Tudor in Chair
Antony Tudor Ballet Trust eNewsletter
www.antonytudor.orgApril 2011
In This Issue
Agnes de Mille
Sally Brayley Bliss
Christopher Newton
Amanda McKerrow
Agnes de Mille
(1905-1993) 
Agnes de Mille - Judgment of Paris
 Judgment of Paris; Photo: Carl Van Vechten

Agnes de Mille's Eulogy for Antony Tudor:

"This is a sad day for us.  It's a cruel day in many ways, but it's an important day because I think it should be a day of decisions. 

It's up to us who loved Tudor's work to see that it lasts, and that it's with us for a long time.  We talk about Tudor being immortal and he is, of course; that is, he has the possibility of being (so).  But we have to keep it that way.  We have to keep his works pristine, unblemished, strong, clear, just as he left them, and this is not easy.  This is very hard. 

Tudor's work does not depend on pattern, although the patterning is superb.  It does not depend on technique, although there is a great deal of very difficult technique.  It depends on quality, and quality is a mysterious, even a spiritual word.  It's a combination of attributes; it's mind and heart, feeling, perception.

Today, dancers are not required to have these things. 

Sallie Wilson was just speaking about how Tudor required his dancers to become people.  All his performers were people.  It didn't mean that they changed the choreography.  He wouldn't have let that (happen).  But they brought to it the entire wealth of their own personalities.  Today this is not asked, it's not even encouraged.  In fact, I don't think it's always permitted; and, I think it's pretty damn dull.

The person to do this is, of course, before anyone else is Hugh Laing.  He has an infallible memory.  He has a beautiful eye.  His eye is unmated.  His taste is superb and he has the knowledge because he was with Tudor in his creative life since 1931, I think, which is a long-time.  Hugh was there, and Hugh helped.  Tudor himself has acknowledged Hugh was his critic, his censor, his editor, his spur, and his whip.  Hugh knows, and if Hugh can be prevailed upon, and I think he may, this will be an enormous service.  The other one is, of course, Sallie Wilson, who has been doing such valiant service up to now keeping the ballets in beautiful order. 

But there must be more, and they must train them.  I call upon them.  I call upon us.  Let's get to work on this very seriously and thoughtfully because this is a treasure. 

We've been blessed to have a real genius; a great, great artist.  We've known him, we've worked with him,  we've loved him good.  We have got to see that his works last.

I went to Ballet Theatre and I saw Dark Elegies; and I was struck (very well done by the way, very well done), and I was struck once more by how astonishing that ballet is. It was created in 1937. Tudor was young. He'd never seen any modern dancing; not Graham of course, not any of the Americans..."

 

Read more!

Dark Elegies - University of Missouri-Kansas City

Dark Elegies - UMKC Spring Concert 2011

 

Sally Bliss Honored as Woman of Distinction
 Sally Bliss awarded Woman of Distinction

Congratulations to Sally Brayley Bliss, Executive Director Emeritus, Dance St. Louis, for her recognition as "2011 Woman of Distinction" by the Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri.

 

The award, given in the Creative Arts category, credits Sally for "inspiring creativity through her lifelong career in dance as a performer, educator, ambassador and administrator."

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Christopher Newton on Staging Shadowplay for American Ballet Theatre, by Tara Moira McBride:
Christopher Newton

Christopher Newton Tudor R�p�titeur

   

Christopher Newton was busy juggling the demands of a distinguished dance career with the Royal Ballet when he took up the study of Benesh Notation.  Prior to his becoming a certified choreologist, or "notator" as he prefers, it was suggested that Newton do some test pieces while watching Antony Tudor create Shadowplay on Anthony Dowell and company members of the Royal Ballet.

"It was really quite funny," said Newton recently.  "When Tudor found out I was learning (notation) he would get the dancers into very complicated positions and say, 'Now how do you notate that?'"  

When the Royal Ballet premiered Shadowplay at the Metropolitan Opera in 1967, the New York Times Dance Critic, Clive Barnes wrote, "The reason for the delight and rapture was at once apparent.  Tudor has created a strange and engrossing work, a ballet that even at first glance has the look and feel of a major work."  

Thirty-six years after first teaching the choreography to the company, Christopher Newton was very pleasantly surprised to find himself invited back to restage Shadowplay for American Ballet Theatre's revival on May 24th, 2011.

"(Tudor) was working in another studio at that time on the creation of Leaves are Fading," said Newton of his last experience.  "I just came, taught the choreography, and left.  I didn't get to a point where I saw polished work, or even a polished rehearsal.  It was all very rough when I left."  The big difference now Newton says is, "I'm seeing it right through to the final stage this time."

Shadowplay - Baryshnikov ABT

Shadowplay - Baryshnikov ABT

"Throughout his career Tudor has been remarkable for the originality of his choice of music, but nothing has been more daring than his choice of this music for Shadowplay," wrote Clive Barnes.

 "It is a very difficult score," said Newton of Tudor's choice in Les Bandar-Log (with interpolations from La Course de Printemps) from French composer, Charles Koechlin, "It's very atonal.  Each bar is a change of signature and tempo, so it really gets complicated." 

"I don't know whether he worked this way with all his ballets, but he wouldn't let the dancers count music," said Newton of the challenges working with Tudor.  "He wanted them to feel it all.  He never explained to them what the mood was, or what he was trying to convey."  

So Newton found a work-around, "quietly, I started to work out a few counts for the music and we managed to make it gel a lot better.  When he came to stage calls (Tudor) said, "Yes, I think everybody's getting the music a lot better now, aren't they?"  Chuckling a bit about this "back-handed compliment" Newton continued, "I never let on that I'd worked on counts for it.  But he was happy with it, so obviously it worked." 

While there is a complete score in Benesh notation, Newton will work instead from his original notes, which he finds much easier. 

"There's no actual classical dance vocabulary," said Newton of the difficulty notating Tudor's choreography.   Citing an example of teaching ABT dancers The Arboreal steps in Shadowplay, "They don't conform to anything classical at all.  In fact, one has to try and stop them from being classical.  They're heavy, lumbering sort of creatures.  I had to try and get them to not point their feet and jump high.  They have to be very earthbound, so it's hard to stop them from being balletic at times.  The Celestials and The Aerials too never really hit a purely classical position." 

Clive Barnes once described Shadowplay as "quite possibly Tudor's most personal work" and warned, "Anyone expecting the picture of Kipling's Mowgli playing in the jungle will be disappointed.  Tudor has bigger fish to fry, larger monkeys to catch.  His ballet has as many meanings, I suspect, as an onion has layers, but basically it seems to be about the realms of experience and the attainment of grace." 

Says Newton, "I think it's one of those ballets you can't get the full impact of in just one viewing.  You need to see it quite a few times because there are so many different levels in it.  It's like a psychological play - deeper -- you have to look for things in it."  

"Dancers nowadays want to get up and do the fireworks -- the multiple pirouettes and all -- but it's not in this ballet," says Newton describing ABT's Herman Cornejo as "exactly the right type for the role" as the Boy with Matted Hair.  "You can see his mind working as to what he can bring to this.  There's a deeper thought.  I think (Tudor) would be very pleased."  

Please visit the Antony Tudor Ballet Trust's Repetiteur page for more on Christopher Newton.

 

Amanda McKerrow on Staging Fandango for Oklahoma Festival Ballet:

 

Fandango - U. of Oklahoma

Fandango - Oklahoma Festival Ballet 

If you happen to be in the vicinity of Norman, Oklahoma anytime between April 29th and May 8th, you should drop in on the performances of the Oklahoma Festival Ballet at the Repel Jones Theatre. They will be presenting their year-end performances featuring Antony Tudor's delightful Fandango, along with Graduation Ball, Camouflage, and faculty member Jeremy Lindberg's Foxes.

 

Oklahoma Festival Ballet is the resident ballet company of the University of Oklahoma.  My husband, John Gardner, and I were very happy when we were asked to stage this wonderful work for them as we knew of their dance department's sterling reputation.  Our experience there surpassed our already high expectations, and we had an absolutely wonderful time working with everyone. Our only complaint was the difficulty we had picking just two casts out of so many strong dancers!

 

Mary Margaret Holt has put together a department that brings out the best in everyone, and then gives the necessary support to allow everyone to achieve their very best.  This certainly made our job easier, and Fandango came together so quickly we had a lovely amount of time to coach it.  We alsoFandango Rehearsal - McKerrow benefited from the great work of our accompanist, John Fry, who will also be performing this piece.  Fandango is truly one of Mr. Tudor's gems, and we fall in love with it more every time we work on it.  As has been our experience in the past, the mind of the university dancer is perfectly attuned for Mr. Tudor's works, and the dancers enthusiastically approached this ballet as a study.  They also benefited tremendously from a Q&A led by the notable dance historian and critic, Camille Hardy.

We were very pleased with all the dancers' work and feel confident there has been even more improvement since being left in the extremely capable hands of the faculty there.

I think these performances are going to be a wonderful representation of this very special work, and a truly enjoyable experience for all who attend. 

See Oklahoma School of Dance Performance Page!

The Antony Tudor Centennial Book and DVD
Antony Tudor

Our 137 page hardcover "coffee table" book features an impressive array of black and white photographs of Antony Tudor throughout his illustrious career and dozens of written "remembrances" and photos from Tudor dancers and students.

 

Our 90-minute DVD features interviews, demonstrations of Tudor classes, and more. All proceeds from the sale of these items go toward an endowed Tudor scholarship at The Juilliard School.

 

Purchase a Centennial Book/DVD and Support an Endowed Tudor Scholarship at The Juilliard School! Click here for sneak peek!