November 12, 2013
Publication title: The Province, vol. -, Iss. -, pg. –
Place: Unknown
Writer: Stuart Derdeyn
Ballet draws on music of McLachlan
On stage Alberta Ballet’s Fumbling Towards Ecstasy Where: Queen Elizabeth Theatre When: Thursday -Saturday, 8 p.m. Tickets: $31.50 -$90 at Ticketmaster.ca or 1-855-985-2787
No one will ever accuse Jean Grand-Maître of being a strict traditionalist. The artistic director of Alberta Ballet believes that dance should be both classical and a reflection of what moves us all today. So he ran with the idea of creating works inspired by the most lauded composers of our times: pop tunesmiths.
His musical portrait ballets have so far included Joni Mitchell (The Fiddle and the Drum) and Sir Elton John (Love Lies Bleeding). Now comes Fumbling Towards Ecstasy, a ballet incorporating a dozen classics from the multiple Juno and Grammy Award-winning musician Sarah McLachlan.
“There is so much talent based in Canada for me to look at for subject matter, and so much of it coming out of Vancouver,” said Grand-Maître. “What is interesting about doing these ballets is really getting to know the singers and meeting with them to work together to create something. Obviously, this is quite a luxury, as most of the great ballet composers we usually deal with passed on over a century ago.”
Having attended the Joni Mitchell performance at the 2010 Vancouver Cultural Olympiad, McLachlan was impressed with the idea and the execution. When she and Grand-Maître met shortly after, the ballet, being presented by Ballet B.C. in this market, was born.
“We met to talk about her world and her music and her themes and inspirations – opening her diaries, if you will – so we could set about developing a piece that brought in the things that most mattered. She loves the oceans, the elements of the environment and ancient myths and rituals. As well, there are those very private moments to integrate into the piece.”
The characters in Fumbling Towards Ecstasy are all striving towards something. They seek to reach the peak of their objectives in different ways. Grand-Maître wants to be sure that what the audience takes out of the experience is a new point of access to McLachlan’s music, to have experienced aspects of it that they might not have come across before.
Obviously, when you deal with a catalogue of material as well known as McLachlan’s, you are going to have to dig deep to find those access points. Choosing the songs was not easy, as he wanted to span her career as well as fit the narrative.
“There is this sense of female empowerment and experiences of betrayal, lost love, first child and such which come into her music time and time again. So I knew that a woman’s life – Every Woman – would be represented through its different stages for the story. Dancers ranging from age 11 to 56 are involved and we selected songs that had the kind of soaring melodies or tribal rhythms that lend themselves well to balletic movements.”
Grand-Maître said this ballet is “very athletic.” A surprise, perhaps, when you think of McLachlan’s place as a soft balladeer. But in her early days, songs like Into the Fire and Vox were decidedly upbeat. Naturally, the 32 dancers perform on an extravagant set.
“We have five designers, some from Cirque du Soleil, who worked to try to create an effect that moved this music into the world of dance and out of the world of concert halls. McLachlan proposed Calgary designer Paul Hardy, founder of Kaille knitwear, for costumes. It is his first foray into this line of work and he has 98 original pieces in the show.”
Scott Reid provided scene design. Adam Larsen (video projections), Pierre Lavoie (lighting) and sound designer Claude Lemelin rounded out the team. Some of McLachlan’s personal artwork is included in the production. Grand-Maître says it is just one more level of contact with the singer that she brought to the production.
“In a world where they come up with a new, manufactured sexpot every week, an artist like Sarah is something completely different. She is a true artist, a real performer and not part of the attention deficit disorder epidemic that has come to dominate pop music.
“And unlike Joni, who I had to introduce most of the 20-something dancers to, or Elton John that most of them only knew through Disney movies, Sarah’s music is very much a part of their life.”
McLachlan’s music is also part of the fibre of the Alberta Ballet now. The second-largest ballet in the country is no different from any other and fundraising is a constant. McLachlan is the biggest-earning fundraiser in the company’s history, raising nearly $500,000 in one night at a black-tie event last May.
Grand-Maître has Peter Gabriel and Leonard Cohen projects on the go. He figures that the pop ballets, including Balletlujah! with K.D. Lang have represented a 30-to 40-percent increase in attendance for the company.
