Pittsburgh Ballet Premieres Two Ballets Set to Paul Simon Songs
By Ben Mattison
09 Mar 2005
Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre premieres two new works set to music by rock musician Paul Simon tomorrow night.
The program, conceived by PBT artistic director Terrence Orr, includes Derek Deane´s Simply Simon and Dwight Rhoden´s Simon Said. It runs through March 13.
“Derek and Dwight are two outstanding choreographers who bring different qualities to their bodies of work,” Orr said. “Derek is rooted in classical ballet, while Dwight is very modern in his approach.”
Deane´s work is abstract, without a unifying theme or storyline. ´With this ballet I am literally putting dance movement onto his Simon´s songs,´ he said. ´I’m trying to create a dance language that compliments his songs.´ The work ends with a pas de deux set to Simon´s song ´Still Crazy After All These Years.´
The two works represent PBT´s third experiment with popular music. In 2002, the company performed Brand New Day, set to the music of Sting, and in 2003 it presented two dances set to the music of Bruce Springsteen.
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