October 13, 1969
The N. C. Essay
Page 6
^AUL Tavlor Dance Review
"I cannot say I have any rev
olutionary theories about dance. I
am proud of my dance inheritance and
the license which American dance has
given me: the freedom to do whatever
kinds of dances I feel are worth
doing." - Paul Taylor -
On Firday, October 3, The Paul
Taylor Dance Company performed at
Reynolds Auditorium to an audience
of about 600 people. It was pre
sented by the Civic Ballet of Winston-
Salem in association with the
National Endowment for the Arts and
the N. C. Arts Council.
The Company brilliantly pre
sented three full length works and
thus proved that the dancers are
worthy of the high praise that they
have received over the past few years.
All dancers showed much enthusiasm,
especially in the work "Apocalypse",
and danced with technical security.
However, in a few cases overweight
problems distracted from the actual
dancing.
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One obvious problem they have
encountered is finances. Being stu
dents, they cannot devote all of
their time to the group. Therefore,
each member must support himself. In
addition, they recently added sev
eral other instruments to the group,
including two trumpets, two French
horns, two trombones, and one flute.
This was done to expand the concept
of their music, but it also created
new financial hassles.
Perhaps the best way to describe
The School of the Mind is to let the
group members speak for themselves.
The following quotes are excerpts from
a recent interview with The School
of the Mind:
Michael Colina: "Metaphysics
is a limiting word, but it does play
some part in my composing and play
ing, because it is a part of me.
Metaphysics is a way of life and I
try to live my life in this way.
Therefore, it is portrayed in my
music." "What role does the audi
ence play"?, I asked.
Colina: "We try to lead them
through an experience. Generally,
man is a separate individual. We
are trying to fill these gaps through
music, also through being together.
Our main purpose is to get people
together". (This concept was
dramatically demonstrated when the
group played a part in the "Mixed
Media: Light and Dark:" program pre
sented at the School of the Arts.
During a finale of "Give Peace a
Chance", the School
(Cont. on page 7)
Of the three ballets, the one
that received the most response was
From the Sea to Shining Sea, a satir
ical work in three sections to music
by John Herbert McDowell.
In the opening section, "Send
me the wretched refuse of your teem
ing shore", Taylor came on the stage
in p..aj;iamas and bathrobe, and paced
about with women in typical suburban
houserobes.
A dancer then appeared as Super
man, capped with a Mickey Mouse hat.
He accompanied a bouncy flapper from
the '20's. And from here on the move
ment presented a parade of mimed
historical incidents with Miss Liberty
and Uncle Sam playing the central
roles.
The second section, "Ub", was
presented in a type of old-time cir
cus show. In it, the dancers,
flashing around in colorful costumes,
played chorus dancers, jugglers, and
acrobats.
"Living Pictures", the third
section, brought the ballet into final
focus. Taylor was dressed in red,
white, and blue as a rebellious
motorcycle hoodlum and was totally in
different to the tableaux of American
history that danced around him.
At the end of the ballet, he was
confronted by a weary looking
A
IN
Bryan Pitts and Cam Lorendo,
former N.C.S.A. dance students, have
been accepted into the New York City
Ballet.
Bryan, from Winston-Salem, and
Cam, from Auburn, Alabama, began their
dance training three years ago at N.C.
S.A. Before coming to the School of
the Arts, Cam was a football player
at Auburn. Bryan, however, had been a
guitar student at N.C.S.A. for one
year when he became interested in
ballet, and changed his major.
This summer Bryan and Cam, along
with other dancers from N.C.S.A.,
studied at the School of American
Ballet (S.A.B. is the official school
of the New York City Ballet). After
the five week course they were asked
to stay for the winter. They re
mained and Mr. Balanchine, the artis
tic director, announced that they
would enter the New York City Ballet
for their fall season.
Bryan, who just turned 17, had
danced the lead in Mites Standish
Miss Liberty, who emerged from
under a Klu Klux Klan robe.
Taylor dropped her crown at her
feet and walked away, leaving her
to straighten its points before
giving up with a gesture of resig
nation.
This proved to be the success
of the evening, and was enjoyed by
most.
Post Meridian, the opening
ballet, was done in colorful cos
tumes to an electronic score by
Evelyn Lohaefer DeBoeck. It tended
to become a little stilted and bogged
down in places but Taylor has many
good ideas as far as different dance
patterns were concerned. One
dancer worth noting in this piece was
Carolyn Adams, who danced with a
strong technique and a nice style
throughout the entire ballet. Paul
Taylor gave a nice solo to highlight
the work.
Apoaatypse, the concluding
work, was divided into two sections -
"Sacred" and "Profane". The music
was based on medieval pieces by
Cosmos Savage.
The opening dances were marked
by a chaste gaiety which gave way to
open expressions of passion in the
later section. Taylor used big
grotesque gestures in this section to
represent the profane. He also used
heavy padding under the costume to
(Cont. on page y)
-Y. C. BA
last year, the male Mirliton and Fritz
in the annual NutoTaaker and had appeared
in Workout and Mother Goose. The "blonde
bombshell", as he was known, had a
brilliant technique, especially his
turns.
Cam may be remembered for his sen
sitive portrayal in the pas de deux
from Ten and Two. Along with being
able to dance a romantic role as Ten
and Two, he also danced successfully
as the humerous scatterbrain Indian
Chief in Miles Standish, or as the
sadistic Christian citizen in
Summemight.
The New York City Ballet was
formed in 1918 with George Balanchine
as artistic director. Since then the
company has grown steadily in both
stature and popularity. Such dancers
as Maria Tallchief, Tanaquil LeClerq,
Patricia Wilde, Melassa Hayden,
Jacques d'Amboise, Edward Villela, and
not to forget our dance faculty, Sonja
Tyven, and Robert Lindgren have
danced with the New York City Ballet.
( Cont. on page 7)