Jump to content
This Site Uses Cookies. If You Want to Disable Cookies, Please See Your Browser Documentation. ×

The Diamond Project- Wheeldon's comments


Recommended Posts

In the latest issue of TIME OUT NY Christopher Wheeldon is profiled and says

"...the Diamond Project is meant to be a festival of new works, and it's meant to be experimental-you're not expected to put a masterpiece on the stage."

"As much as you want to do your very best work, this isn't really the enviroment where you would have the time to make stuff, scrap it and start all over again."

The article then goes on to explain that because of the "severely limited" rehearsal time he opts to use older dancers (as opposed to younger).

I was actually a bit surprised, all of this coming from NYCB's resident choreographer. The article paints a bit of chaos, and in some ways I feel like Wheeldon gave himself an "out" if the piece wasn't liked. But overall, it doesn't give a very positive image of the whole project.

Anyone else care to comment?

Link to comment

I think those comments paint an HONEST image. Everything he said was true from his perspective. New ballets always require more rehearsal time than a restaging, therefore time is short no matter how much rehearsal time you have. And for a big festival atmosphere like that surrounding the diamond Project, time is short because there are simply so many ballets to be rehearsed. this does not indicate an inordinate amount of chaos, only the usual amounts of it. There seems to be the belief that the weeks leading up to a performance are as cleanly organized as the performance itself. It never is. It is always organized chaos.

Link to comment

Yes, he's just being candid. Given the circumstances, what he's describing sounds pretty typical. (And there's no guarantee, even if they were "expected to make a masterpiece" and given all the time and the pick of the dancers they wanted, that any actual masterpieces would emerge. :))

I would agree, however, that it's a little troubling that he would say "this isn't really the environment" where he could expect to do "the best work." I'm glad Balanchine didn't see things that way, or the first Stravinsky Festival might not have happened.

Link to comment

I think it was only 9 new pieces for this project, and seeing as more than half of them are dropped after a season or two...

I guess it just struck a nerve, for me, if they're barely spending time on these new works and the Balanchine pieces look a bit under re-hearsed as well, then what and who are being given the appropriate amounts?

Link to comment
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...