Oberon's Glade

Tag: Richard Isaacs

  • Emery LeCrone/Columbia Ballet Collaborative

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    Sunday March 21, 2010 – Emery LeCrone invited Kokyat and me to a rehearsal for her new work being created for the Columbia Ballet Collaborative‘s upcoming performances at the Miller Theater on April 9th & 10th.

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    Emery’s work is entitled Five Songs for Piano and is set to selections from Mendelssohn’s Songs Without Words, Opus 19, #2 – 6. Click on the first two images for a closer look.

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    Victoria North, who is Artistic Director of the Collaborative, dances a soloist role in the new ballet and she is joined by an ensemble of four young Columbia students:

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    Erin Arbuckle…

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    …Jen Barrer-Gall…

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    …Nicole Cerutti…

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    …and Alexandra Ignatius.

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    The work has been set and now Emery is polishing up the details and sometimes adding, discarding or altering moves and gestures. The music is sometimes plaintive and sometimes vivacious. The girls worked smoothly together to produce the look Emery wants; counts and spacing were discussed and Victoria’s solo passages were worked into the framework of the quartet.

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    After Emery broke down and spruced up individual segments, she suggested technical corrections and got the girls thinking about expressive nuances. Then they tried a full run-thru during which the shape of the ballet became clear and the detail work paid off. It’s a really attractive, lyrical piece – I’ve always thought so much of Mendelssohn’s music truly begs to be danced to – and the girls responded well to the score and to Emery’s style of movement.

    Here are more of Kokyat’s images from the rehearsal:

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    Nicole and Victoria.

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    Nicole (in front).

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    Jen.

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    Erin.

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    Alexandra.

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    Performance details:

    Columbia Ballet Collaborative proudly presents an engaging program of contemporary ballet works in its return to Miller Theatre. The program includes choreography by Justin Peck, Emery LeCrone, Monique Meunier, Lauren Birnbaum, Claudia Schreier, and John-Mark Owen. Guest artists include Teresa Reichlen and Justin Peck of the New York City Ballet.

    Tickets are just $12 (or $7 with Columbia University ID). Tickets are available online or at the box office:

    Miller Theatre Box Office
    2960 Broadway (at 116th street)
    212-854-7799