Hello guys,

We (ballet west) started work last week on John Butler's Carmina Burana, I've been cast as one of the corps couples. Malcom Burn (Richmond) is staging it. I like that he is giving us a lot of information and direction in terms of emotion and stories to be told. However, I was wondering if anyone in the community here has any stories or experiance with the ballet either seeing, dancing, or administering it that they could share.

Many thanks!

Isn't Butler's the only version that was choreographed during Orff's lifetime with his approval? The dynamic range used to make my sound assistant go insane... from stage whispers to bombast in split seconds...

There's more than one version of it. One has only four dancers.

I've seen part of a film they made outdoors in Holland -- very beautiful and a bit odd

NYPL listing

I have seen it danced at PABallet a few years ago. It is wonderful. You will have a lot of heavy partnering to do! Lots of lifts! It was standing O each night at the Academy of Music and it was during a fierce snow storm! I hope you enjoy dancing it. It is very contemporary and you can see the influence of Graham technique in the choreography.
There were six couples as chorus and two principal couples. Tons of dancing for the corps couples.....enjoy!

It was known as PABallelt's signature work. However, this year they are replacing this Carmina with a new one created by Matt Neenan, company dancer and director of Ballet X.

If I remember Oakland Ballet's version right, Ed, you're going to have to dance near-naked in a purple dance belt -- but it's nothing personal, y'all all look kinda like robots at that point, lotsa big angles, legs in attitude, etc., and hte music is totally driving you, should be exciting, like hip-hop.

It's been 20 years, but I still remember Summer Lee Rhatigan looking visionary in a long white shift, kinda just standing there like a bride.... she played lots of brides (Les Noces).

Can I just say that I adore Malcolm Burn? He is a tremendous asset to Richmond Ballet, and I hope you have a wonderful experience working with him.

Ohh thanks for all the quick responses.

I had no idea PABallet did It. I havent heard their use of it mentioned. However we do have a video of the Oakland production that is being juxtaposed with Richmonds last run of it. Paul, I'll have to look for Summer in it. I made a point of taking one of her classes this summer after hearing so many good things about her. There are a handful of dancers in the company from San Fran that will love knowing that it is her.

Yeah, we're all dying to get into the costumes, they were described to us as purple speedo's with a matching spanish type top.

sandik,

thanks for the link. That is totaly cool, if only i were going to NYC

Ed, I don't remember any top -- but the old oakland ballet had some raunchy days. You should have seen their Rite of Spring.

if I remember right , there are two ballerinas -- Joy Gim also had a major role. Both of them WONDERFUL dancers, Joy really had the fire, too. Maybe I just saw the ballet several times -- i remember it went fantastically well at the SUnday matinee, and wondering what other company regularly danced best for the SUnday matinee....

With all respect to Matt Neenan, (whose choreography I have not yet had the pleasure of seeing), I'm sorry to see PA Ballet letting the Butler Carmina out of their repertoire. They've had such a long relationship with the piece and do it so well. I suppose they have to do it every two years or so or lose the rights? Perhaps they think the audience is tired of it? Still they have such aesthetic ownership of it, and understanding that comes from years of presenting it.

I know, Amy. I feel very much the same way. It is not often you see such a ballet endure decades as Butler's Carmina has done. And it is interesting that PABallet has commissioned a new ballet of this score when they have such a brilliant gem of a Carmina in their rep of which they are noted for performing with extreme success.

Frankly, I am quite often confused about the choices of many ballet companys' reps when they are announced eash year.........it boggles the mind.

Carmina seems to be one of those scores that attracts choreographers and company directors -- there are twelve productions listed in the files at the Dance Collection, including two that would be likely be considered as satires. What is it about this work that makes it so appealing to choreographers and audiences?

sandik,

I've never heard of the Dance Collection. Is it an online resource?

It is a research facility housed in a brick-and-mortar (actually travertine and glass) structure in Lincoln Center. It's part of the New York Public Library system.

You can search its catalogue, but I don't know whether you can browse.

Wouldn't it be great if all its assets were available online!!! Someday , someday .

What is it that compels choreographers? I would say the music.

You can't really browse the collection, though there have been discussions about digitizing some of their full access materials as the Library of Congress has done, but there's lots you can learn from the catalog. I frequently get my questions answered there.

Yes, I suppose if a young choreographer in residence feels passionately about a particular musical composition making him want to create, he shouldn't be discouraged... but still, it's hard when we're talking about an existing recognized masterpiece in the company's rep. I wish (in that fantastic world where budgets are unlimited) that the company would mount the two in tandem... go one night to see Butler, the next night to see Neenan's vision of the same piece.

Is it still called the Dance Collection? I seem to think they've changed the name to the Dance Division (which I find rather confusing, as if it's a university conservatory). Must go look. Here it is:



The link http://www.nypl.org/research/lpa/dan/danabout.html


Of course, there's also this: Dance Collection

Sandik, you ask a great question --it's tempting to try to answer it.

The obvious virtues of the music are A) it's rhythmically intoxicating, B) it asks to be visualized, C) it's got texts which summon up many emotions, from group exuberance to individual pathos, from extreme tenderness to near-violence (including the feelings of a bird they're cooking and going to eat) -- so many points of view are held in ironic tension and allow for tremendous levels of energy in the presentation.

So it gives you an excuse to do an extravaganza -- and best of all, the pleasures are all forbidden, which heightens them to the point of sensationalism.

It could be vulgar, even tasteless, but it is not going to be insipid.

I'm also sorry to hear that Pa. Ballet will not be dancing this anymore. As a scholarship student at Pa.Ballet in the 70's. it was one of my first ballets that I saw them do. I loved it and never have seen any other Carmina by other choreographers that I have liked nearly as well.

hEY eD,

JUST STUMBLED ONTO THIS THREAD (INCOMPETENCE AT COMPUTERING HAS SOME ADVANTAGES)

OOPS, CAPS LOCK.

jUST SAW YOUR TEACHER Lisa IN SALLY'S CLASS YESTERDAY, WAS THINKING OF YOU, WONDERING HOW IT'S GOING -- SO how did Carmina Burana go? Did you like the ballet? What's it like from the inside?

Lately it seems like Carmina Burana is the new Dracula.

Someone once asked Stravinsky what he thought about Carmina Burana, since like his neo-Classical works, it reworked old musical styles in a modern way. He kind of huffed, and said something like "That's not neo-Classical. It's neo-Neanderthal!"

--Andre

Paul,

Its nice to hear from you. I had a great time dancing in the ballet. As with all things the process depends heavily on who you have staging; we had a guest. I enjoyed performing the role. The partnering was creative without being prohibitively difficult, which was nice it allowed me to work and connect with my partner on a level you dont always get with corps work. There were aspects of the corps work that were difficult to do precisely and that we felt looked disappointing considering the effort they required. That though is neat when you give it perspective, its a ballet that can easily looks like a bloody mess if you don't have that constant attention to the details. Watching the principals was amazing, the corps dont steal the show at all, we created a great backdrop and some fine transitions for their movements in the piece. I've got some pictures I purchased...

http://photos-b.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-...881293_8784.jpg
http://photos-d.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-...662523_3442.jpg
http://photos-a.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-...881292_8512.jpg