Frankfurt's website you can listen to an extract of the music:
http://www.frankfurt...tt.de/middle.rm
I hope that link works for you, it should just start playing the music, but if you don't have realplayer, just go to the main page and click on "music", then "Willems" and you should be able to download it there. You can get a good sense of the piece from that.
On Ballett Frankfurt's website you can listen to an extract of the music:
http://www.frankfurt...tt.de/middle.rm
I hope that link works for you, it should just start playing the music, but if you don't have realplayer, just go to the main page and click on "music", then "Willems" and you should be able to download it there. You can get a good sense of the piece from that.
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