Written by Jesus Figueroa
@ThisFunktional
@ThisFunktional
While ballet does not inspire fear, American Contemporary Ballet and Director Lincoln Jones bring the bewitching THE RITE ballet and a Lynchian burlesque show to Los Angeles starting on October 6.
THE RITE, ACB’s adaptation of Igor Stravinsky's “The Rite of Spring,” hopes to inspire a frightening performance straight through as it immerses the audience in a world inhabited by bewitching young women – one chosen, one sacrificed – and the score that caused a riot in 1913 Paris.
“Plot with ballet is a difficult thing, ” Jones said. “It becomes more difficult in the fact that ballet’s subject matter is dancing. Plot can be sort of an uncomfortable partner there”Unlike with different elements of film, conveying everything successfully through just movement can be limiting.
Creating storyline through more symbolic means in ballet have not been explored too much traditionally.
For Jones, the Lynchian style lends itself to bringing out story elements using these styles.
“‘The Rite,’ is based on ‘The Rite of Spring,’ it has a really good plot device which is that it’s based on the human sacrifice,” Jones said. “You know what is going to happen essentially and the audiences is already there.”With elements of the story already in the mind of the audience, the ballet can play upon how it happens.
For the most part, most of the dancers have been training with ACB for years and have been working together with directors and choreographers giving everyone trust in each other.
It took a short time to develop choreography and pre production for “The Rite,” but allowing flexibility to adapt depending on how the vision of the director and the look of the physical dancers came together.
American Contemporary Ballet presents The Rite & Burlesque: October 6 - 28
Tickets: $65-$140; opening night champagne reception
Performance Venue: Two California Plaza 350 S. Grand Ave., 28th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90071
