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    'BIPED': Ballet's Bones at Annenberg: Posted On Sat, Mar. 1, 2008

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    merilynjj
    In music, the part of a sonata or fugue that introduces the themes is called the exposition. Merce Cunningham's choreography, though never created with music in mind, nonetheless looks very musical, and seeing his 1999 BIPED at Annenberg Center Thursday night, it struck me that the piece was an exposition of the bones of ballet.

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    'BIPED': Ballet's Bones at Annenberg: Posted On Sat, Mar. 1, 2008

    Uploaded by

    merilynjj
    33 views1 page
    In music, the part of a sonata or fugue that introduces the themes is called the exposition. Merce Cunningham's choreography, though never created with music in mind, nonetheless looks very musical, and seeing his 1999 BIPED at Annenberg Center Thursday night, it struck me that the piece was an exposition of the bones of ballet.

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    Biped 2008

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    In music, the part of a sonata or fugue that introduces the themes is called the exposition. Merce Cunningham's choreography, though never created with music in mind, nonetheless looks very musical, and seeing his 1999 BIPED at Annenberg Center Thursday night, it struck me that the piece was an exposition of the bones of ballet.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as doc, pdf, or txt
    33 views1 page

    'BIPED': Ballet's Bones at Annenberg: Posted On Sat, Mar. 1, 2008

    Uploaded by

    merilynjj
    In music, the part of a sonata or fugue that introduces the themes is called the exposition. Merce Cunningham's choreography, though never created with music in mind, nonetheless looks very musical, and seeing his 1999 BIPED at Annenberg Center Thursday night, it struck me that the piece was an exposition of the bones of ballet.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as doc, pdf, or txt
    of 1

    Posted on Sat, Mar.

    1, 2008

    'BIPED': Ballet's bones at Annenberg


    By Merilyn Jackson

    For The Inquirer In usic, the !art o" a sonata or "u#ue that introduces the the es is called the e$!osition. Merce %unnin#ha &s choreo#ra!hy, thou#h ne'er created (ith usic in ind, nonetheless looks 'ery usical, and seein# his 1))) BIPED at *nnen+er# %enter Thursday ni#ht, it struck e that the !iece (as an e$!osition o" the +ones o" +allet. The "irst ti e I sa( BIPED, at its 1))) ,incoln %enter !re iere, I drank in the decor and (as da--led +y Paul .aiser and Shelley /shkar&s !ro0ected ani ation i a#ery. The urky, sonarlike thuds o" 1a'in Bryars& score and the dancers& shi erin# tour aline costu es con'eyed an under(ater i !ression2 the choreo#ra!hy too s(a as i" under (ater 3 and receded, (a'ery and elusi'e. But on second 'ie(in#, (hen the dancers +e#an tracin# de ilunes (ith their toes !ointed on the "loor, I sa( (hat I had not seen the "irst ti e 3 the #hosts o" +allet, s!are and skeletal. 4hether 5 terre or +alanc6, the classic rond de 0a +e (as one o" the dance&s e er#in# the es. 7ee! !li6s, unorthodo$ ara+esques, li"ts and 0et6s (ere a second. *!!earance and disa!!earance (as another the e. The 18 dancers o"ten e$ited or entered throu#h concealed o!enin#s in the +ackdro!, (hich s(allo(ed one dancer u! a"ter her +rie", etchy solo. She e er#ed o entarily (ith t(o other (o en on each side. 9ad she +een re!roduced in quadru!le: Technolo#y also created illusions. ;ed and +lue hori-ontal stri!es "loated do(n the scri like lines on a !a#e, tracin#s o" otion3ca!tured "i#ures +u++led across it like cha !a#ne, dia#onal shards o" color dri"ted do(n like !ick3 u! sticks tossed into a 0ar o" ineral oil. *ll the (hile, *aron %o!!&s li#htin# chan#ed the sense o" ti e, as i" the dancin# on the ocean "loor (ere illu inated +y re"racted sunli#ht. John .in# and 7a'id Behr an, each o" (ho has co !osed "or %unnin#ha , !er"or ed Bryars& <=3 inute score li'e on electric #uitar and key+oard. %ellist ,oren 7e !ster, son o" the %unnin#ha colla+orator and tro +onist Stuart 7e !ster, also !layed2 at one !oint, his so +er attenuations (ere shattered +y (hat sounded like a lar#e #lass sna!!in# in t(o. So e 'ie(ers co !lain that %unnin#ha &s (ork lacks e otion. But there is no ra!ture like that o" conte !latin# !ure +eauty, and BIPED&s +eauty cannot +e o'ere !hasi-ed. The +i# +u-- o" this concert (as "or eyeSpace, (ith Mikel ;ouse&s >03 inute iPod score International Cloud Atlas, (hich in its Philadel!hia !re iere (as (hittled do(n to a 203 inute ?shu""le.? 4hile so e audience e +ers listened to the a +ient soundsca!e created +y .in# and Behr an o""sta#e, ost took ad'anta#e o" the !re!ro#ra ed iPods !ro'ided. It (as !retty co ical to see the electric3+lue3clad dancers lea!in# and li"tin# to lyrics they could not hear, like ?I al ost lost y "ork? or ?,ook (ho&s sho!!in# on the 1a-a Stri! all no(.? Many in the audience took ad'anta#e o" the "reedo to lau#h or ake co ents, #i'en the "eelin# o" !ri'acy (earin# ear+uds !ro'ided. 9enry Sa elson&s #or#eous +ackdro! (as !lay"ul too. It looked like a red desert (ith "ire(orks +urstin# "ro hundreds o" !rairie do# holes2 (hen the dancers (ere in u!ri#ht dia#onal !ositions, they +eca e !art o" the "iery dis!lay.

    http://www.philly.com/inquirer/magazine/20080301_BIPE __Ballet!_"one!_at_#nnen"erg.htm l$a%&tring'inq.entertainment/magazine()category'magazine(*ran%om+r%'03010803100,

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