#amanda mckerrow

How I discovered a new (to me) ballet! This is a long post...so if you read to the end, I know you're a fan! A few nights ago, I was watching Frederick Wiseman’s documentary BALLET, a behind-the-scenes look at ABT circa 1992. As an aside, Wiseman docs are notoriously hard to find. Streaming access was limited for a long time, but now available via Kanopy with a library card...) 

BALLET is nearly three hours long and filled with gems, especially the rehearsals. The dancing is fantastic. Another great Wiseman doc is LA DANSE about the Paris Opera Ballet. Apparently, Wiseman is a ballet fan. 

One of my favorite moments is Irina Koplakova coaching Susan Jaffe as Nikiya in La Bayadere. Another is the ABT tour of Europe. We see snippets of  two ballets performed on an outdoor stage in Athens near the Acropolis (!!) One ballet I was not familiar with -- and I was blown away. I went down a rabbit hole and discovered that it’s the Bruch Violin Concerto No 1 choreographed by Clark Tippet. A little more research lead me to discover the ballet’s tragic backstory. Tippet was an ABT Principal turning towards choreography. The Bruch piece was his second ballet and it’s utterly gorgeous. It debuted in 1988 to rave reviews. Ann Kisselgoff from the NY Times described it as, “downright terrific.” I agree!  Tragically, Tippet died in 1992 of AIDS at the age of 37.  I cannot help but think of the ballets not created because of this early death. And the millions of other lives cut short in their prime. The death toll in the 80′s and 90′s...utterly heartbreaking.  The first video is a longer video of the ballet. The second movement (deep blue/purple costumes) is what grabbed by attention. The adagio is masterful! Below is shorter clip of ABT performing the Bruch Violin Concerto No1 with Ethan Stieffel and Ashley Tuttle. It gives you a snapshot of the energy and exuberance of Tippet’s choreography perfermed by a top notch company. 

American Ballet Theatre in Kenneth MacMillan's "Triad"

Music : Violin Concerto No.1 in D by Sergei Prokofiev