CCN/Aterballetto, Italy’s most prestigious contemporary dance company, makes its Western Canadian debut on Feb. 6 + 7 at the Royal Theatre. With three acclaimed works—Glory Hall, Solo Echo, and Rhapsody in Blue—all performed by the company’s full cast of 16 virtuosic dancers, this dynamic mixed program is a must-see!
Marking the 100th anniversary of George Gershwin’s iconic score, Rhapsody in Blue closes the program with remarkable flair. In this Footnotes article, choreographers Iratxe Ansa and Igor Bacovich share their reflections on reimagining this enduring musical landmark for today’s dancers and audiences.
First, a Little Bit of History
Rhapsody in Blue emerged from Gershwin’s bold decision to blend jazz and concert music into a new American sound. The composer later explained, “It was on a train…that I suddenly heard—and even saw on paper—the complete construction of the Rhapsody in Blue, from beginning to end. I heard it as a sort of musical kaleidoscope of America—of our vast melting pot, of our unduplicated national pep, of our metropolitan madness. By the time I reached Boston, I had a definite plot of the piece, as distinguished from its actual substance.”
Premiering on February 12, 1924, the piece was an immediate sensation, reshaping perceptions of what American music could be and bridging the worlds of popular and classical traditions. Rhapsody in Blue beautifully crystallized the spirit of the Roaring Twenties. Today, the work is a defining landmark of 20th-century American music.
Rhapsody in Blue: Artists’ Statement
“The initial idea for this work was to play with Gershwin’s rhapsody and find a way to rework it with different imagery. The interesting thing about Rhapsody in Blue is not just the angle we bring, encompassing our experience, our international exchange and the style we have developed over the years, but it is more importantly about giving the audience a more universal vision, now that is less connected to the context of New York or the spirit of that age. We tried to transport ourselves, to reimagine Gershwin in historical terms, aiming to decontextualize him to render his masterpiece even more universal. To close our eyes, feel what the music wants to tell us and represent it in the context of the present day, through our poetics, to express it with our approach to the movement and the scene.
Aterballetto has many brilliant dancers with great variety and versatility, who are in themselves great sources of inspiration. There is so much to tap into that it’s almost a shame that we have already reached the end of this creation, when the dancers still had so much more to give. The piece isn’t vast enough to be able to draw out everything the company still had to say; you must condense all the variations and all the energy into the short duration of the rhapsody, but this aspect was also the strength of this operation.
Rhapsody in Blue is a fantastic playground for a choreographer, for a creative person. So powerful, so fun, so lively, it’s punctuated with constant variations of form, it’s like crossing an enchanted forest: in the space of a few steps, a few minutes, you encounter a magical being, a dreamlike sky that changes colour above you. You move inside this fantastical world, the rhapsody offering up a musical space within which anything is possible, in which new elements spring up from every corner, and you are constantly surprised. The bodies react to quick-paced, ever-changing input. We played with all of this, closing our eyes and dreaming of new worlds every time we encountered a new theme.” – IA & IB
Rave Review for Rhapsody in Blue
“The sparkling choreography… flows fluidly with the jazz and blues music of the seductive rhapsody, whose melody, so rooted in our memory, wins over everything else.”
– EXIBART
Curator’s Notes
“This is a rare opportunity to see Italy’s leading contemporary dance company in Canada. With only two stops planned in North America—Victoria and Stanford, CA—I urge you not to miss it! The mixed program by this gorgeous company of 16 dancers has something for everyone: a reimagined Rhapsody in Blue celebrating 100 years of George Gershwin’s legendary composition; Solo Echo by Crystal Pite; and a riotous new work by Italian choreographer on the rise, Diego Tortelli.” – Gillian Jones, Executive Director, Dance Victoria
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