Ballet turns to gospel.Byline: Bob Keefer The Register-Guard The ephemeral world of ballet dancing meets the down-home style of gospel singing this weekend as Eugene Ballet The Eugene Ballet Company (EBC) is a ballet company based in Eugene, Oregon. It is a resident company of the Hult Center for the Performing Arts. Under the Artistic Direction of Toni Pimble and Technical Director Jim Bradford, this 20-member ensemble performs a blend joins the University Gospel Singers for a new collaboration. "American Spirit" has music chosen by Gospel Singers director Cedric Weary and by the ballet's artistic director Toni Pimble, who choreographed most of the show. ``The Gospel Singers have this under-the-radar reputation,'' says ballet manager Riley Grannan. ``They are very popular. On campus they have a <302>real huge following, and it has percolated out into the community.'' The ballet had previously collaborated with the School of Music at the University of Oregon The University of Oregon is a public university located in Eugene, Oregon. The university was founded in 1876, graduating its first class two years later. The University of Oregon is one of 60 members of the Association of American Universities. two years ago, when dancers performed "Scheherazade" accompanied by the University Symphony Orchestra. Grannan says he wanted to continue that partnership. Pimble said choreographing gospel music was not always easy. "It was challenging to nail down pieces that would work for us choreographically because so much of what they sing is full choir. Choreographically, I want to be able to get variety within a presentation, so we worked quite hard at that." Pimble spent a lot of time listening to gospel music on iTunes to find ways to vary the musical background. One solution was gospel medleys. "Any kind of medley really works well choreographically for us rather than one song with multiple verses," she said. The music for "American Spirit" runs the gamut, from early solo songs sung by African-American slaves to contemporary choir music. The program will also include two other works. The first is Pimble's "Concerto for Seven Dancers," which premiered at the 2003 Oregon Bach Festival The Oregon Bach Festival is an annual celebration of the works of Johann Sebastian Bach, held in Eugene, Oregon in late June and early July. It was co-founded by German conductor Helmuth Rilling and the former president of the American Choral Directors Association, Royce Saltzman, . The music is Johann Sebastian Bach's Concerto for Three Violins. The other is "Give Me Much and Many," choreographed by Melissa Nolen to Antonin Dvorak's String Quartet string quartet Ensemble consisting of two violins, viola, and cello, or a work written for such an ensemble. Since c. 1775 such works have been perhaps the predominant genre of chamber music. No. 13 in G Major. On a side note, this weekend will mark the last performance with Eugene Ballet by 14-year veteran Frank Affrunti, a dancer and assistant ballet master bal´let` mas´ter n. 1. a man who trains ballet dancers. Noun 1. ballet master - a man who directs and teaches and rehearses dancers for a ballet company . He is retiring to run a small business in Boise, where the dancers of Eugene Ballet are based. After training at the Joffrey Ballet Joffrey Ballet, one of the major American dance companies. It was founded in New York City in 1954 by the dancer-choreographer Robert Joffrey. From 1956 to 1964 it made yearly tours of the United States. School, Affrunti has danced principal roles with Ballet Iowa, Alabama Ballet and Tulsa Ballet Tulsa Ballet is a professional American Ballet company located in Tulsa, OK. The artistic mission of Tulsa Ballet is "To preserve the tradition of classical ballet, promote the appreciation of contemporary dance, create works of superior and enduring quality, and educate through Theatre, among others. With Eugene Ballet he has danced as Bottom in "A Midsummer Night's Dream A Midsummer Night's Dream is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare written sometime in the 1590s. It portrays the adventures of four young Athenian lovers and a group of amateur actors, their interactions with the Duke and Duchess of Athens, Theseus and Hippolyta, and ," Captain Hook
"His contribution to the company has been tremendous," Pimble said, "and his range of performance ability, from dancing principal roles, which he did for many years until he got older, to the wonderful, wacky character roles. ``He is an amazing performer. I wish he would go on dancing. I have been begging him to squeeze a few more years out of him.'' Affrunti's wife, Phyllis Rothwell Affrunti, will continue to dance with the company. DANCE PREVIEW Eugene Ballet and UO's Gospel Singers What: ``American Spirit'' features dancing and original choreography with music provided by a live gospel choir Where: Hult Center's Silva Concert Hall, Seventh Avenue and Willamette Street When: 8 p.m. Saturday and 2:30 p.m. Sunday Tickets: $18 to $42, through the Hult box office, 682-5000 |
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