Pastorale (2014-2015)
This ballet, premiered in May, 2015 at the New Victoria Theatre, looks at life through different lenses as suggested by the four distinct yet cohesive movements of the Pastorale Sonata. The ballet embraces themes of romance, struggle, humor, and joy. Carrie Diamond writes: “For this piece, I had been asking myself: ‘Where does my need to create dances come from? It’s ridiculously difficult to do, so why do it?’ In Pastorale, I started to find my my answer.” Ms. Diamond continues, “Dance (and this dance in particular) is a metaphor for the impermanent and elusive nature of life and for the struggle to survive and love. I maintain that through struggle and persistence, we learn and transcend and gain a chance to experience the fleeting happiness and connection we all seek. The Beethoven score has been a galvanizing challenge and inspiration for me.”
The world premiere of this piece was danced in April 2015 by Juliana Bertelsen, Melody Collins, Nikki Pfeiffer, Sally Schuiling, and Darion Smith. During Beethoven’s time, it was not unusual for the movements of a featured work to be split throughout the concert, rather than played one after the other. This gave the audience a chance to put the piece in perspective. In a bold experiment along these lines, Pastorale was split between the two halves of the program. The sonata was played live on stage by music director Eric Valinsky.
Choreography: Carrie Diamond
Music: Sonata Op. 28 ("Pastorale") by Ludwig Van Beethoven
Costumes: Miller James
Lighting: Kim Hanson
First Performance: May 22, 2015
First AD&M Performance: May 22, 2015
Performances
Dance: Up Close and Cultural 2014
Carrillo Recreation Center
Second Movement World Premiere
Piano: Eric Valinsky
Turkish By Matisse and Other Delights : May, 2015
New Victoria Theatre
World Premiere
Melody Collins
Nikki Pfeiffer
Movement II, Andante
Movement III, Scherzo
Movement IV, Rondo
Melody Collins
Nikki Pfeiffer
Eric Valinsky, piano
