Choreography and Production License Information Motown Mania World Premiere 2011
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Choreographer
Jill Eathorne Bahr
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ecognized for her unique and personal choreographic approach, Jill Eathorne-Bahr has been heralded
as being sleek and explosive in her range of styles. Works of Bahr include her nihilistic Firebird and the "World War II Slant of Life in France" in “Last Vestiges of a Torch Song Café “, in addition to her primal tale of a matriarch society turned upside down, “The Rite of Spring” Her newest world premiere creation "Zorro" was a heralded landmark success . Jill Eathorne Bahr has served as Resident Choreographer of Charleston Ballet Theatre since its inception as a professional ballet company in 1987. Bahr been awarded two National Endowment for the Arts Choreographic Fellowships, four Monticello Choreographic Fellowships, the William Habich Choreography Award, the South Carolina Arts Commission Choreography Fellowship in 1997 – the first time offered in 10 years, two Astral Choreography Awards, and was part of the Celebration of the Uncommon Woman in Oregon. Bahr was most recently awarded the Verner Award from the SC Arts Commission recognizing outstanding achievement and contributions to the arts in South Carolina and a second choreography fellowship from the same organization in 2009. Her choreography can be found in the repertoire of Atlanta Ballet, Boston Ballet, Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, Ballet Eddy Toussaint USA, Eugene Ballet, Indianapolis Ballet Theatre, Nevada Dance Theatre, North Carolina Dance Theatre, State of Alabama Ballet, Ballet Omaha, Joffrey II Dancers and the Fort Wayne Ballet. She has taught at many colleges including University of Akron, the University of South Florida, the University of Maryland/Baltimore and has adjudicated numerous American College Dance Festivals and Regional Dance America Festivals. She has been an adjudicator in all Five Regions of Regional Dance America. Bahr recently served on the National Endowment for the Arts Dance Panel. She is one of the Five National Adjudicators at the Regional Dance America Festival that was held in Montreal in May of 2012.
A
s the haunting first sounds of Stravinsky’s music that caused such a stir in 1912 when the Ballet Russe first danced to it, Jill Eathorne Bahr’s Matriarch sensuously awakens. Considerably different from the 1913 Paris "scandale", with the legendary Nijinsky leading pagan rituals, this production reaches further back in fantasy, to the beginning of time, a matriarchy dominated by a solo figure. A dirt pile reveals the First Man, His male coterie - aliens overwhelm the women. Finally the First Man seduces the matriarch as drum rolls, eerie woodwinds and yards of fish netting swaddle the result. The offspring, called The Chosen One, eventually falls for papa and kills mama. Birth, rebirth, redemption. Ashes to ashes. A story, which tells of how sin and its consequences can destroy relationships and an entire community; and yet the people's need for a community drives them to keep re-creating, despite the dark past, Bahr’s intensity of the lust and anger-filled tableau, has become one of the milestones in Bahr’s choreographic career . WORLD PREMIERE: 1993 Principals: 2 female, 1 male Corp: 10 women, 10 men
Rite
of
Spring
ZORRO A Romance with a Vengeance. = A true swashbuckling adventure. His name was Don Diego de la Vega: a passionate crusader for justice, a hero to the downtrodden, a champion of the poor. His trademark black cape and mask kept his identity a secret. But this master swordsman left his mark wherever he went. With three slashes of his sword, he branded those he vanquished with the mark of Zorro. Zorro is one of the finest costume adventure stories ever shaped, one that's laced with a healthy dollop of romance and more than a smidgen of comedy. It's all wildly improbable, of course, one of the ancestors of the superhero comic strip/film, and anyone who is bothered by a woman's inability to recognize her lover in a simple disguise should just look elsewhere. But anyone who is willing to dispense with logic and just accept things at face value will have a great time with Zorro Bahr concentrated simply on presenting a story that is all about excitement and delivering the goods in spades. I hope to be helped by Zorro himself. I think it enormously by the stellar performance of the mystery dancer , who was clearly born to play the role. He gets it all right -- the charisma, the courage, the foppishness, the desire -- it's all there in all the right proportions Bahr boasts she always believed that music should be the key to any production.. Half of the fun is learning about all the many types of music of the world. I love obscure websites that lure you from one singer to the next. I have gotten very wrapped up in Barcelona musicians as well as a type of music called Nuevo Flamenco. Nuevo Flamenco ("New Flamenco") is synonymous with contemporary flamenco and is a modern derivative of traditional flamenco The formula for the success of this music is accessibility. Never too technical and always familiar by incorporating jazz, bossa nova, tango , rhumba, classical and even FLAMENCO guitar mixed with an assortment of instruments. Each artist displays the sexiness and rhythms that you can feel. Well worth the escape!
WORLD PREMIERE: 2011 Principals: 1 female, 3 male Corp 12 women, 6- 10 men
J
ill Eathorne Bahr’s inspired take on the Vampire myth explores the mysteries of the undead and the struggle between the forces of good and evil. Among the memorable cast of characters are hauntingly costumed dancers including three ethereal vampire wives, ghostly minions of “undead” Nosferatu, and the mysterious, thirsty Dracula himself . “DRACULA” is not a horror story, but instead is a mesmerizing, intimate and multi-layered portrait of a tortured soul. Symbolic of those nameless, faceless fears that lurk in the shadows, ready to pounce, this Dracula is an ominous, elusive power whose presence is as everlasting as Stoker's myth. The ballet follows the story of Count Dracula, a 400-year-old vampire, who sleeps by day and roams the Transylvanian countryside by night to quench his blood thirst. Because his homeland has been drained, Dracula travels to London in search of new disciples. Dracula is portrayed as the seductive villain whose dangerous passion attracts willing victims into becoming part of his unholy fold, the “Nosferatu,” or undead. This production is a compilation of both dance and drama with highly theatrical choreography and effects. Consequently, one has a strong sense of narrative as well as visual spectacle. The dramatic and twisting score compiled by Bahr intertwines works by, Alex North, Bernard Hermann, Leos Janacek, and Arvo Part, and includes a narration by Frank Jarrell. Speaking about her production Bahr explained: “There are many questions
that fascinated me when I approached my version of DRACULA. My take on Dracula is made up of the phantasmagorias that most captivated me from the book. I was also fascinated in the incongruities within the story. Vampires are dead yet live. We are fearful and at the same time enticed. We look to light for its’ ability to expose but we also hide in the shadows. Imagine a world where you can only go out after dark, where you feel a relentless appetite for human blood, but where for all eternity you will appear young and beautiful. A creature who should arouse repulsion in every living thing but who has seduced countless generations, Dracula is possessed of a hypnotic sexuality which fascinates us all “. WORLD PREMIERE: 1991 Principals: 2 female, 4 male + 4 female soloists Corps: 10 women, 4 men
DRACULA
ROMEO
&
JULIET
Young Lovers out of control. Jill Eathorne Bahr’s acclaimed interpretation of Shakespeare’s most revered romantic tragedy brings weighty dramatic roles and impassioned classical dancing to this intensely theatrical experience. Utilizing the famous Prokoviev score, the most dynamic ballet score of the 20th century, Romeo and Juliet reminds its audiences of love as only youth knows it – consuming, reckless and world forgetting. Bahr returned to Shakespeare for character and story development. Realizing that dance and acting do not share the same potentials for expression she nonetheless hoped to develop a greater emotional connection between the characters. Bahr has sought to define the dynamics in the Capulet household. She has highlighted the relationship between Lady Capulet and Tybalt (If there is to be such a drama over Tybalt’s death then Lady Capulet’s feelings toward him must be evident beforehand. Lord Capulet is older then she, more flamboyant, and less driven in his anger than Tybalt. Juliet has obvious emotional growth from youth to womanhood. Bahr also set up a warm relationship between Lord Capulet and Juliet so that his outrage at Juliet’s defiance later in the story is strengthened. When Juliet is found dead, it is Lord Capulet who feels the grief the most. Resident Choreographer Jill Eathorne Bahr comments: More than any other ballet, I love Romeo and Juliet. Ballerina’s crave to show that naked emotion and the men the passion of the fights.. and the tenderness of the love.. THE touchstone of a good ballet company is whether it has a good Romeo & Juliet . Both Juliet and Romeo have to be ready to go for broke. WORLD PREMIERE 1992
CAMELOT
C
amelot tells the story of Arthur through the eyes of Merlin, an ageless wizard who lives backwards through time. Aware of the boy's destiny, Merlin teaches him to be good, challenging the concept that "might makes right." Merlin instills the belief that the sole justification for war is to prevent a worse war. As Young Arthur prepares to lead, Merlin introduces him to Vivienne—the Lady of the Lake. She teaches him the magic of Excalibur, the beautiful and enchanted sword with the power to prevent Arthur from dying. In Act II Arthur uses Merlin’s wisdom to establish the perfect kingdom of Camelot, gathering the world’s best knights at the Roundtable and finding himself a loving Queen in Guinevere. The French knight Lancelot arrives and though initially hated, proves himself, becoming the King's best friend and the Roundtable’s most exemplary knight. Despite the loyalty and love Lancelot and the Queen have for Arthur, they become lovers. Therein are sown the seeds of Camelot’s destruction! Mordred goes after the one prize forever denied him—the Queen, dressing in armor stolen from Lancelot. Merlin alerts Arthur who witnesses the evil act of seduction by his son. Morgan commits a last nefarious act of stealing Excalibur for Mordred and Arthur understands his destiny as he begins the Dance of Death with his own son. In the story’s denouement, Arthur completes the full circle of destiny and begins his final journey home to the Lady of Lake. The Knights of the Roundtable precede Merlin who walks alone with Excalibur. In that final journey, Merlin reminds himself that the boundaries between death and life exist only in the mind. World Premiere 2007 Set and Costume Design: Campbell Baird, Costume Execution A. Christina Giannini, Flying Supervisor: David Hearn—Flying by Foy Principals 3 woman 5 men Corp: 16 women 8 men 10 advanced students or 2nd company female
Peter Pan What makes up a childhood memory? Jill Eathorne Bahr attempted to supply an answer to this question, and succeeded mightily. The shimmering world premiere of Bahr's adaptation of "Peter Pan," is a true homage to the belief that childhood is a time when anything is possible, even flying to Never-Never Land. While Bahr didn't use any of the famous musical's familiar tunes such as "I Won't Grow Up," and "I'm Flying," she substituted, to good effect, the music of Benjamin Britten, William Walton, Frederick Delius, Frank Bridge and Thomas Newman. Bahr has largely kept J.M. Barrie's 1904 story intact, using only a couple of lines of dialogue, and conveying the action through dance and mime. Philosophically, humankind's need to dream, imagine and believe in the seemingly impossible is greater than ever. For certain, this story remains an enduring favorite for many reasons, perhaps most of all for its ability to turn back time. Even as it laments the inevitability of growing older, it also quietly reverses the aging process, transforming adults into kids who laugh, cry and clap like crazy to save poor Tinkerbell!" The five-act ballet opens in the nursery of the Darling family's spacious London home in the early 20th century. Nana, the family's Newfoundland dog and nursemaid to the children, is preparing Wendy, John and Michael for bed . However, stealing the spotlight is Tinkerbell, for whom Bahr has written an expanded role. Far from being a little glimmer of light that flits around Peter's head, Tinkerbell is a real person. In a pleasing tableau of modern dance, 10 saucy Indian maidens, barefoot, performed spectacular floor rolls, using angular steps with palms facing outward. In the wild pirate number, the pirates toss their mops on "deck" before leaping up out of the orchestra pit. Capt. Hook radiates great style in his rousing solo and in the sword fight with Pan. In one scene, the pirates enigmatically perform a Cossack folk number, then switch to moves to "Lady of Spain." It was crazy, but it worked. They then use their mops as partners, a la Fred Astaire, in a fascinating tableau WORLD PREMIERE 1993
The
Great
Gatsby World Premiere 2004
S
et to the sweeping musical landscape of the great George Gershwin and other famed composers and song-writers of the Roaring 20s, Jill Eathorne Bahr's imbues the opulence of the Jazz Era — the proverbial Roaring Twenties — it is what makes this story such a decadent delight on stage. It's also the bitter aftertaste that follows the tale of a man who tried to attain what so many before and after have reached for. We like to tell our children that they can become anything they dream of becoming, but eventually childhood gives way to adulthood and the truth about how malleable our places in the world really are begins to seep in. We can improve ourselves vastly, yes, but sometimes, the simple truth is that you really can't get there from here. Ah, but we can throw one hell of a party along the way. Jay Gatsby did, and the elite of Long Island reveled with him in the beloved novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald. It's the stuff of the American Dream and Greek tragedy all tangled up together: Gatsby's fascination with Daisy Buchanan compels him to do extraordinarily well for himself, and this same fascination ultimately leads to his downfall. The party scenes are naturally inclusive of dance, but interpreting the quieter moments of the novel in physical movement presents a more compelling challenge. Yet Gatsby's early sense of yearning — the eagerness to appear to the manor born — is all there, somehow, in the dance.
Carmen This untamed dangerous gypsy with the morality of an alley cat, cannot bear Don Jose’s protective but stifling love. Underscored by Bizet’s celebrated music, — “It is rare that a piece of music is so much a part of our psyche,” as it has gone far beyond the opera world. Go to a restaurant, and its background music.” Carmen’s defiant spirit shines in bold, expressive dance, with the hint of Picasso cubism in this tale. Mistresses and wives successively served as Pablo Picasso’s muses, but they were not enough. He also sought inspiration from fictional women. And who better than Carmen to personify the themes of sex, love, violence, tragedy and death that run through so much of his work? It is also no surprise that the bullfight would emerge in so many of his drawings and paintings: Bullfighting is of course ever present in Picasso’s work, not only because he was a fervent aficionado (he frequently attended corridas in Arles in southern France), but also because he used it as a metaphor for the animal passions driving human behavior, including his own. In Mérimée and Bizet too these parallels are self-evident: Carmen is killed outside Seville’s bullring by her jilted lover, Don José, just as her new lover, the matador Escamillo, is slaying a bull inside the arena. The story is set in Seville, Spain, circa 1830, and concerns the vixen beauty Carmen, a Gypsy with a fiery temper. Free with her love, she woos the corporal Don José, an inexperienced soldier. Their relationship leads to his rejection of his former love, mutiny against his superior, and joining a gang of smugglers. WORLD PREMIERE: 2002
Afternoon of A Faun Claude Debussy WORLD PREMIERE: 2010
Poetry with a Splash of Red Blood WORLD PREMIERE: 1987
HER HEART WENT
BLIND
WORLD PREMIERE: 2009
FIREBIRD WORLD PREMIERE: 2003
SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS
An interactive family adventure, Snow White tells the famous story of a sweet girl who lives in the woods as part of a most unusual family – and of the Wicked Queen who will stop at nothing to be the most beautiful woman in the kingdom. Told with help of narration , SNOW WHITE is wicked fun for the whole family. The production gives 40 students the opportunity to work alongside the professional dancers. The fairest of them all, Snow White befriends her new cottage-mates the Seven Dwarfs, including Sleepy and Doc, encounters her jealous and cleverly disguised stepmother the Evil Queen and finds true love in this enchanting and colorful take on the classic fable. Meet all the animals in the forest, and see how the Evil Queen creates the "Bad Apple� Snow White utilizes the music of Eric Satie and Herbert Bauman. Costumes by John Goodwin and Don Cantwell, set design by Don Cantwell .
World Premiere 2006
CHILDREN’S BALLET PACKAGES A core component of Bahr’s artistic vision is making the language of dance accessible to all people. With the birth of the CBT Children's Series, Bahr hoped to inspire and educate the youth through her unique and exciting ballets specifically created for children and their families. These Children's Series Ballets continues to ensure that children of all ages, households and socio-economic backgrounds have the opportunity to be exposed to a variety of artistic and cultural programs that enrich their lives. These CHILDREN’S BALLET PRODUCTIONS s can be tailor made to fit the need of your professional company, family series, junior company, pre-professional level programs or school recital ; and most importantly work within your budget. Jill Eathorne Bahr and her Artistic Team will visit your location, cast your ballet, stage your ballet and can be available to return to put the ballet on stage and offer tech crew, lighting design, wardrobe help to get the ballet on stage . The Children Ballet Package can also includes press release samples, fundraising projects to supplement income and marketing ideas. Different packages are available for all types of clients. For more detailed information including DVD samples of each ballet, choreographic fees, set and costume rental (which is also available on all three of these productions.) and or guest artists to supplement your production in the main roles can also be provided. After providing professional ballet to the Lowcountry for 25 years, the Ballet's leadership is excited and looking forward to expanding across the nation. Charleston Ballet Theatre (CBT), under the artistic direction of Don and Patricia Cantwell and resident choreographer Jill Eathorne-Bahr, celebrating its 26th season as Charleston’s only professional dance company, has a long tradition of offering professional ballet and dance works of the highest quality to local, regional, and national audiences
In the Wizard of OZ, little Dorothy Gale of Kansas, like so many girls her age, dreams of what lies over the rainbow. One day a twister hits her farm and carries her away over the rainbow to another world. Things in Oz are strange and beautiful, but Dorothy just wants to get back home. She's helped by the Good Witch of the North, but she's also in trouble with the Wicked Witch of the West, who seeks revenge for the death of her sister; the Wicked Witch of the East, for which she blames Dorothy.
WIZA
of O
ARD
Oz
Here she meets some memorable friends and foes in her journey to meet the Wizard of Oz who everyone says can help her return home and possibly grant her new friends, The Scarecrow, The Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion their goals of a brain, heart and courage. Production Length 70 minutes with 2 intermissions Music: Eric Coates, Samuel Barber John Williams Costume Design Don Cantwell Children used in the production: 32-72
WORLD PREMIERE: 2013
Production Length: 85 minutes with 2 intermissions Music: Franรงois Poulenc, Ravel, Debussy, Francaix, Milhaud) Costume Design: Don Cantwell Character costume design: Travis J. Halsey Red Queen costume design: Brenda Farr Children used in the production: 26-40
World Premiere 2011
Alice In wonderland
It’s going to be a wild ride... Precocious little Alice will lead us on a raucous journey where things are not always what they seem.” Alice in Wonderland, featuring fantastical new costumes by Joffrey Ballet costume designer Travis Halsey. Inspired by the surrealism of Cirque de Soliel, Bahr and Halsey spent many weeks corresponding via Facebook on the designs for The White Rabbit, Cheshire Cat and The Caterpillar along with an entire deck of cards portrayed by students of the School. Stunning colorful backdrops, a giant Mad Hatter tea party and music by French composer Francoise Poulenc add to the madness
Flick of the Wrist (World Premiere: February 11, 2006) Music: Igor Stravinsky Set Design: Tobin's Lake Studios Costumes Grettawear
Dedicated to Everyone’s Partner in The Crime of Serious Fun!
DRACULA <> (Full length) CINDERELLA
<>(Full length)
PETER PAN <> (Full length) ROMEO AND JULIET <> (Full length) CARMINA BURANA <> (Full length)
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CARMEN <> (Full length) SEVEN DEADLY SINS <> (Themed Production ) THE NUTCRACKER <>(Full length) FIREBIRD <> (Themed Production ) RITE OF SPRING <> (Themed Production ) A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM <> (Themed Production ) WIZARD OF OZ <> (Children's Ballet) STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE <> (Themed Production ) COPPELIA <> (Full length) ZORRO <> (Full length) THE GREAT GATSBY <> (Full length) SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS <>Children's Ballet) CAMELOT <> (Full length) DECADENT DIVAS <>(Themed Production ) TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS <> (Children's Ballet) ALICE IN WONDERLAND <> (Full length) SLEEPING BEAUTY <> (Full length) DON QUIXOTE <> (Full length)
POETRY WITH A SPLASH OF RED BLOOD
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POETRY WITH A SPLASH OF RED BLOOD HEARTH OF EMBERS DRASTIC MEASURES RODEO CAPTURED ANGEL SLITHER MONA LISA’S AND MADHATTERS LAST VESTIGE OF A TORCH SONG CAFE FOXTROT CIRCA 1990 TWISTED TANGO (Themed Production ) ABRACADRABRA A YOUNG PERSON’S GUIDE TO THE ORCHESTRA <> (Themed Production ) WINGS THE ELLINGTON EXPERIENCE <> (Themed Production ) A SOLDIER’S SOLIOQUOY A SERIOUS ROMP AFTERNOON OF A FAUN <>(Themed Production ) MOTOWN MANIA <>(Themed Production ) NASHVILLE <> (Themed Production ) SLAUGHTER ON TENTH AVENUE <>( Themed Production ) FLICK OF THE WRIST HER HEART WENT BLIND
For the first time ever, Jill Eathorne Bahrâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ballets are now available for licensing. These productions can be tailor made to fit the need of your company, junior company, pre-professional level programs or school recital ; and most importantly work within your budget. Jill Eathorne Bahr and her Artistic Team will visit your location, cast your ballet, stage your ballet and can be available to return to put the ballet on stage and offer tech crew, lighting design, wardrobe help to get the ballet on stage . The Production Package can also includes press release samples, fundraising projects to supplement income and marketing ideas. Different packages are available for all types of clients. For more detailed information including DVD samples of each ballet, choreographic fees, set and costume rental (which is also available on all three of these productions.) and or guest artists to supplement your production in the main roles can also be provided. Please contact Jill Eathorne Bahr at j.bahr@charlestonballet.org or telephone (843) 813 4696 by mail at Jill Eathorne Bahr CHOREOGRAPY LICENSING 151 Grove Street Charleston SC 29403 Visit Jillâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Website @ http://cbtbahr.wix.com/choreography-jill-e-bahr
Jill Eathorne Bahr is an extraordinary and consummate dance professional in every sense of the word. From her initial dance training at the American Ballet Theatre School, the Joffrey Ballet, Harkness Ballet, and Houston Ballet she has developed her professional career across the United States, to her present position as resident choreographer for the Charleston Ballet Theatre (CBT). Her tremendous energy, creativity, and commitment to excellence are consistently demonstrated in every performance of the CBT. Jill strives to be innovative in her choreography to push the limits of the dancer and enable audiences to re- conceptualize not just their ideas about the art form, but also about movement and space.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;WINGS â&#x20AC;&#x2122;
ERNEST BLOCH 2006
Need More Information: j.bahr @charlestonballet.org 151 Grove Street Charleston SC 29403 Charleston SC 29403 http://cbtbahr.wix.com/choreography-jill-e-bahr  Â
Motown Mania premiere 2011