Grand Rapids Ballet

I had the privilege of going to the Grand Rapids Ballet Company to see Contemporary Masters. They performed three pieces: Peter Sparling's Vox Humana, Gordon Peirce Schmidt's The Sleep of Reason and George Balanchine's Prodigal Son. I wish I had a video of the entire night, from beginning to end. It was completely exquisite and wonderful in every way.

Vox Humana (Human Voices), set to Thomas Tallis' Spem in Alium, was the most visually stunning and transcendent. I dare say the most beautiful dance I've ever seen. Spem in Alium is a 40-piece motet, meaning a 40 piece choir. It was so peaceful. Here is a video of just the music, but imagine 11 or 12 dancers all dressed in white dancing to this music.



Spem in alium numquam habui praeter in te
I have never put my hope in any other but you,
Deus Israel
Oh God of Israel
qui irasceris
who can show both anger
et propitius eris
and graciousness
et omnia peccata hominum in tribulatione dimittis
and who absolves all the sins of suffering man
Domine Deus
Lord God
Creator coeli et terrae
Creator of Heaven and Earth
respice humilitatem nostram
be mindful of our humiliation

The Sleep of Reason included 3 dancers: a beautifully harmonious couple and a strange, scary onlooker. This ballet was loosely based on Goya's painting The Sleep of Reason, which has the caption: "Fantasy abandoned by reason produces impossible monsters: united with her, she is the mother of the arts and the origin of their marvels." I enjoyed the woman's performance the most. She had her eyes closed during the entire performance as if she were asleep. She floated gracefully through this very complex dance as if it were nothing, as if she were a feather.


And finally, George Balanchine's Prodigal Son. It is based on the Biblical parable in the Gospel of Luke. This picture depicts the prodigal just after the world has stripped him of all his wealth. The Siren was very alluring at first and throughout her seductive dance, but in the end she and everyone else take everything from him. I'm not sure what I can say. It was Balanchine and it was brilliant. It told the story in such an imaginative way that was true to the meaning of the parable. I just wish ballets like the Prodigal Son, Vox Humana and the Sleep of Reason were performed more so that more people could enjoy them. They are rare gems of modern or contemporary ballet.

Here is a trailer showing some of the behind the scenes rehearsals of the Prodigal Son. It also explains how the company earned the right to perform this ballet from the Balanchine estate.


Grand Rapids Ballet Presents The Prodigal Son from Grand Rapids Ballet on Vimeo.

A couple interesting quotes by George Balanchine:

"God creates, I do not create [ballets]. I assemble and I steal everywhere to do it - from what I see, from what the dancers can do, from what others do. "
"The ballet is a purely female thing; it is a woman, a garden of beautiful flowers, and man is the gardener. "