My take on Bold Moves
by Matthew Keefe, Artistic Director
We’re hard at work on our next production, Bold Moves, a repertory production of three new ballets, “Carnival of the Animals”, “Appalachian Spring”, and “Rite of Spring”. I have been listening to the music and planning the staging for over a year now. The dances are all very different in style and content so choreographing them at the same time is somewhat of a challenge. But I’m deep in the creative mode and it’s inspiring to watch it come together; the artist in me is very engaged these days.
Here’s a little peek into one of the new pieces on the program:
“Rite of Spring” is a collaboration with the hip hop company Fatally Unique. Yes that’s true – we’re putting hip hop dancers and ballet dancers together on the same stage! Alonzo Russell (aka Prince Alonzo) the Director and founder of Fatally Unique is also helping me choreograph the production. This is a unique take on the “Rite of Spring” ballet narrative. We’re setting it in a contemporary time period, and our costume designers are creating modified sleeveless suits.
My vision for “Rite of Spring” is a combination of the “Hunger Games”, “Romeo and Juliet”, and the Shirley Jackson short story “The Lottery”. It’s touches on diversity, cultural norms, and how societies change over time. It’s set in a stark urban landscape, perhaps it’s today, or the future. We’re doing something brand new, so there is no road map we’re following and each day in the studio reveals something new. I want this performance to have an impact on the audience, to stir a conversation. In this production we ask a lot of questions, but don’t necessarily provide answers. Many of the images we create evoke universal themes and the resolution of the ballet is powerful. Most of the dancers are high school age and I’m asking a lot from them, but they are all proving to be up to the task.
I’m also enjoying watching the interactions of the dancers. Seeing my dancers embrace some of the Fatally Unique hip hop style and conversely watching Alonzo’s dancers explore my balletic moves is very inspiring. As the ballet begins to gel, I’m seeing the power of what we have created together. I think this ballet will have people talking, as any good art should, and inspire a new era of original dance in “Real, Original Rockford”.
