The evolution of American ballet

GWEN Herat

BALLET: As a means of expression and communication, the Red Indians of North America have indulged in musical movements that were later interpreted as dancing.

Even the African Negroes imported as slaves, had their own version of primitive dancing in the 17 and 18 centuries. The English settlers were not without their dance forms.

In the years that followed, all these combined movements saw America deriving body techniques and vigour and produce a cult that eventually gave the Americans their Charleston, Varsity Drag, Black Bottom, Lindy Hop, Big Apple, Jiterbug, Rock'n Roll, Twist. etc. With such techniques being grabbed by the youth the rest of the world called America 'the great factory for dancing'!

Elsewhere in America, the stately waltzes of Europe were also being developed with an American 'touch'. The floor-sweeping ball-gowns under chandeliers on polish-floors, were the hallmark of high American society.

Dress makers who found a new trade in turning out massive and expensive ball dresses were in store for another set of costumes; the tutu for ballet in the near future.

With the climate for dancing gaining momentum, America became a natural market for ballet. They were not yet ready to form their own national ballet company but were receiving foreign companies.

Not that they did not have their own little ballet groups in the major cities from the mid-19 century. Around this time, many ballet companies visited America from 1840 to 1842 and among them was the renowned Austrian dancer, Fanny Elssler. She was in New York creating a stir with success after success.

She travelled the New World, later to be followed by Adeline Genee and still later by the Diaghilev Ballet and its magnificent and immortal stars, Pavlova and Nijinsky among others.

The Met (original Metropolitan Opera House) in New York was built in 1883 in order to accommodate the productions of Verdi, Wagner, Puccini, Gounod and Boito.

Even with such inspiring names, opera ballets never met with success because of the careless attitude of ballet masters who never saw to it to stretch out to the evenings. Even the Met was not interested though many well-known ballet companies visited.

There was no enthusiasm on the part of anyone. Even when Pavlova and Mikhail Mordkin arrived in 1911, they had to hire the Met and the Met was available only at late nights at the end of a full program of opera. It was the same fate when the Diaghilev Ballet appeared in New York in 1916.

America was still not interested in promoting ballet though the country was known for their love for dancing and the antipathy towards its management left every one puzzled.

So, it was not surprising that the Met failed to produce any local dancer or choreographer. However, a Milanese dancer domiciled in America, achieved some recognition. She was ballerina Rosina Galli.

As America realised the potential of ballet, determined to pursue on it, she was faced many obstacles and had to begin from scratch. There were no standards or traditions to fall upon. So, it became necessary for the theatre to invite talent from Europe as well as from Russia.

After ballet took off on American soil, the Met was still stubborn not to seek the assistance of choreographers until 1935. In the twenties, the Met had the services of choreographer Adolph Bolm and depended on him until George Balanchine was commissioned for a single season.

With the exit of Balanchine, the Met hired many choreographers and the most successful among them was Zachery Solov. He was a full American though his name sounded otherwise.

Dame Alicia Markova took over as the director of the Metropolitan Opera House from 1963 to 1969. Her combination of patience, dignity and above all the wealth of experience, eventually broke down the Met's traditional suspicion of dance.

The opera ballet company enjoyed a separate identity and arranged ballets to be mounted. She had broken the ice and put ballet in a very secure position.

This was what Balanchine tried to make the Met understand and came nearly into blows but Markova's patient handling, finally succeeded what Balanchine attempted.

During Markova's two-year stint, the Met commissioned Solov, Tudor, John Butler, Joseph Lazzini among others to mount new ballets while Markova remained its director.

Meanwhile, Balanchine who had attracted the American audiences earlier around 1935, was invited to take up an appointment.

In 1933 his Les Ballets had appeared at the Savoy Theatre, London. On a particular night during one of his performances, a wealthy American merchant named Lionel Kirstein was in the audience.

Kirstein who had such a passion for ballet, was on the lookout for the right man to crystalise his dream. Balanchine was contacted and along with yet another ballet-fanatic, the wealthy M.M. Warburg, Kirstein offered 29-year-old Balanchine to develop ballet in America.

The young choreographer grabbed the opportunity, saying his dream was to dance and spread ballet in America because it had the most beautiful girls with long limbs like Ginger Rogers.

Balanchine who was trained at the Imperial Ballet School in St. Petersburg, had an illustrious career in a short period being with the Daighilev Ballet, the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo along with his own Les Ballets in 1933, was now ready to launch his dream ballet company at a high professional level, thanks to Warburg and Kirstein.

The school of America Ballet was opened at Hartford in Connecticut in January, 1934. In no time, it provided the parent body for American ballet just the way his alma mater, the Imperial Ballet School in Russia did.

Now, it was only a matter of time for the birth of the first ballet company in America.

Latin Jazz comes to Colombo

MUSIC: The American Centre of the US Embassy is bringing the "Rhythmic Prophecies" Latin Jazz Ensemble to Sri Lanka. A public performance is scheduled for Sunday, February 19 at 7.30 p.m. at Barefoot Gallery. Tickets are available at Barefoot Gallery and the American Centre.

The Rhythmic Prophecies Latin Jazz Ensemble comprises Reinaldo De Jesus Corchado, Luques Curtis, Richie Barshay and Zacchai Curtis. Rhythmic Prophecies' repertoire consists of original compositions as well as original arrangements of certain jazz standards.

These young musicians haven't ignored or forgotten the innovators and the "roots" of the music they study but they play in a combination of styles. They absorb every thing they can, and then produce something that is unique.

With well-blended sounds from the Caribbean, Americas, Africa and other parts of the world, Rhythmic Prophecies is something fresh and new, something never experienced before.

Together, they combine their education and intuition to allow them to experiment, stretch and explore in all areas in music.

Latin jazz is not a subcategory of jazz like Bebop, Big Band Swing, or Cool. It has its own unique history, performance practices, and musical concepts.

Just as jazz emerged from New Orleans and developed into a national music with diverse styles, Latin jazz grew from its roots in Europe, Africa, and the Americas into a strong musical tree with its own stylistic branches.

Latin jazz reached its peak popularity with the mambo craze of the late 1940s/early 1950s, inspired by the legendary percussionist and bandleader Tito Puente, among others.

Latinized rhythms have since been used to varying degrees of success by a range of jazz artists from Stan Kenton to Peggy Lee, Duke Ellington to Chick Corea, and nearly everyone in between.

Percussionist Reinaldo De Jesus Corchado was born in Barrio Oberero, Santurce, Puerto Rico. He studied at Escuela Libre de Musica, the University of Puerto Rico, and the Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico.

He has performed with salsa singers Charlie Cruz, Obio Bermudes, Rey Ruiz, and more. De Jesus Corchado also worked with Latin Jazz musicians such as Humberto Ramirez and Julio Alvarado, among others, and he has performed throughout the US and Europe.

Luques Curtis was born in Hartfor, Connecticut and currently attends Berklee College of Music in Boston on a full scholarship. He was introduced to jazz as a member of the Artists Collective Youth Orchestra.

As a sophomore at Berklee, Luques, who plays the bass, was invited by Donald Harrison to be a member of his quintet and has toured with Harrison at jazz festivals in Spain, Switzerland and New Orleans.

Percussionist Richie Barshay performs internationally in a wide range of musical settings, including performances with Herbie Hancock among others.

Barshay is a founding member of the internationally renowned contemporary Afro-Cuban jazz band, Insight, and is also a member of Khevre - a popular Klezmer ensemble promoting new Jewish music. Currently based in Boston, he is completing a bachelor's degree at the New England Conservatory of Music.

Zaccai Curtis has been performing since the age of five. As a young child, he studied many styles of music including jazz, salsa and classical. As a high school student, Zaccai earned many festival musical awards and was recognized by Down Beat as a top piano performer.

He was also chosen as the pianist for the National Grammy Band Combo. He is currently pursuing his master's degree at the New England Conservatory. In 2003, Zaccai was chosen as a winner of the ASCAP Young Jazz Composer's Competition.

The Rhythmic Prophecies Latin Jazz Ensemble is part of "The Rhythm Road: America Music Abroad" program, co-produced by the United States Department of State and Jazz at Lincoln Centre. Their goal is to share American music as a vehicle of communication with other countries and to increase exposure to the varieties of American culture.

The Rhythm Road tour began a worldwide tour in January 2006 and will tour countries in Latin America, Africa, Asia, Eurasia, Europe and the Balkans.

In Sri Lanka, in addition to the public performance on Sunday, February 19, the Rhythmic Prophecies Latin Jazz Ensemble will conduct master classes with music students from the University of the Visual and Performing Arts.

Jazz at Lincoln Centre, located in New York City, is a not-for-profit arts organization dedicated to jazz. With the world-renowned Lincoln Centre Jazz Orchestra, the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra and a comprehensive array of guest artists, Jazz at Lincoln Center advances a unique vision for the continued development of the art of jazz by producing a year-round schedule of performance, education and broadcast events for audiences of all ages. Its Artistic Director is world-famous trumpeter Wynton Marsalis. For more information, visit www.jalc.org.

Exhibition of contemporary art

ART: The George Keyt Foundation initiated a new series of Exhibitions in 2001 - "Sculptors and Painters of Sri Lanka".

Artists were invited to present their most recent sculptures and paintings.

The exhibition this year will be from Monday 20th to Sunday 26th February and it is being presented in association with the Paradise Road Galleries at the National Art Gallery - East and West Galleries.

The exhibition will include many of the sculptors and painters in Sri Lanka. The art loving public will be able to see the developments in Contemporary Art in Sri Lanka as the Exhibition will be confined to work in the last 12 months.

Deshanbandu Stanley Kirinde and Irangani Kirinde will be the Chief Guests. Paradise Road Galleries has in a grand gesture once again this year stepped in to support and sponsor this opportunity for Sri Lanka's artists.

A gesture which will be appreciated by the Artists and art loving Public very much.

It is an opportunity for the artists to present their work together annually since the exhibition is now an annual event.