Open Rehearsal: New Chamber Ballet

Above: dancers Holly Curran and Amber Neff of New Chamber Ballet

Saturday May 16th, 2015 – Preparing for their final performances of the current season, New Chamber Ballet opened their rehearsal at MMAC today to friends of the Company. The works being rehearsed were Constantine Baecher’s Two Tauri And A Tiger (music: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart) – which the Company premiered in April 2015 – and a new ballet by NCB‘s artistic director Miro Magloire: Friction, set to music by Richard Carrick.

Friction is commissioned as part of an Artist Residency at the Center for Faith and Work. At the moment, the ballet is still in its developmental stages; it is a duet danced by Holly Curran and Amber Neff (above) and the rehearsal process has given rise to a new word: “fricting”. The dance draws on motifs of friction from the dancer’s feet upon the floor, from the dancers’ body contact with one another, and from the application of bow to strings of Doori Na’s violin.

Above: Holly and Amber

Above: Miro observing

Constantine Baecher (above) then discussed the movement elements of his ballet Two Tauri and A Tiger. Melody Fader was at the piano to play the Mozart score as the three dancers demonstrated the free-flowing, improvisational phrases on which the work is built.

Above: Traci Finch, Elizabeth Brown, and Sarah Atkins, about to start Two Tauri

Observing the creative process in retrospect (I have already seen the ballet performed) gave me an entirely different feel for the piece. The dancers spoke of the joys (and challenges) of improvising, especially in the context of the intimate setting of New Chamber Ballet’s performances. 

Above: Sarah and Traci waiting to dance

New Chamber Ballet will close their 10th anniversary season Friday, June 12th and Saturday, June 13th, 2015, at 8:00 PM at City Center Studios, 130 West 56th St, 5th floor. Both of the works we saw in the studio today will be on the programme.