Saturday November 5, 2011 - Above, choreographer Lisa de Ribere preparing a new ballet for the upcoming performances by the Columbia Ballet Collaborative. Performance dates are November 18th - 20th. Information here.
Dancer/photographer Norbert de la Cruz and I stopped by at the Barnard College studios today specifically to watch Lisa's rehearsal. While there we ran into another of the Collaborative's choreographers, Laura Ward, who suggested we stop by her studio. Then we noticed dancers at work in Streng Studio and found choreographer Claudia Schreier working on her Bach piece.
Lisa de Ribere, who formerly danced with both New York City Ballet and ABT, sets her intimate ballet for five women and two men to a richly melodic Dvorak score. At each of the three studios we visited today, dancers were missing; but we were able get a good feel for Lisa's choreography in the lirico-classic style.
Rebecca Azenberg and John Poppe (above) are among Lisa's dancers...
...along with Meredith Hinshaw (above).
Laura Ward will present "She Said Wait" for the Collaborative; set to music of Michel Ayello this all-female work is characterstic of Ward's distinctive style, with trademark motifs of sleeping and waking as well as female partnering. Ballet mistress Georgina Aragon and photographer Ella Condon were there helping Laura set and document the work.
Audrey Crabtree-Hannigan rehearsing Laura Ward's "She Said Wait".
Claudia Schreier's ballet to Bach was being worked on it detail while we were there. An intricate passage in which dancer John Poppe moves down a diagonal of girls pausing to partner each one briefly was being ironed out; the pacing was fast and the dancers worked patiently to get the look Claudia wanted.
Claudia and dancers Margaret Cowie, John Poppe, Lauren Alpert and Caitlin Dieck.
Claudia gives notes to Margaret Cowie; both Margaret and Lauren Alpert danced in Adam Hendrickson's FORLORN at CBC's Spring 2011 performances.
All photos by Norbert de la Cruz.