Ib Andersen @ Works & Process

[carbro]

I attended the Monday (11/15) presentation. Lourdes Lopez "moderated" (although I'm not sure that's the word when there's only one person answering questions). She asked Ib a series of very general, open-ended questions, designed, apparently, to elicit rather specific and personal responses. The technique was very effective.

Asked about Balanchine's legacy: We can never really know his intentions. The steps are "strong," but steps are just steps and they need to be given meaning.

Ballet Arizona doesn't do enough Balanchine to have fluency in his ballets, but Andersen tries to give them enough info to allow them to make the work interesting. He tries to impart musicality, articulation and expressiveness through the body. "I don't believe in dancing with eyebrows." Balanchine's speed is important, but that's only one aspect of his works.

At this point, eight Ballet Arizona dancers performed the pas de deux movement of Divertimento No. 15. I was drawn to the woman who danced the second pas -- the open lift of her chest and the soft clarity of her arms.

Ib then recalled the creation of Mozartiana. He'd been in the company for only one year, and he felt that Balanchine was drawing on his Bournonville training. Balanchine began working with his Mozartiana dancers only 10-14 days before its scheduled premiere, taking rehearsal time only when the dancers and studio space weren't being used by other choreographers. Ib explained that at the premiere, the ballet was still not really in the body -- he recalled unfavorable reviews -- but he felt Balanchine's confidence that with time, the dancers would "get there."

At this point, we got a great, little snippet of grainy, b/w rehearsal film (by an unknown photographer) of Mozartiana shot at Saratoga. Balanchine is putting Andersen through what I believe is the last variation before he and Farrell join in the pdd. Andersen finishes the variation, and collapses to his knees in mock (but not unreal) exhaustion, to Balanchine's applause. As Andersen was dancing, we could see women in the background marking his choreography.

As for his own company, he said the hardest issue is always money. His recent new, full-length ballet was produced on a budget of $18,000. When asked what compromises he must make, given his limited means, he replied, "I don't think like that." It's a matter of doing the best with what you have. He twice expressed regret, though, that the cost of an orchestra precludes live music except on happy, rare occasions.

He recalled choreographing "Mosaik," his new, non-narrative full-length ballet, as a very intense process -- "lots of choreography in a very short time." He noted that "the older I get, the less [self-]critical I am. I used to hate everything ."

He regretted the paucity of great choreographers, saying there's nowhere where they can learn their craft. The only way to learn to choreograph is to choreograph.

Lopez noted a downturn in recent years of dance attendance while numbers in other arts have increased. Andersen blamed the companies that, aiming to reach out to a new audience, present bad productions of, for example, Dracula. If that's your introduction to live ballet, who can blame you for not wanting to see more? He cited Balanchine's role as an educator, noting that good works well danced will make the audience want more. Dancers have to show why they are on stage. If they don't look like it matters to them, why should it matter to the spectators?

As he looks to the future, he has no "grand plans" for Ballet Ariz. He said that somewhere between 40-50 dancers it becomes hard for him to know everyone. And he would like to have more live music.

I am sorry I waited so long to transcribe my notes. Some that are indeciperable might have been recallable with a little less forgetting-time. Or maybe not.

In addition to the Div. 15, the company dance the pdd from Slaughter, segments of Mosaik, and another Andersen excerpt. More on those later. Maybe.

[Farrell Fan]

Thanks for your report, Carbro -- it's great. More! More!

[Helene]

Thank you Carbro for the report, and I second Farrell Fan's motion for more!(When you have time.)

Did the dancers perform any part of Andersen's latest work, or was the adagio movement from Divertimento the only excerpt? One of the Ballet Arizona staff introduced the Fall program, and, I thought, implied that the dancers would demonstrate some of his choreography.