Stages and Reflections

Ballet by John Neumeier

Music: Benjamin Britten – Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge
Choreography, Set and Costumes: John Neumeier

PREMIERE:
Harkness Ballet, Opéra de Monte-Carlo, December 28, 1968

ORIGINAL CAST:
Lone Isaksen
Karen Krych
Bonnie Mathis
Lawrence Rhodes

Helgi Tomasson

 
“My theme is the longing for oneself. Using a convention of the stage—the performer’s giving up of himself in assuming a role—as a parallel to real loss of self; the ballet explores the stages and various reflections of this loss. At times, a suggestion, perhaps a memory, may recall a forgotten inner self. Confrontation with one’s own distorted reflection may be painful. Yet, we come to depend on our masks...and unmasking can be a lonely struggle.”
J.N.