Alberta Ballet Presents the Return of Joni Mitchell's THE FIDDLE AND THE DRUM
By: Sarah Hookey Apr. 24, 2019
Alberta Ballet presents the portrait ballet that started it all, Joni Mitchell's The Fiddle and the Drum, May 9-11 at the Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium.
Ten years ago, Joni Mitchell's The Fiddle and The Drum launched Alberta Ballet into the international spotlight, garnering attention from news agencies like the BBC and The New York Times. And so began an era of new work for Alberta Ballet and Artistic Director Jean Grand-Maître that resulted in collaborations with some of music's biggest stars including k.d.lang, Sir Elton John, Gordon Lightfoot, The Tragically Hip and Sarah McLachlan.
As Alberta Ballet prepares to remount the production again to wrap up the 52nd season, in this, the year Joni Mitchell celebrated her 75th birthday with a star-studded lineup of tribute artists in LA, the excitement is building again."These portrait ballets challenge us in many ways artistically as they continue to take us to the world stage," Grand-Maître said. "After 10 years, we know the moment Joni's music plays, and the curtain rises on our powerful dancers surrounded by Joni's exquisite artwork, the audience will get chills."
The legendary singer/songwriter threw her support behind Grand-Maître and his talent as a choreographer in 2006 after he approached her with the idea of using her music in a ballet to mark Alberta Ballet's 40th anniversary. She became heavily involved in all aspects of the production, even creating new songs to debut on the stage. The pair worked closely for two years creating the costumes, the artwork and the choreography.
What they created was a masterpiece for the ages - an evocative ballet about environmental neglect, war and fascism, that Mitchell herself called one of the most satisfying projects of her career.
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