Afternoon of a Faun (Rushton)
Encyclopedia
Afternoon of a Faun is a ballet made by Danish Dance Theatre
balletmaster Tim Rushton
on Johan Kobborg
; principal dancer at the Royal Ballet, London; to Debussy's
Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune
.
The premiere took place in February 2006 at New York City Center
as part of the Kings of the Dance
gala and subsequently at Orange County Performing Arts Center
, Costa Mesa, Calif.
Kobborg performed it again in October 2007 as part of City Center's Fall for Dance festival. Both Rushton and Kobburg danced for the Royal Danish Ballet
earlier in their careers, Kobburg a principal there as well as in London.
Rushton's setting differs materially from Nijinsky's
original in its use of three pools of light produced by beam projectors which appear successively stage center, left and right (center, right and left from the audience's perspective), in which the faun / dancer capers and bathes; it resembles what is known of the original mostly in its costuming.
Danish Dance Theatre
Danish Dance Theatre is the largest modern dance company in Denmark. The company was founded in 1981 by Randi Patterson, an English/Norwegian choreographer and innovator of modern dance. Patterson was succeeded by American Warren Spears and the Dane Anette Abildgaard...
balletmaster Tim Rushton
Tim Rushton
Timothy John Rushton MBE is a British choreographer and artistic leader of the Copenhagen-based Danish Dance Theatre, Denmark's largest modern dance company....
on Johan Kobborg
Johan Kobborg
Johan Kobborg is a principal dancer with the Royal Ballet in London.-Early Life:Johan Kobborg was born in Odense, Denmark into an artistic family; his mother is a former showgirl and actress and his brother is an actor...
; principal dancer at the Royal Ballet, London; to Debussy's
Claude Debussy
Claude-Achille Debussy was a French composer. Along with Maurice Ravel, he was one of the most prominent figures working within the field of impressionist music, though he himself intensely disliked the term when applied to his compositions...
Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune
Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune
Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune , commonly known by its English title Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun, is a symphonic poem for orchestra by Claude Debussy, approximately 10 minutes in duration...
.
The premiere took place in February 2006 at New York City Center
New York City Center
New York City Center is a 2,750-seat Moorish Revival theater located at 131 West 55th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues in Manhattan, New York City. It is one block south of Carnegie Hall...
as part of the Kings of the Dance
Kings of the Dance
Kings of the Dance was a four night dance extravaganza starring: *Angel Corella, American Ballet Theatre*Ethan Stiefel, American Ballet Theatre*Johan Kobborg, The Royal Ballet, London*Nikolay Tsiskaridze, The Bolshoi Ballet...
gala and subsequently at Orange County Performing Arts Center
Orange County Performing Arts Center
The Orange County Performing Arts Center is a performing arts complex located in Costa Mesa, California, United States.The Center offers the world’s leading dance companies, Broadway shows, award-winning classical, jazz and cabaret artists, family entertainment, special events and year-round...
, Costa Mesa, Calif.
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
Kobborg performed it again in October 2007 as part of City Center's Fall for Dance festival. Both Rushton and Kobburg danced for the Royal Danish Ballet
Royal Danish Ballet
The Royal Danish Ballet is one of the oldest ballet companies in the world. Based in Copenhagen, Denmark, it originates from 1748, when the Royal Danish Theatre was founded, and was finally organized in 1771 in response to the great popularity of French and Italian styles of dance...
earlier in their careers, Kobburg a principal there as well as in London.
Rushton's setting differs materially from Nijinsky's
Vaslav Nijinsky
Vaslav Nijinsky was a Russian ballet dancer and choreographer of Polish descent, cited as the greatest male dancer of the 20th century. He grew to be celebrated for his virtuosity and for the depth and intensity of his characterizations...
original in its use of three pools of light produced by beam projectors which appear successively stage center, left and right (center, right and left from the audience's perspective), in which the faun / dancer capers and bathes; it resembles what is known of the original mostly in its costuming.
Reviews
- http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/25/arts/dance/25kings.htmlNY Times by John RockwellJohn RockwellJohn Rockwell is a music critic, editor, and dance critic. He studied at Phillips Academy, Harvard, the University of Munich, and the University of California, Berkeley, earning a Ph.D. in German culture....
, February 25, 2006] - NY Times by Gia Kourlas, February 23, 2006
- Ballet.co.uk Magazine by Anjuli Bai, February 2006
- http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/04/arts/dance/04flan.html?_r=1&ref=arts&oref=sloginNY Times by Roslyn SulcasRoslyn SulcasRoslyn Sulcas is a dance critic for the New York Times. She grew up in Cape Town, South Africa, and studied English literature in college, receiving a post-graduate degree from York University in England. While finishing her thesis she lived in Paris, where she began writing for the British Dance...
, October 4, 2007]