Momentum Preview
Ruth, Ricordi Per Due:
Stirring Elegy from a Modern Master
After the funeral of his beloved wife, a man sits lost in sad reflection. Suddeny he feels a presence. His love has returned to him in spirit, and the two dance a beautifully poignant final farewell.
This premise inspires Ruth, Ricordi Per Due – the final ballet created by modern master Gerald Arpino, co-founder and resident choreographer of the Joffrey Ballet. Created especially for Joffrey dancers Maia Wilkins and Willy Shives, it premiered in 2004 and came to be regarded as one of Arpino’s finest works.
“HE’D HATE PRETTY, BUT HE’D LOVE BEAUTIFUL…”
Through the cooperation of the Arpino Foundation, Willy Shives himself came to AMB this month to coach the dancers in the technical and emotional nuances of this stirring elegy. One important point, he said, is that while the work is a classical ballet, Arpino did not want his male dancers to move like princes. He wanted their movements to be rooted in the everyday world. Arpino, he said, “would hate pretty, but he’d love beautiful.”
“You get to trust your technique, but you have to go beyond that,” he said. “How are you in a hug? How do you hold your cat? How do you say goodbye to your grandparents? What do you do when you lose somebody? To be very organic in your movements, but yet to hold on to your classical training, is a challenge. [AMB’s dancers] are beautiful dancers, gorgeous artists. And they’re up to the challenge.”
Join us for the company premiere of this inspiring modern masterwork. Get your tickets to Momentum, at the Hoff Family Arts & Culture Center October 18 and 19!
