Margery Fairchild’s Pas de Quatre gets ready to greet the world!
The Pas de Quatre was a ballet performed at Her Majesty’s Theatre in London in 1845. It was commissioned by the Theatre’s director, Benjamin Lumley, choreographed by the famous ballet master Jules Perrot, composed by the notoriously eccentric Cesare Pugni, and performed by four of Europe’s most celebrated ballerinas: Marie Taglioni, Carlotta Grisi, Fanny Cerrito and Lucille Grahn. Following the great Romantic works, La Slyphide (1832) and Giselle (1841), Pas de Quatre is considered the pinnacle of the Romantic Era in Ballet.
Readings, as part of DIVAfest (www.divafest.info):
Thursdays, May 17 and 24, 8 p.m.
EXIT Theatre, 156 Eddy Street
Admission by suggested donation.
ABOUT THE PLAY: Fairchild’s dramatization of this historical event is an exploration of not only the colorful personalities involved but also of the making of the ballet itself. The play describes a time in which theatre was of paramount social importance, and when dancers were goddesses—to be worshipped, adored, and (quite frequently) fought over. The Pas de Quatre epitomized the Romantic Era and heralded the cult of the ballerina at a time when Ballet had completely adapted and redefined itself as a new art form. The play focuses on the main architects of the Pas de Quatre as they struggle to bring this work to life, and profiles the ballerinas who had to reconcile themselves as individuals in the face not only of their art but also of their elaborately constructed public images.
FROM THE PLAYWRIGHT: As a lover of history and dance history in particular, both the Pas de Quatre as a ballet and its central figures, including Marie Taglioni, Jules Perrot, and Carlotta Grisi, have been a long-time fascination for me. I had danced variations from the ballet when I was a student at the Boston Ballet School and remember my teachers often telling me about the historical significance and wonderful drama involved in its creation. When I was 14 years old, a 19th century ballet seemed an ancient thing and I was always intrigued by the idea that an art form without any recorded notation had survived intact for so long. Ballet students are ingrained with a sense of duty to memorize choreography and to revere their masters, who are the only connection to the past.
When I started investigating and researching the Pas de Quatre, three things engrossed me immediately: First, the world and making of this ballet included some of the most colorful and influential characters of 19th century dance and literature. Second, the mix of egos, relationships and coincidences that occurred during the creation of the piece made its actuality simply miraculous. Third, no one has ever ventured to tell the entire PDQ story dramatically, from its commissioning to its opening. In delivering the facts in a theatrical setting I could share this amazing moment in history with a new generation while at the same time continuing the oral tradition I was trained to admire and respect with so much awe.
At the end of every ballet class the students perform a “reverence,” a short dance combination that includes bowing gracefully to both the teacher and accompanist as a way of showing respect for the class, training, and tradition that one is a part of. The PDQ is my reverence, so to speak, for the stage, the theatre and the opportunity I have to be a part of this complicated and rich legacy.
