September 29 at Moody Performance Hall at 7:30pm with The Dallas Bach Society Dancers of the NYBDC, Brynt Beitman, Junichi Fukuda (making a special appearance), Meggi Sweeney Smith, Alexis Silver and young dancer Lidiia Volkova will appear in the DBS opening program for the season, “Bach and the Dance.”
Pictured below are Caroline Copeland and Roberta Lara caught in action by Liz Schneider-Cohen in a lecture presentation of “Bach Figures” at the 92nd Street Y in NYC
What are the dances on the program?
Bach Figures, choreographed by Catherine Turocy to select movements from the Bach Cello Suites, the choreographer wishes to answer the question: Is Bach’s music meant to be danced? This newly conceived suite of dances reaches out to today’s audience by artfully matching the aesthetic theory behind Bach’s music with dance theory and practice of the same period.
Movement 1: Beginning with the Sarabande from Cello Suite #3 in C Major the dancer appears in practice clothes. As she listens to the opening bars of the sarabande she first allows the music to stir inside her before the dance emerges from the body into choreography. The “movement of the soul” was an essential concept embraced by art theory in Bach’s time. In dance, the sweet sounds of the music are heard and enter the soul which is stirred to such a degree that movement can no longer be contained and must escape through the body. Being dressed in contemporary clothing, the dancer’s movements are more visible, not being hidden by panniers and long skirts.
Culturally, the sarabande has Spanish origins. Arm movements from Spanish dance are echoed in the dancer’s movements.
Movement 2: The Prelude from Cello Suite #1 in G Major is an imaginative play with the Golden Ratio. In this solo, choreography for a female dancer highlights the turning point of the Golden Ratio in the music. Another convention from Bach which is also shared by the dance, is a play with spelling a name. Bach would sometimes, through musical composition, spell his own name. Dance choreographers would honor a personage by spelling out the name in the path or track of the dance. Not only could the audience perceive the spelling of the name being performed, but the notated dance would be an obvious graphic record. In this movement the dancer spells B-A-C-H through a punctuated path in space. The dancer is in full Baroque costume with flow of the skirt creating an after-image of the motion.
Movement 3: The Minuet from Cello Suite #1 in G Major for two women explores the melody and rhythm of the music while performing the common figures of the minuet. The dancers are in full Baroque costume. The audience is deeper into the meaning of the dance having experienced the sarabande and prelude.
Movement 4: The Gigue from Cello Suite #1 in G Major is playful , conversational, witty and uplifting. This duet for a man and woman reveals the dance behind the music. The dancers are in full Baroque costume. Flirtation can be a part of court dance and this next layer of social interaction sets the audience up for the expressive allemande.
Movement 5: The Allemande from Cello Suite #5 in C Minor was a dance common to the ballroom and closer to the tempo of a bourrée. However, Bach’s allemandes are not the happy quick dances of young lovers, but something else completely. In this dance the choreography is inspired by the complex pairing of arms as the two dancers intertwine and pause in various romantic dance poses. These poses are directly from the dance manuals during Bach’s time and reveal a silent and mysterious courtship of movement. The dancers are in full Baroque costume, reminding the audience of Dresden porcelains.
Movement 6: The Bouree from Cello Suite #3 in C Major is a solo male dance of improvisation. Fully schooled in the dance theory and practice of the 18th century, the dancer allows the music to move through his body as he spontaneously releases the music into movement. Drawing from both the comic and serious styles, the dance is always a delight! The dancer is in modern dress, allowing the audience to see the shaping of the body more clearly and demonstrating how the Baroque dance style can feel contemporary when seen in today’s fashion.
Movement 7: This last movement is not to music from Bach and is played on the modern piano. Composed by Scott Joiner, the composition is beautifully inspired by Bach and is titled, “Prelude.” Returning to the stage in modern dress, the Allemande couple repeats the Allemande, but it takes on a more modern meaning in a contemporary context. The contemporary music under the Baroque dance emphasizes different parts of the period movement and allows the audience to relate to the dance in their own way. The past is always present whether we can identify it or not. Aesthetic theory from Bach’s time can still move audiences today.
Bach Figures is designed by the choreographer to play with a time cycle, beginning in the present, delving into the fundamental Baroque and returning to the present. Today’s audience relishes the journey and gains a deeper understanding of Bach’s music.
Bach’s French Suite #5 for Harpsichord in G Major
Storyline: Two couples meet for a fun evening of dance. The sophisticated evening eventually bends toward a tipsy loure and leads to a gigue for all 4 dancers which culminates in a game of musical chairs and much laughter.
The opening Allemande is beautifully played by James Richman. The following Courante sets the stage with the arrival of the two couples in full Baroque costume. The Sarabande is a dance for a solo woman in the majestic style followed by the Gavotte, a solo for a man in a joyous but elegant court style. Next comes the Bourrée, a duet for a couple, happy and witty. The Loure is a solo for a man which involves a drinking challenge and is very virtuosic. The final dance is a rollicking Gigue, danced by all as a game of musical chairs.
The New York Baroque Dance Co. 
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