| James Jordan, Répétiteur, Discusses Learning to Stage Echoing of Trumpets: |
James Jordan |
Here is an excerpt from a sit down on May 28 with James Jordan, Trust Répétiteur, and Christine Knoblauch-O'Neal, Washington University Dance Program faculty member and former ABT Tudor dancer, on the challenges of staging Tudor's masterpiece, Echoing of Trumpets:
O'NEAL: I understand that you've been learning Echoing of Trumpets in order to stage future productions. Tell us about that.....
JORDAN: My first exposure to the ballet was with Louisville Ballet in 2004. I've been learning several Tudor ballets from Donald Mahler over the past 12 years but this was my first opportunity to work on Echoing of Trumpets in person. Wow, what a powerhouse ballet! Donald had shared with me an amazing television recording of the original cast in Sweden in the early 60's and I just couldn't wait to get inside of the work. Because of my full time position as ballet master with the Kansas City Ballet, I can't always get away for an entire staging period. In this case, I could only see a few studio run-throughs before transitioning to the theatre.
O'NEAL: Mr. Tudor chose very complex scenery for this ballet. Tell us about those challenges...
JORDAN: The ballet takes place in war-time Czechoslovakia amongst the broken stone ruins of a village. In the studio, the ramps and archway openings are marked out but the scale of the set has to be seen to be believed. Before the dancers arrived to their first on-stage rehearsal, I drew maps of its placement on the stage and began to explore the hidden platforms, the ladders upstage and every stepping stone and pathway.
The first rehearsal always takes forever. Dancers must negotiate not only walking on slanted ramps but also executing choreographic phrases and partnering. The hanging of the husband can't be rehearsed until the set is there. It takes time to work out the use of the leather strap, the grips to get him up and also how to get him down. Then the women must roll him to the edge of the stone bridge and safely onto the floor. Everyone always pitches in and makes it work but its physical action that few have ever done before...
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| A message from Stephen Pier, Director of Dance, The Hartt School, University of Hartford: |
Photos: John Long |
"The Hartt School has been delving into the intricacies and nuances of the Tudor legacy through its preparation of the pas de deux from Dark Elegies. We have chosen this piece to stand alongside the work of Martha Graham (Steps in the Street) and Jose Limon (A Choreographic Offering) in order to give our dancers a physical knowledge of these three giants of 20th Century dance.
Ten dancers have been hard at work on this pas de deux since early January, under the guidance of faculty member Hilda Morales, the celebrated interpreter of Mr. Tudor's works during her years with both ABT and Pennsylvania Ballet.
Through her expert mentoring and deep knowledge of this body of work, the dancers are beginning to understand a completely new world of subtlety, nuance, musicality and intention within the classical vocabulary. Says freshman, Christopher La Fleche, "It's amazing how fresh and modern this piece is! I was afraid it would be something else. I had no idea ballet could be like that..."
Hartt School - Emily Zatursky and Alan Bernardo-Znidarsic | The challenges of this work are perfect for the development of these young aspiring artists. It forces us to ask and answer important questions. How do we make technique serve the artistic intention? How do we project the inner life of a human situation through dance? What is the relationship of the movement to the music beyond mere counts? What can we learn from this "text" of steps about choreographic meaning? The lessons are endless.
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| Hilda Morales, Faculty Member, The Hartt School, on Teaching Tudor: |
Hilda Morales & Fernando Bujones with Antony Tudor | "For a long time now I had wanted to have the opportunity to pass on to my students what I have learned from Mr. Tudor. Since his death in 1987 there has been a great deal of concern about preserving his work and how it would be passed on to the next generation.
With the encouragement of Mr. Pier I contacted the Antony Tudor Ballet Trust and spoke to Sally Brayley Bliss, Trustee. She could not have been more excited about having us do the pas de deux from his ballet, Dark Elegies. I was also honored that she trusted me to teach it to the students.... I am truly excited and nervous and hope I have done my best to explain the intricate subtleties of his gestural work as well as his unusual choreographic musical phrasing which is what makes his work so unique." |
| Christopher Palmer, Tudor's nephew, on his recent visit to New Zealand School of Dance: |
Christopher Palmer (second from left), Garry Trindler, Connaught Palmer (Tudor's neice), Mr. Palmer, Donald Mahler | From a letter to Garry Trindler, Artistic Director...
"Thank you so much for the performances last Friday. I know this will be a special memory for my mother and our family. You have made her very happy. Garry, please congratulate all the dancers for putting their heart and soul into the performances. I would like to specially mention the lead ballerina in Lilac Garden, I personally thought she had the makings of a "Tudor dancer." It takes quite a bit to bring a tear to my eye but at the end of Lilac Garden, the dancers achieved that. Please thank the staff of the school for their contribution as we were made to feel like part of your school family and this was most appreciated. You both must be so proud of what you have accomplished in the short time you had to work in, and this is a credit to you both." |
| FIRST EDITION TUDOR CENTENNIAL BOOK IS AT PUBLISHER! |
Tudor Centennial Book/DVD |
After two years in the making, The Antony Tudor Centennial Book and DVD has at last gone to press! It has been a long and difficult process, but well worth the wait - the result is a collector's gem!
We are very proud of this important collection of photos and written remembrances from Tudor dancers and students.
Readers of the Centennial Book will delight in dozens of Tudor remembrances and exclusive photos from world renowned dancers and choreographers. The 90-minute Centennial DVD shares excerpts from the Antony Tudor Centennial Celebration, including video clips of remembrances and in studio performances featuring ABT II, students of The Juilliard School, and the dancers of NY Theatre Ballet. Please take a look at the link below, and remember, all proceeds go toward an endowed Tudor Scholarship at The Juilliard School! Enjoy!
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| In the News... |
Elena Zahlmann in Romeo and Juliet Pas De Deux - NYTB |
Visit our website's news page to see the latest performance listings, links to recent articles and reviews, our newsletter archive and more!
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| Antony Tudor Dance Studies Curriculum Committee - Update |  |
Preliminary meetings in preparation for the development of an Antony Tudor Dance Studies Curriculum are underway. Sally Bliss hosted two weekend long, marathon sessions with Amanda McKerrow, Hilary Harper, James Jordan and Christine O'Neal to iron out an ambitious launch strategy for June 2011.
The Antony Tudor Ballet Trust seeks to create an Antony Tudor Dance Studies Curriculum to inspire and develop better, more well-rounded dancers while ensuring future dancers, teachers, choreographers and dance enthusiasts receive the best possible instruction on Antony Tudor's unique choreography and teachings.
The basis of the committee's collaborative efforts will be used to write an NEA grant proposal seeking funding for the project. Monthly meetings are planned to fine tune features and components of a formal presentation of the Antony Tudor Dance Studies Curriculum to the CORPS Conference in 2011. |
| Tudor Centennial Remembrances: |
Antony Tudor | |
Pina Bausch (1940-2009): "He had totally different eyes. They always used to say that he had one eye that looked like an angel's. And the other eye looked like a devil's.
When he gave class he always wore wide trousers and those different coloured, short-sleeved loose shirts, which were tied in front. He always came into the class carrying a brown paper bag with a coffee in it. He smoked cigarettes. When he sat, he had an amazing posture, a fantastic head and neck. He always sat with a very straight back. He only occasionally would raise his eyebrows - very aristocratic, but always with irony.
It was in Juilliard the first time I saw him, when he and José Limón met in the corridor. They were two kings who passed each other without looking.
In his classes he often gave beautiful and very exceptional musical combinations. Once there was a ballerina who lifted her legs behind her ears - literally behind her ears. He stood himself in front of her and said: "This is not poetry, darling."
Kathleen Harty Gray: "His barre work was always intricate. If you looked down while he explained, you were lost. However, during the barre, he often walked the circumference of the studio stopping abruptly to see if you were feeling the emotion of the exercise. It was never just intricate barre-work; believe it or not, he wanted you to "dance" at the barre."
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| Adria Rolnik, Web Coordinator and Tudor Archivist: |
Adria Rolnik |
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So much has changed since last fall! In November the Trust launched www.antonytudor.org "to reinforce the relevance and enduring importance of Antony Tudor's ballets, and, ensure his works are never lost."
The website, which features a comprehensive online catalog of Tudor's ballets, includes premiere dates, details of music, production, and cast; supplemental notes on his work, revisions and stagings; historical content, upcoming performances and news links. And now, thanks to the recent grant received from the NEA, each of Mr. Tudor's ballets will be digitalized in its entirety, with short excerpts of his works made available to the public on our website.
The development of the Trust's monthly eNewsletter has enabled subscribers to access blog excerpts, essays, news and information, photos and remembrances. We are continuing to collect and preserve archival photographs, an important part of preserving the Tudor legacy for generations to come. Our Facebook and Twitter pages complete the package.
I am proud of what the team has accomplished, and privileged to be a part of this important effort! |
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