Photo: Jackie Sajewski
STRAIN INFLICTED & HONORING LOSS Former Verb Ballets dancer and choreographer,Michael Escovedo talks about honoring his grandmother's memory while staying true to the person she was Broken Bridges (2020) Dancers: Lieneke Matte, Kate Webb, Julie Russel, Kelly Korfhage
We sat down with Michael Escovedo to
mechanism for everything I was
there is dignity in life no matter how
talk about the story behind his ballet,
experiencing. The high tension and
torturous it can be. And the beauty in
Broken Bridges. The work will appear on
contrast within the music helped me
human beings, even if they are
the Building Bridges Together program
tell the story, and helped me process
covered in layers of abuse, illness, and
that was filmed with BlueWater
my emotions. To my surprise a year
misfortune.
Chamber Orchestra.
later Dr. Carlson asked me to
Dr. Carlson originally came to you with a
choreograph, and when she did, I was
This is an immensely personal ballet
more than ready to share.
about your family. How does it feel to
challenge to reimagine or take
see it on stage again?
inspiration from Heinz Poll’s Elegiac Song
The ballet was choreographed in 2017
I actually have mixed emotions about
also set to music by Shostakovich. What
after your grandmother passed away.
making this piece public. Putting
inspired you by his work?
Tell us how she inspired the piece.
myself out there is one thing. I didn’t
When I first saw Heinz Poll’s Elegiac
My grandmother's passing was
realize what the impact would be on
Song, I was drawn to the loneliness of
one of the first close experiences
my family to witness their
the piece. My heart broke watching a
with death that I'd had. At that time I
experiences on a stage. I'm so grateful
woman fight her way through
was also coming to terms with my
to have a supportive family that loves
emotion, loss and exhaustion. While
own mortality, and what my impact
and appreciates the work that I
we were setting Elegiac Song, my
on the world would be. As I grew, I
create. The piece became healing
grandmother’s Alzheimers began to
began seeing qualities in myself that
work for all of us and helped us all
get worse. I started to see my
were very similar to my
grow to understand each other on a
grandmother in this woman, and I
grandmother, and most of these
deeper level. I am so proud of this
started to connect their journeys. At
qualities were not necessarily good.
piece and will always be filled with an
this point, I began listening to
While making Broken Bridges, I
array of emotions every time I see it.
Shostakovich’s Chamber Symphony,
wanted to validate both of our
the same music used for Elegiac Songs,
existences. I wanted to show that
and it became a coping verbiculture | November 2020
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