UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA GRADUATE COLLEGE EXPLORING THE CREATIVE PROCESS OF CHOREOGRAPHING OPERA PRIOR TO AND AMIDST THE COVID-19 GLOBAL PANDEMIC: OPPORTUNITIES, CHALLENGES, AND COMPLEXITIES A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE FACULTY in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF FINE ARTS IN DANCE By CHRISTA ST. JOHN Norman, Oklahoma 2021 EXPLORING THE CREATIVE PROCESS OF CHOREOGRAPHING OPERA PRIOR TO AND AMIDST THE COVID-19 GLOBAL PANDEMIC: OPPORTUNITIES, CHALLENGES, AND COMPLEXITIES A THESIS APPROVED FOR THE SCHOOL OF DANCE BY THE COMMITTEE CONSISTING OF Mary Margaret Holt, Chair Michael Bearden William Ferrara © Copyright by CHRISTA ST. JOHN 2021 All Rights Reserved. Acknowledgments The culmination of this research is a product of the support, guidance, and collaboration of a great number of persons without whom this work would not have been possible. First, I thank my committee chair, Dean of OU’s Weitzenhoffer Family College of Fine Arts, Nichols Chair, Presidential Professor, and Regents’ Professor of Dance, Mary Margaret Holt, for her choreographic and academic mentorship throughout this process. One of the most valuable things a person can give another is their time. Dean Holt generously gave her time and the mentorship she provided is of inestimable value and is the model from which I endeavor to mentor my future students. Thank you to committee members Director of the School of Dance, Michael Bearden, for his choreographic mentorship and continued support, and OU Opera Theatre Stage Director and Professor, William Ferrara, for his flexibility and creative problem-solving abilities as we navigated unprecedented circumstances throughout our collaborations together. To Professor Jeremy Lindberg, thank you for recommending me as choreographer for OU Opera Theatre and fostering my love of choreographing opera. Many thanks to the artistic collaborators on both opera productions, Associate Producer Kasey Allee-Foreman, Professor of Costume Design Lloyd Cracknell, Artistic Director and Conductor Dr. Jonathan Shames, and many others, and to the OU Dance Faculty whose willingness to make numerous emendations to accommodate opera rehearsals is greatly appreciated. A huge thank you to my dear husband Dr. Brian St. John for allowing the opera productions to be a third party in our marriage for several years, and for always being willing to help with creative ideas, musical input, and a significant amount of humor. iv Abstract This thesis explores opportunities, challenges, and complexities of choreographing opera by examining the creative process of choreographing two full-length opera productions at the University of Oklahoma, Rimsky-Korsakov’s The Golden Cockerel (October 2019) and Bizet’s The Pearl Fishers (March 2021), under vastly different circumstances. The research period for The Pearl Fishers spanned the time leading up to and amidst the outbreak of COVID-19, which led to a global pandemic that greatly affected daily life in the United States. OU’s production of The Pearl Fishers was conceived and initially choreographed prior to the outbreak of COVID- 19; the choreography underwent two substantial revisions as the virus proliferated, resulting in three different versions of the opera which was, in part, choreographed through a combination of rehearsals in-person and via the computer application, Zoom. The outbreak of COVID-19 required the development of new strategies to produce an opera while observing university, local, state, and national COVID-19 safety protocols, which resulted in creating a socially distanced, hybrid digital and live, in-person production of The Pearl Fishers which premiered in March 2021. Choreographing both operas in relatively quick succession under vastly different circumstances highlighted the pandemic’s radical effect on the fields of dance and opera. While the findings are limited in scope, they have broader implications for studying dance and opera together and contribute to the limited scholarly discourse on opera choreography. This thesis offers strategies for choreographing opera productions, sheds light on opera choreographers who, at times, take a subsidiary role for their contributions to the art, and serves as a timely account of the complexities of choreographing an opera production during a global pandemic. v Table of Contents Chapter I: Introduction ................................................................................................................ 1 Project Description ...................................................................................................................... 1 A Review of the Literature .......................................................................................................... 6 A Brief Overview of the History of Dance in Opera .................................................................. 9 The Scholarly Study of Dance in Opera .................................................................................... 15 A Note: The Effect of COVID-19 on the Performing Arts During the Research Period ......... 19 Chapter II: Historical Precedence of Ballet in The Golden Cockerel ..................................... 27 Chapter III: OU’s Production of The Golden Cockerel ........................................................... 31 The Golden Cockerel Production Overview ............................................................................. 31 Spring 2019 ............................................................................................................................... 32 Fall 2019 .................................................................................................................................... 41 Chapter IV: Analysis of OU’s Production of The Golden Cockerel ....................................... 55 The Use of Dance in Act I and Act II of The Golden Cockerel ................................................ 55 Analysis of the Final Performances of The Golden Cockerel ................................................... 65 Chapter V: The Pearl Fishers: Historical Background ........................................................... 69 Chapter VI: OU’s Production of The Pearl Fishers ................................................................ 77 Fall 2019 .................................................................................................................................... 77 Spring 2020 ............................................................................................................................... 82 Summer 2020 ............................................................................................................................ 99 Fall 2020 .................................................................................................................................. 103 Spring 2021 ............................................................................................................................. 118 Chapter VII: Analysis and Reflection ..................................................................................... 147 Analysis of OU’s Production of The Pearl Fishers (Reimagined) ......................................... 147 Comparative Analysis of The Golden Cockerel and The Pearl Fishers ................................. 157 Reflection ................................................................................................................................ 160 Bibliography .............................................................................................................................. 165 Appendix .................................................................................................................................... 170 Appendix A: Staging Diagrams: The Pearl Fishers Version 1 ............................................... 170 Appendix B: Outline The Pearl Fishers Version 2 ................................................................. 233 Appendix C: Outline: The Pearl Fishers Version 3 ................................................................ 234 Appendix D: Costume Designs The Golden Cockerel and The Pearl Fishers ....................... 239 Appendix E: Video Links to The Golden Cockerel and The Pearl Fishers ............................ 249 vi Chapter I: Introduction Project Description Ballet and opera have a shared lineage and, at times, a mercurial relationship. Throughout its history, opera reflects the ideas and ideals of society. Similarly, ballet is often an expression of societal aesthetic preference. Although the two art forms evolved together, eventually their paths diverged. While often historically intertwined, ballet and opera are vastly different, and the traditions and conventions of each can be incongruous. Ballet can, however, greatly enhance, support, and drive the dramatic action of an opera when the choreographer is provided a clear definition of the role of dance within a larger operatic opus. Creating effective movement supporting the needs of the opera requires a specific choreographic skillset. Throughout history, prominent choreographers have been drawn to the world of opera and have contributed to the choreographic repertoire of operatic performance. While the significance of dance in opera varies from production to production, the power of the two art forms together is compelling and historically rich. In this thesis, I explore the creative process of choreographing opera productions as well as analyze how external factors surrounding