Festival Dance

Specia relationship

Suzanne Farrell tells Kelly Apter about her

new production of Don Quixote and her symbiotic relationship with the legendary choreographer George Balanchine.

c madc a hallct star out or hcr. shc madc a lcgcnd out ol' him. .-\nd hctwccn thcm. (icorgc Balanchinc and Sti/annc l‘arrcll madc dancc histor}. Rtissian chorcographcr and l‘oundcr ol' .\'c\\ York (‘il_\’ Ballct. Balanchinc crcatcd somc ol‘ thc most important dancc \xorks ol' thc leth ccntur}. \Yith hcr incrcdihlc tcchniquc and musical car. liarrcll \xas thc inspiration hchind man} ol' thcm. as sccn in thc ()scar-nominatcd documcntar}. If/usii‘t' .llimz (Hi all thc rolcs shc danccd l‘or Balanchinc. Dulcinca in Don Qiuimn' \\ as onc ol‘ l'arrcll‘s lincst hours as a pcrl‘ormcr. l’luckcd l‘rom thc corps tlc hallct at thc lt‘titlcl' agc Ul‘ l‘). .sltc danccd oppositc Balanchinc himscll' in thc 1005 prcmicrc. ()\cr 4t) scars latcr. Don Quiiou' \xill linall) hc pcrl‘ormcd in thc l'ls'. old} this timc it's l-ai‘i‘cll not Balanchinc at thc hclm. l5ormcd in 2000. thc Sti/annc liarrcll Ballct is onc of thc l'incst cxponcnts ol‘ lhlanchinc‘s

80 THE LIST FESTIVAL MAGAZINE . -1 ' Sr:

uork. Who hcttcr to pass it on than thc \mman who was thcrc in thc rchcarsal studio \x'hcn it all bcgan'.' Back in thc l‘)(i()s. .\'c\\' York (‘iL‘ Ballct \Vtts a hothcd ol' young dancc talcnt so \Vllill madc l-‘arrcll so spccial in thc L‘}‘Cs ol~ thc man thc_\' call Mr B‘.’

'l oncc askcd him \\ hat hc saw in mc.‘ rccalls

liarrcll. ‘bccaUsc l \x as surroundcd h} lots ol‘

othcr \x'ondcrl‘ul danccrs. thcrc \\ as a lot ol

‘I THINK I HEARD THE MUSIC THE WAY HE DID'

compctition. But I think I hcard thc music thc \xa} hc did v thc subtlctics and all thosc undcrl}ing currcnts ol‘ cncrg) that lic in and around thc notcs.‘

Bascd on (‘cnantcs' l7th ccntur} nmcl. thc ballct liollous a Spanish knight \\ ho scck's adwnturc. but dcspitc his good intcntions cnds up acting rathcr l‘oolishl} on a numhcr ol'

Sumptuous: a scene from Suzanne Farrell‘s production of the seldom staged Don Quixote

occasions. Young scr\ant girl. l)u|cmca is a hcacon ol‘ light l‘or thc l)on. much as l-arrcll uas lor Balanchinc.

‘Mr B had rcad thc hook both in Rtissian and linglishf c\plains l‘iarrcll. ‘:\nd although hc couldn‘t tisc mcrflhing in thcrc. all thc scctions in thc hallct \xcrc lil'tcd dirchI} lrom thc nchl. although not ncccssaril} in lhc samc ot‘tlcl‘. llc chosc tltc passagcs \xltich \sct‘c casil} rcadahlc h} an audicncc. and \xcnt \xith thc mosic.‘

licaturing 52 danccrs. an clahoratc sct and costumcs and a cast ol local cxtras. lhc shccr scalc ol‘ l)mi Quiton' mcans it is scldom rc stagcd. But al'tcr an abscncc ol 25 _\cais. liarrcll liinall} l'clt thc timc \\ as right to rcsurrcct it. and thc hallct opcncd to grcat acclaim in Washington last '\car; t_\ing lll niccl} u ith thc Jilllth anni\crsai‘} ol ('cnantcs' nchl. l'nlikc man} narrati\c hallcts. Hun QHMUH' has sur\i\cd thc tcst ol~ timc. not Icast bccatisc it cschcus cstraxagant stor}tclling gcsturcs lor gcnuinc rau cmotion.

'l ha\c ill\\;l_\s thought it \xas a \xondcrlul hallct.‘ sa}s l'iarrcll. '.-\nd ha\ing stagcd so man} ol' .\1r B‘s \sot'ks. l ha\c also lound that no othcr ballct makcs a danccr mmc in quitc thc samc \ktl} as Don Quiwn'. it's \cr} lull, bloodcd. 'l‘hc stor) is not told through pantomimc. but through thc dcspcralion ol thc chorcographs.’

Don Quixote, Edinburgh Playhouse, 473 2000, Sat 26-Tue 29 Aug, 7.30pm (Sun mat 2.30pm), 27.504240.