Ballet Spartanburg to perform Martha Graham’s ‘Suite from Appalachian Spring’
By Mark Poff
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ASHEVILLE, North Carolina (WLOS) — As part of its 100-year celebration, Martha Graham Dance Company recently chose Ballet Spartanburg to partner with in performing Graham’s “Suite from Appalachian Spring.”
Graham was a choreographer who revolutionized traditional ballet into a modern American style. Normally, her work is only performed by The Martha Graham Dance Company.
On March 23 and 24, Ballet Spartanburg will present “Suite from Appalachian Spring,” from Graham’s iconic ballet, “Appalachian Spring.” The work was a collaboration between Graham and American composer Aaron Copland.
Ballet Spartanburg dancers trained six hours a day for two weeks with trainers and coaches from the Martha Graham Dance Company.
“She is the icon of contemporary dance. And it was her technique that dancers from all around the world have tried to learn,” Ballet Spartanburg’s Teresa Berline said.
Carrie Preus said she was honored by the opportunity to work with the Graham coaches.
“To be able to spend two weeks with somebody who danced professionally in the Martha Graham Dance Company for many years, and is full of that knowledge, and then perform one of those works is a huge huge honor and we can’t emphasize that enough,” Preus said.
Oddly enough, “Suite from Appalachian Spring” isn’t about springtime in Appalachia. Graham was inspired by a poem about the flowing of a mountain stream. It tells a story about a young couple finding their place in the world.
“I play the bride. It’s pretty cool because I’m a bride-to-be in real life!” Ying-Chi said, noting that feeds her character’s enthusiasm on stage.
Ying-Chi studied Martha Graham as a child in Taiwan.
“It is absolutely magical because when I was younger I was trained in the Graham Technique,” Ying-Chi said. “But I lost it after I moved to the US. I never thought I’d get to do Graham again, to be honest. And then this opportunity happened.”
She said dancing is for everyone.
“Come take a class with us! Not only do we have ballet, we have contemporary class, lyrical class. If you just want the opportunity to move your body around, you should definitely try a class here with us,” Ying-Chi said.
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