George Gershwin's music has proved to
be enduringly popular with audiences, and his rhythms and structures
have proved to be inspirational to choreographers as well. Perhaps
the best known balletic interpretation of his music is George
Balanchine's Who Cares? from 1970.
David Nixon has long been interested
in creating a work to Gershwin's music. His first opportunity
arose from a commission from the Columbus Symphony Orchestra
for whom he choreographed two pas de deux set to Embraceable
You and the second movement of the Concerto in F. For
the summer 1999 appearance of BalletMet dancers in Colorado Springs,
Mr. Nixon chose to choreograph to five short Gershwin pieces
(group dance, 1 solo and 3 pas de deux). The music was Strike
up the Band, Three Preludes and The Man I Love. He
expanded and reworked these pieces into a full ballet entitled
Gershwin Dances that premiered as a work in progress at BalletMet's
SummerDance '99. The success of the work, and the generous financial
support of Cheryl and Larry Simon, have ensured that the ballet
will be seen as a part of BalletMet's spring 2000 season. It
is Mr. Nixon's aim to further expand these dances into a full
evening work dedicated to George Gershwin.
Gershwin, who began to play the piano
in his late teens, created a ceaseless flow of brisk, infectious
rhythms and affectingly poignant ballads. His works often combined
jazz, folk, and blues rhythms, and he occasionally invoked satire
into his music. His compositions, ranging from the light-hearted
to the serious, have been categorized as both classical and Broadway
commercial. Mr. Nixon sets his ballet to a collection of favorite
Gershwin tunes that captures the many moods of the composer.
The pieces are Strike up the Band, Three Preludes, The Man
I Love and An American in Paris.
The choreographic style of that Mr.
Nixon chooses is very influenced by the music. In Gershwin
Dances he has sought a marriage between his preference for
fluid movements and the jazz dance of Broadway suggested by the
music. As with the music, the specific choreographic inspiration
for each section is also varied. Each is intended to be viewed
independent of the others. The unifying theme is the music of
Gershwin.
Mr. Nixon explains that many of the
specific movement choices are inspired by the dancers cast in
the roles. For instance he finds that Elizabeth Zengara communicates
notably with her body movements. Thus the movement quality is
the important ingredient in the Three Preludes section. Anne
Adair Wilkins' The Man I Love hinges more on Anne's personality
and elegance.
An American in Paris contains many moods and is a very descriptive
piece of music. David Nixon thought that the dancing also needed
a story to complement the score. In Jim Orrante and Dimitri Suslov
Mr. Nixon saw a playful, boyish charisma, which he builds upon
in his choreography. He thought of "two guys on the town"
who find two girls. Although both men woo the same girl she eventually
chooses one. This causes the other to go over the top trying
to impress the remaining girl. So the dance begins.
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