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Lecture/Demonstration at Metropolitan Museum


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Tonight there was a very rewarding event at the Metropolitan Museum of Art entitled "Finding a Choregrapher's Voice." Peter Martins and Albert Evans along with a budding composer Will Boyd were interviewed about their thoughts on the choreographic process. Their insights and comments were very interesting, especially with Peter Martins telling vignettes about Balanchine's comments on his (Peter's) own budding choreographic career.

However, the special highlight for me was a demonstration of Albert Evans' work to Will Boyd's music. Albert said he calls the ballet Sego (sp?) for no other reason than, as he explained it, he liked the sound of the word!! The dancers were Faye Arthurs, Carla Korbes, Teresa Reichlen, Amar Ramasar and Andrew Veyette.

How to describe the music? It was quite fascinating actually. Think of a lyrical take on the "sounds" for Variations for a Gate and Sigh with a syncopating rhythm. I know, I know, that sounds weird, but it was very enjoyable. The girls were dressed in the costumes (or similar ones) for the Stravinsky Violin Concerto. It was a series of pas de deux and then a pas de trois.

At first, I thought "oh no, another pretzel ballet." But the work went way beyond gymnastic efforts and thankfully the dancers were kept upright and even airborne. (My pet peeve in this post-Balanchine era is ballet dancers being dragged along the floor.) Yes, there were quote from Monumentum/Movements, Episodes and Violin Concerto, but there was a true flow to the entire work and some very original movements. And what I like about Albert's work is that his charm and wit (very much in evidence by his comments tonight) come shining through in his ballets. I hope to see this work again.

In closing the demonstration, each of the dancers was asked to make a comment about how it feels to have a ballet created on them. All but Carla Korbes made very nice comments. Carla seemed either too shy or too winded to talk. I certainly hope it was the former, as I want her to have stamina to tackle as many Balanchine ballets as possible this season.

This event was an appetizer for the upcoming season.

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Thank you for telling us about the lecture/demonstation, Bobbi - it does sound as though it was quite interesting...Nice to hear your thoughts on it as well. I'm really looking forward to seeing Evans' "Haiku" this winter...and maybe we'll have an opportunity to see "Segu" too. :D

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