DANCE

TRADITIONAL ARTISTIC PERCEPTION (AP) ® CLASSICAL CREATIVE EXPRESSION (CE) Artsource CONTEMPORARY HISTORICAL & CULTURAL CONTEXT (H/C) The Music Center’s Study Guide to the Performing Arts EXPERIMENTAL AESTHETIC VALUING (AV) MULTI-MEDIA CONNECT, RELATE & APPLY (CRA)

ENDURING FREEDOM & THE POWER THE HUMAN TRANSFORMATION VALUES OPPRESSION OF NATURE FAMILY

Title of Work: Oakland Ballet Company, safeguards the integrity of his Billy The Kid life’s work and reconstructs and teaches the ballets. Reconstruction and performance: The Joffrey Ballet About the Artwork: Creators: Eugene Loring, at age 27, began the process of Choreographer: Eugene Loring 1911 - 1982 Composer: Aaron Copland 1900 - 1990 choreographing Billy The Kid by creating a storyboard Vision and libretto: Lincoln Kirstein 1907 - 1996 of the legend. He organized the events of Billy’s life Costumes and scenery: Jared French sequentially into scenes, determining their dramatic Background Information: impact and length. He sent these plans to composer Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as LeRoy Kerpestein, Aaron Copland in Paris who used them to create his Eugene Loring was part of a large family, but was raised musical score, based on themes from cowboy songs. primarily by his grandmother. As a teenager he became The work was premiered by a small group who danced interested in the theatre and began his career in all the parts, changing both their costumes and the vaudeville. He trained as an actor, studying dance to lights each time they exited. The score was played on gain more skills and to supplement his income. He two pianos. However, the ballet met with tremendous enrolled at the School of American Ballet where he success and Mr. Loring was featured on the cover of worked under choreographer George Balanchine and Life Magazine in 1938. Today it takes Ms. Whiteside artistic visionary Lincoln Kirstein. These two men were 100 hours to stage, teach and rehearse the ballet. First instrumental in creating a distinctive American ballet the movement is taught, and then she “fleshes it in style which shocked traditionalists. Kirstein organized with emotional intent.” Ballet Caravan as a second company which featured Creative Process of the Artist or Culture: American themes and gave opportunities to young Mr. Loring felt there was no true movement unless American choreographers. In 1937, he invited Loring to there was an emotional impetus behind it. His dancers choreograph a ballet based on the notorious outlaw, were directed to feel the emotion before doing the Billy the Kid. Loring accepted, also dancing the lead. It movement. At rehearsals he asked was the first work to combine ballet and modern, as them to get inside themselves and well as to use the spoken word. His other collaborations analyze their own likes and with Kirstein included: Harlequin For President (1936), dislikes. When dancing any role, Yankee Clipper (1937), and City Portrait (1939). He they explored all aspects of the danced with The American Ballet Theatre under the characters in order to fully artistic leadership of George Balanchine, and later understand their motivations. became a staff choreographer for MGM studios. In 1948 he founded the American School of Dance in Courtesy of the Loring Estate New York Hollywood and in 1965 he pioneered dance education “Dance is a language like at University of California, Irvine where he remained painting, sculpture and music. It sometimes needs on the faculty until 1981. Patrice Whiteside, a student interpretation but never of Loring and formerly a principal dancer with the translation.” California Eugene Loring