Dark Elegies Excerpt 5

This excerpt is from the poignant full version of Dark Elegies by Anthony Tudor, set to the music of Gustav Mahler, staged by Hilda Morales.

Choreographed in 1937 for Ballet Rambert at the Dutchess Theatre in London, Dark Elegies is set to Mahler's Kindertotenlieder ("Songs on the Death of Children") and portrays members of a community mourning the loss of their children after some unspecified tragedy, and gradually moving from anguish to acceptance. According to the New York Times, Dark Elegies is "one of our century's most unusual ballets."

Hilda Morales, Hartt Dance Division faculty member, who worked directly with Mr. Tudor in American Ballet Theatre, says about the piece, "When performed to live music, a baritone is seated on a bench down stage to the left. The dancers, moving in a fusion of classical and expressionist styles, parallel his words with their own potent though often unspecific images."

Morales continues, "I have always wanted to re-stage this piece for the students at The Hartt School, and this year I felt that we had the right cast to perform this piece. I feel honored to be given this opportunity."

Category:

Education

Tags:

• dark
• elegies
• kindertotenlieder
• mahler
• anthony
• tudor
• hartt
• school
• dance
• choreography
• choreographer
• dances
• Hartford
• CT
• Connecticut
• New
• England
• university
• performing
• arts
• modern
• ballet