All the Reich Moves
All The Reich Moves, a ballet choreographed by Price Suddarth. Premiere: Pacific Northwest Ballet NEXT STEP performance June 14, 2011. With music by Steve Reich, Costumes by Victoria McFall and Larae Hascall and lighting by Randall G Chiarelli
This ballet was Suddarth's first work for seattle audiences and showcased a lighter more playful side to the balletic art. This piece explores the question of where does dance come from. The answer is...dance comes from inside ourselves. It is the most basic forms of human expression that at times cannot be controlled.
"Just when you thought young dance was all about angst, Price Suddarth demonstrated the goofier side with lovely "All the Reich Moves" set to Steve Reich’s sextet. Suddarth nicely kept his dancers still for a telling finger snap or a significant look." - Examiner.com
Long before there were international ballet academies, transforming those select few students into microscopically-detailed technicians, sending them forth to join the ranks of the world's elite ballet companies, there was one singular notion-- to dance. Unaware of anything outside of the uncontainable excitement they feel, overjoyed children begin to bounce up and down, maybe clapping their hands, maybe stomping their feet, maybe spinning dizzily around in circles. This is dance in its purest form. The innate human response to dance covers the pages of history-- the desire to leap, spin, and jump at every singular rush of excitement holds unchanging. While ballet itself has, over time, developed innumerable, seemingly unattainable shapes, rules, and parameters, at its core lies one of the simplest form of human expression. One of the early works in Suddarth's choreographic repertoire, All the Reich Moves serves as a demonstration that dance can employ simultaneously both the challenges placed upon it and the naturally-occuring joy found with it. The work features four pas de deux, a mens' and a womens' dance, and a female duet, as well as a handful of solos-- each section taking a playful twist and turn from the last. Dressed in vibrant neons, the ten dancers playfully remind the audience that, at the heart of this demanding and unyielding profession, lies the innate human urge to express excitement and joy through dance.
All The Reich Moves
Premiere: Pacific Northwest Ballet NEXT STEP performance June 14, 2011
Music: Steve Reich
Costume Design: Victoria McFall, Larae Hascall
Lighting Design: Randall G. Chiarelli