There is probably no such thing as a 'typical Pucci piece.' As director of his own company, he says, "I intentionally mix up my programs with something a little more humorous, something a little more visual, something more theatrical...I feel when a person comes off the street and stumbles into the theatre to see my show there'll be something for that person."

Many of Pucci's works are humorous: "I think that Pilobolus gave me the opportunity to be funny on stage. I didn't know it was something I had to offer. Then I realized it's nice to have people laugh". There is also a darker side to his repertoire shown in more formal and serious works. "They're internal. That's all I can say. I've had a lot of hardships within my family - losing both my parents as a young man. Both sudden deaths. All of us must deal with losing someone we love and someone who is close to us." He made Love Duets (1992) for a different personal reason. "I have a certain way I feel about how things should function in society." Love Duets brings together three couples - two women, a man and a woman and two men - who repeat in turn the same simple dance. "There is a lot of inequity in how we perceive people of the same sex who are having a loving and caring relationship." Pucci's choice of movement style is equally catholic ranging from the everyday to more formalized dance forms. "I don't feel there's a Peter Pucci technique...My dances find a life of their own...It's about discovery for me."

The music of Zap Mama was brought to Peter Pucci's attention by a friend in Los Angeles who suggested it to him before the group was as well known as it is today. Pucci immediately liked the music, especially the different sounds and rhythms.

John McFall had been having ongoing conversations with Pucci about creating a work for BalletMet, particularly one that could be used in excerpts when needed. Pucci selected Zap Mama's music for this project thinking this music ideal, having such a strong identity and being naturally sectional.

The concept of this strong-flavored music being in sharp contrast to women dancing en pointe also interested Pucci.

Suite Mizike is not really 'about' anything, but is a reaction to the music. Pucci felt the strong African, as well as the European, influence of the music. For him it invoked strong images of women together in a communal sense. At the beginning of rehearsals Peter already had the ballet mapped out in his head and for the Trio in the women's section, he also had strong visual images. "I wake up thinking about dances. I count in my sleep. I think about dances all the time and about making dances and making movement." As he worked on the ballet, more images became clear and he realized he needed mass numbers of dancers to achieve the look he wanted. Thus, Suite Mizike uses the full company.

For the return of Suite Mizike to the stage with BalletMet, we are fortunate to have had Peter Pucci also return to work with the dancers. Peter viewed this as a good chance to work with the new company members. He said he will "tinker" with some details and will also react to the personalities of the dancers involved. He feels it is important to take into account who is dancing a part, and what they can bring to it.

Peter always considers the costumes and lighting as equally important components of a work. In this case the designs are very much influenced by the music as well. The costumes use a leopard pattern, dyed in many different colors, chopped up and pieced back together again, to produce costumes of wonderful texture and color. The eye at once sees the strong African tradition and a contemporary look. The striking lighting by Howell Binkley is also a major contribution to the success of this work.

All music used in the ballet is from the recording Adventures In Afropea 1 by Zap Mama, released by Luaka Bop/ Warner Brothers Records.

"Most of the songs on this album were inspired by traditional African and European melodies. Thanks to my dual cultural background - Walloon and Bantu. Belgian and Zairean - I discovered (and would like others to discover by listening to this record) the richness and diversity of the musics that are the foundation of our African and European repertoire. Returning to the musical roots - essentially vocal - of the people most underrated by the modern world, I became aware of the greatness and strength of the human musical scope of expression. Through the body, the breath, the respiration, the vibration of the vocal chords and without the support of elaborate instruments, the Pygmies keep on conveying - to those willing to approach and listen - the beauty and purity of one of the most ancient cultures. One of my dearest wishes is, through these recordings, to participate in bringing people closer through understanding and respect for each culture - with, of course, a special attention to the people threatened by the triumphant materialism of the modern world." - Marie Daulne

Recorded near Isiro, Zaire, this is based on a young girl's song. The girls accompany themselves by beating the rhythm in the river water. "This is the story of those invaded by materialism, machinism, capitalism / Those whose limbs, soul, instincts and, worst of all, conscience, are eaten up, friend / Listen to your head, listen to your spirit inside / There's a friend, it's called melody / Hey! Mr. Music come dance with me."

From a Syrian song. A man cries over his harem's favorite woman who ran away and ends up deciding to look for her.

(Composed by Fanchon Nuyens and Marie Daulne.)

An anti-apartheid song, written and translated into Zulu by Marie Daulne. The music is inspired by a popular Zairean song.

Traditional chant of the Pygmies of Central Africa.

Cuban rhythm

From a Central African Pygmy chant. (Text by Renaud Arnal.)

Zap Mama is a group of five women singers led by Marie Daulne who founded the group in 1990.

Shortly before Marie was to be born in 1964 in the Belgium Congo, the war of independence that produced Zaire broke out. Her father, a Belgian civil servant named Cyril Daulne, was killed in the ensuing riots but her mother, Bernadette Aningi, a Zairean of the Bantu tribe escaped with three children to the safety of the Pygmies, the neighbors of her own tribe. The Pygmies are feared by other tribes because of their supernatural powers, mysticism and spiritualism. There, Marie was born, without medical attention, in the forest.

Marie's mother moved the family to her husband's relatives' home in Belgium. Growing up, Marie learned both traditional African songs as well as Catholic chorales. With no money for instruments, she formed a small a cappella group with her brothers and sisters.

After Marie left home, she decided to make music her profession and studied polyphony in Arab, Asian and African contexts. Following a bad injury that she sustained while dancing in a stage show, Marie rediscovered Pigmy songs and set out to re-meet the Pygmies. When she arrived, they regarded her differently from other women who had come to study them because she could sing like them.

Although her mother had carefully taught her children some Bantu traditions, she feared them becoming too African and considered Marie's songs "savage" and uncivilized. At the same time, the Belgian side of her family supported her cultural studies. Marie compares herself to Americans, a new breed of people who have forgotten some of their roots and traditions. She says, "My music is a mix - like me."

Zap Mama was formed in 1990. To "Zap" means to switch T.V. channels or, as intended here, to switch cultures. They immediately jumped into the cutting edge of international music with their joyous a cappella mix of Pygmy music, Central African and Arabic pop tunes, Afro-Cuban rhythms and American soul and gospel. The idea was to go back to the musical roots, to the human voice, instead of adding elaborate instruments as many European artists were doing.

The group released their first album in 1991 and their debut release in the U.S. was the self-titled Zap Mama. Their 1993 release Zap Mama: Adventures in Afropea 1 was met with great acclaim and went on to become Billboard's best-selling World Music album of the year. This success led to prestigious international touring for the group and a documentary film of their travels was shot as a follow up to the award-winning 1991 documentary Mizike Mama.

A new album Sabsylma was recorded and released in 1994 with two of the original quintet being replaced with new members.

When asked to sing in a commercial for Coca-Cola her initial response was 'NO'. However, Marie Daulne thought "there is money there that can go to help people." The band's money from the commercial went towards building a school in Africa.

The group in performance "concentrates on theater as much as music producing fascinating minimalist pictures of remote cultures". (Lynn Voedisch - Chicago Sun Times). Self-accompanied on gourds, finger cymbals, wood blocks and even Tupperware, the group also utilizes casual choreography, but their voices are the central focus.

"It was just an accident" Peter Pucci says of his career. "I lived in a neighborhood that was mixed, culturally and racially. My father was a bricklayer and my mother was a mother. They've been deceased for a long time. I was pretty much on my own. Got into trouble here and there, but not in any big trouble. I did a lot of sports when I was young, started when I was eight: baseball, football, basketball - the whole thing. I just liked doing it. I had never seen any dance. I had never been to any music concerts or theater. Maybe movies. I didn't have any background in dance or any kind of cultural upbringing at all. It just sort of happened".

Peter Pucci was born and raised in Baltimore, attended two different colleges in order to become what naturally became him most - a physical education teacher. As a required course he took a modern dance class, and was fortunate enough to have a really good teacher. "We did a lot of improvisation, so I learned about moving freely before I learned technique....I was twenty when I started, and one thing led to another. I had no idea what I was getting into."

Pucci received a scholarship to study dance at Southern Methodist University where he was seen by Richard Kuch, a teacher from North Carolina School of the Arts. He suggested that Pucci audition for the school. He did, received a scholarship and after two and a half years graduated from the North Carolina School of the Arts. Moving to New York, Pucci auditioned for Pilobolus Dance Theater, one of 250 men and 350 women. It was only his third audition and he landed the job. Pucci was a member of Pilobolus for nine years, during which he served as principal dancer, co-choreographer and rehearsal director. While with Pilobolus he toured and taught worldwide, made several film and television appearances, collaborated on many Pilobolus pieces and presented his own works on Pilobolus programs.

"Pilobolus's philosophy was 'anything goes'...At first I was a little skeptical of the whole idea, because it was very zany. I felt I was athletic enough, I could do this, but I was so technique orientated when I came out of school," Pucci says. "Someone would come in with some music, we'd put it on and we would just dance all day. We would video or remember something and then just build on that. And we would go on for days on end. In fact, we were all choreographing together."

Inevitably, with collaboration comes compromise and a certain company aesthetic develops. Pucci began to realize his personal tastes varied from those of the group. He and fellow company member, Carol Parker, began to create work in which they hoped Pilobolus would be interested.

In 1986, he formed, directed and choreographed for his own company, Peter Pucci Plus Dancers. For the first three years he was still dancing with Pilobolus, rehearsing with them in Connecticut from 10 to 6 then driving to New York City to work with his own company.

He stopped dancing with Pilobolus in August 1989 but continues to perform with his company. However, concerning that part of his career he states," I prefer to end it sooner than later. I've had a lot of good experiences on stage for a number of years. I don't think I'll prefer to dance for a long long time when I get older. It'll be too damn hard...I can see putting all my physical and mental and creative energies into just choreographing."

Since its founding, Peter Pucci Plus Dancers has performed annually in New York City, including four appearances at the Joyce Theater, and has toured extensively throughout the United States and Europe. The company has twice been presented on public television by KRMA-TV Denver in One Night Only and Peter Pucci: Curtain Time. The second program was re-broadcast nationwide on PBS in April 1994.

Pucci acknowledges the imprint that Pilobolus left on his choreography including "...some of their sculptural elements and certain comedic things. I learned from Pilobolus that it's okay to make people laugh and its okay to challenge people and to make works about who you are. That's the bottom line for me; the works I make are really about who I am and how I feel about things."

As long ago as 1983 Pucci began working with original music. For his company's 1994 season at the Joyce Theater he commissioned three new scores, raising most of the money himself through private gifts.

Pucci has set repertory on numerous ballet and modern dance companies and has created commissioned pieces for Batsheva Dance Company, Pick of the Crop Music and Dance Ensemble, North Carolina School of the Arts, the Lincoln Center Serious Fun Festival, the Chautauqua Ballet Company, and the Joffrey Ballet, for which he created Moon of the Falling Leaves, based on native American themes to music by Mohican composer Brent Michael Davids and Willing and Able, the closing section of Joffrey's evening length ballet Billboards, to music by rock star Prince. His most recent commissions include Lifted by Love for the Alberta Ballet, set to a suite of songs by native Albertan k.d. lang, Suite Mizike for BalletMet Columbus, Trio for the End of Time for Ballet Arizona, Thought Through My Eyes for DanceForce (Atlanta), and Size Nine Spirit to big band music for Colorado Ballet.

In 1990 Pucci became the first recipient of the Samuel H. Scripps Humphrey/Weidman/Limon Fellowship, a choreographic commission awarded by the American Dance Festival. Pucci is also the winner of an Absolut Joffrey Award for Choreography and Choo-San Goh Award for Choreography for his collaboration with BalletMet.

Peter Pucci Commissioned Works (to Summer 1996)

1996 Size Nine Spirit - Colorado Ballet

Thought Through My Eyes - DanceForce (Atlanta)

1995 Trio for the End of Time - Ballet Arizona

Suite Mizike - BalletMet

Samson and Dalila - Baltimore Opera

1994 Lifted by Love - Alberta Ballet

Their Hearts Have Eyes - Pick of the Crop Music and Dance Ensemble.

Banner - Chautauqua Ballet Company

1993 Two Rivers - Chautauqua Ballet Company

Billboards - Willing and Able - The Joffrey Ballet

1992 Moon of Falling Leaves - The Joffrey Ballet

1990 Heir of Civility - Lincoln Center Serious Fun

Pas de Foie Gras - Pick of the Crop Music and Dance Ensemble

1989 Sylvan - North Carolina School of the Arts

Mariachi - Batsheva Dance Company

Mr. Binkley's Broadway production credits include London, Toronto, Vienna and the national tour of Kiss of the Spiderwoman; the musical directed by Harold Prince. He also has created lighting designs for Tommy Tune's Grease and How to Succeed in Business, directed by Des McAnuff. He has worked with such theater companies as Alley Theatre, American Repertory Theatre, Asolo Theatre, McCarter Theatre, La Jolla Playhouse and Shakespeare Theatre in Washington, D.C. Dance companies such as American Ballet Theatre, the National Ballet of Canada, Paris Opera Ballet, Lyon Opera, Hubbard Street Dance Company, Parsons Dance, Peter Pucci Plus and the Joffrey Ballet have commissioned his talents. In addition, he has worked with the Metropolitan Opera and the Dallas Opera. Mr. Binkley also has been the recipient of a 1993 Tony nomination, the Sir Laurence Olivier Award, the Canadian Dora Award (for Kiss of the Spiderwoman), and two Helen Hayes awards.

Ms. Joly has been happily associated with Mr. Pucci and his company, Peter Pucci Plus, for the last eight years. Their recent collaborations include Moon of Fallen Leaves and Billboards for the Joffrey Ballet. She has designed costumes for theatre, dance and television in the United States and Canada, most notably the National Ballet of Canada, Boston Ballet, The Joffrey Ballet and David Parsons Dance, as well as the American Repertory Theatre, Shakespeare and Co. in Lenox, Massachusetts, and WGBH in Boston. In the summer of 1995 she worked with performance artist Paula Josa Jones on Wonderland which premiered at Jacob's Pillow. Christine is also busy raising two young sons.