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The Dance Enthusiast Asks The Dancers of Jody Oberfelder Dance Projects
By Christine Jowers/Follow @cmmjowers on Instagram
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Published on June 8, 2011
Paula Court
The Dance Enthusiast asks for the Stories Behind Jody Oberfelder's retelling of L'Histoire du Soldat-
Video Essays by Christine Jowers for The Dance Enthusiast,2011
In presenting a fresh version of “The Soldier’s Tale”, choreographer/director Jody Oberfelder places this post-World War I story—originally sourcing two Russian folktales—in a modern world. The dramatic trajectory of the tale is conveyed through acrobatic physicality of the characters and the distinct storytelling of the narrator. Without changing the basic plot or existential journey of the Soldier, Oberfelder has contemporized librettist C.F. Ramuz’s text to convey an environment strikingly familiar to us all. Instead of arriving home along a winding road, he arrives at the airport. Later, he meets the Princess by participating in the reality show, “Who Wants to Marry an Heiress?” He is a hapless Everyman equipped with human foibles, marching on and on. He attempts to find his footing, but becomes foiled by the slippery seductions of ephemeral happiness presented to him by a nemesis (the Devil) in various guises.
ChristinaNoel Reaves Talks about Her Work on L'Histoire:
Vaudevillian spectacle and drama are served up through vibrant physicality in this danced- through production, with Jody Oberfelder Dance Projects performers: Jake Szczypek as the Soldier, Rebekah Morin as the Devil, and ChristinaNoel Reaves as the Princess. Christian Coulson, acclaimed actor for the screen, stage and television, previously seen onscreen in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, The Hours, and Gossip Girl, joins the cast as Narrator.
Costume design by Liz Prince, set design by architect Juergen Riehm, of 1100 Architect, lighting design by Greg Goff, visual design and animated graphics by John Frattalone, aerial rigging by Todd McGraw, and stop action animators Miya Hirabayashi, Elisabeth Fraser and Trent Bailey Photography all serve to conjure the hallucinatory world and alternative realities of the Soldier. Stravinsky’s music is scored for a septet of violin, double bass, clarinet, bassoon, cornet, trombone, and percussion.
Jake Szczyypek and Rebekah Morin Discuss Their Work on L'Histoire:
The Knickerbocker Chamber Orchestra musicians will collaborate with Oberfelder’s dancers to create a compelling live music, dance and theater experience. A professional chamber orchestra serving the Lower Manhattan community, the KCO presents baroque, classical and romantic masterpieces in distinctive downtown settings and offers extensive educational outreach to local
schools.
Bonus Video: The Dance Enthusiast Dance Minute ( created especially for facebook and twitter)
A Minute of Waltzing on Air with Jody Oberfelder Dance Projects:
Performances of L'Histoire du Soldat run Thursday-Saturday June 9-11,2011 7:30 PM Pace University’s Michael Schimmel Center for the Arts, 3 Spruce St, New York, NY. To purchase tickets click here
