Episodes (ballet)

The program described Episodes I as follows,

Miss Graham's section of Episodes deals with the last minutes in the life of Mary Queen of Scots. It takes place at the scaffold and the characters are men and women who might well have been in the Queen's last thoughts. Bothwell, the man she most loved, was her third husband; determined to be King, he had used her to serve his ambition and treated her, so the court said, 'like a drab'. Darnley (her second husband), Rizzio and Chastelard, all three had died because of her. The four Marys, her ladies in waiting, had been her constant companions. Elizabeth of England, whom she had never met, was her cousin and enemy, and had signed the warrant for her execution. Miss Graham's choreography is a kind of dramatic fantasia about Mary Stuart's ultimate pride, about the façade of royalty and what must have been behind it.[4]

The two pieces of music Graham used, Passacaglia, op. 1 and Six Pieces, op. 6, are Webern's earlier works, that are more orchestrated compared to his later works.[5][6] The dancers are dressed in full 16th-century costumes.[7] The set features a black platform at the back of the stage, decorated with heraldic symbols, with a black box at the center.[8][9]

In 1980, Graham significantly revised the choreography, with more focus on the two queens, and Mary's three lovers removed. The solos were also rechoreographed.[10][11]

Paul Taylor in Episodes

The program only described Episodes II, "George Balanchine's section of the ballet refers to no story."[1] Balanchine later said that in choreographing Episodes II, he "had try to paint or design time with bodies in order to create a resemblance between the dance and what was going on in the sound."[12] He used four of Webern's later works, written after he began exploring serialism and inspired by Arnold Schoenberg's twelve-tone technique. Additionally, Balanchine used Webern's Ricercata, rearrangements of the ricercars in Bach's The Musical Offering.[1] The dancers are dressed in practice clothes, while the minimal set features four poles.[13]

Episodes II begins with Symphony, op. 21. It is danced by two lead dancers and three other couples.[12]| Balanchine described, "As the music starts, dryly and carefully. The boys touch the girls on the shoulder; they join hands then, pose briefly, and begin to move together. One couple leads the others but soon, just as the instrumentation shifts and develops, the other pairs react to the music differently. The dance is about the music, it is meant to look that way."[9]

The second part, set to Five Pieces, op. 10, is a pas de deux. Author Jennifer Homans described the two dancers "in total darkness, each under a separate spotlight... Their steps were hieratic, angular, with splayed, trapped movements and tangled deadweight arms, and they were engrossed with each other but disconnected, with a musical but no narrative arc.[13] At one point in this section, the man, as Homans described, lifts the woman "upside down on his back with her legs split like antler's horns around his head, which now seemed to emerge from her crotch."[13]

The third part, set to Concerto, op. 24, is also a pas de deux, with four women accompanying the two dancers. Balanchine described, "The boy moves the girl as the composer moves his instrument."[9] Allegra Kent, who originated the female role, called the section "a dance conversation," and the role "a continuation of his interest in the abstract use of the body and the man manipulating the woman."[14]

Variations, op. 30 is a solo that was originated by Graham dancer Paul Taylor, and excluded from most stagings of the ballet. The solo is danced barefoot, and has three sections. The first two feature the same choreography, albeit danced to different music and with different intentions.[15] Author Richard Buckle commented, "The white-clad dancer was called upon to clutch himself, wrap himself up and tie himself into such perverse knots that his number seemed almost a defiant demonstration by Balanchine that he could be as crazy as any 'modern' choreographer or dancer in existence."[16] Taylor described, "Each phrase is densely packed with complicated moves – knotted arrangements that, spatially, all stay in one small spot. Very few of them come from the traditional ballet vocabulary, and when they do, are usually reshaped into flex-footed versions or inverted."[17] Balanchine gave Taylor the imagery of a fly in a glass of milk, and Taylor in turn thought of a fly stuck in a "deadly vortex of its own making... an epigram about self-ordained patterns and death."[18]

The ballet ends with the Ricercata, danced by two principals and a corps de ballet of thirteen women.[16] Author Nancy Reynolds commented, "In contrapuntal manner, each dance movement – by a block of the ensemble or the soloists – is an equal component of the whole stage picture at any single moment. Most movements are brief, often using only one part of the body at a time. The groups move fugally, in imitation (more or less freely) of the restatements of the musical object."[19] Dance historian Angela Kane believed that Balanchine's choice of music for the closing section "was to highlight distinctions between past and present, both in terms of musical lineage from Bach's baroque style to Webern's progressive serialism, and also between Graham's historical 'fantasia' and Balanchine wanting to move forward choreographically."[20]

(Left to right) Anton Webern, Martha Graham and George Balanchine

Balanchine worked primarily in neoclassical ballet, and co-founded the New York City Ballet with Lincoln Kirstein in 1948. Meanwhile, Graham was a modern dance choreographer, and usually worked with her own company, the Martha Graham Dance Company, and had created the Graham technique.[21][22] Kirstein, also the general director of NYCB, often criticized modern dance, including a 1934 article in The New Republic, in which he attacked Graham. Despite his continued dislike of modern dance, he acknowledge in 1937 that he "was unequipped for her simplicity and self-blinded by her genuinely primitive expression."[23] A collaboration between Balanchine and Graham was first pitched by painter Pavel Tchelitchew in December 1935. He suggested to the two choreographers and Kirstein that they collaborate on "an evening's spectacle involving three archetypes: Don Juan, Don Quixote, Hamlet," while Graham would be the corresponding "feminine archetype." The idea never came to fruition.[24]

In the 1950s, Balanchine began listening to music by Anton Webern, after being introduced to his works by Igor Stravinsky.[25] Balanchine spoke about Webern's works[2]

Webern's orchestral music fills the air like molecules; it is written for atmosphere. The first time I heard it, I knew it could be danced to. It seemed to me like Mozart and Stravinsky, music that can be danced to because it leaves the mind free to see the dancing. In listening to composers like Beethoven and Brahms, every listener has his own ideas, paints his own picture of what the music represents. How can I, a choreographer, try to squeeze a dancing body into a picture that already exists in someone's mind? It simply won't work. But it will with Webern.

He had two ideas of using Webern's music for a ballet that were abandoned, before deciding to use all seven of Webern's orchestral compositions, which last under an hour together.[25] Kirstein then suggested having Graham contribute on the choreography.[25] Graham was approached about the ballet by Kirstein in January 1959, and he spoke about "key characters of feminine distinction" for her to dance. He thought about an interpretation of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, which Kirstein believed to carry the "essence of Martha's spirit." Graham, unable to respond to this but still interested in the collaboration, suggested Mary, Queen of Scots instead.[24] Graham dancer Linda Hodes recalled that Graham was hesitant about accepting the commission, but believed it was due to Graham's rejection of ballet traditions.[26] The title, Episodes, came from Tchelitchew's pitch.[24]

Though the ballet is conceived as a collaboration, the two choreographers mostly worked on their parts separately. Graham said, "Collaboration was really not the term."[27] Graham was set to choreograph the long opening and closing of the ballet, with Balanchine choreographing the rest. However, this plan "did not work out practically of theatrically," according to Graham. The two choreographed the two halves of the ballet instead, Episodes I by Graham and Episodes II by Balanchine.[4][28] Initially, Graham was to choreograph on her dancers then teach the ballet to NYCB dancers.[26][25] However, after Balanchine attended a Graham rehearsal, they clashed over what she had choreographed, with many instances of dancers on their knees and floorwork. It was then decided that the two choreographers would primarily worked with their respective companies, while at Kirstein's suggestion, incorporate each other's dancers in their halves.[lower-alpha 1][26][32][30]

The project was officially announced in late March, as part of NYCB's spring season that year. Cecil Beaton was first announced to be the designer of Graham's costumes, but NYCB costumer Karinska ultimately "designed and executed" costumes for the entire ballet, as credited in the program.[33] David Hays designed the set and lighting.[2] The legal contract for the co-production, signed less than a month before the premiere, stated Ballet Society owned "all rights to the use of the title" and exclusive rights to Graham's choreography for three years.[5][34]

In the lead-up to the premiere, the ballet drew significant media attention and was described as "historic", due to contributions from leading choreographers of two different genres of dance. Walter Terry wrote in the New York Herald Tribune, "whether it turns out to be a success or only a fascinating experiment is of historical significance." The London-based Dance and Dancers reported, "news of historical importance to the international dance field has been made."[6][35]

Graham was first assigned the score Passacaglia, op. 1. To understand it, she stayed in her studio and "played it and moved to it day after day after day",[30] occasionally calling a principal dancer in for private work, before she began working with the full company.[36] She studied Stefan Zweig and Raymond Preston's biographies on Mary, and was inspired by two poets, T. S. Eliot, whose poem East Coker referenced Mary, and Rainer Maria Rilke, who was Webern's favorite poet. Graham said she "found my articulation" from the two.[30] Later, Graham realized she needed more music, so Balanchine gave her Six Pieces, op. 6, which he had already begun choreographing.[37]

Graham also starred as Mary, with a stand-in in rehearsals.[38] Early in the creation process, she expected an NYCB dancer to perform the role.[30] Four NYCB dancers appeared alongside the Graham company, including Sallie Wilson, who originated the role of Elizabeth I, as well Kenneth Peterson, Bill Carter and Paul Nickel, who had smaller roles in the ballet.[30] Graham did not want to partner an NYCB dancer and cast Bertram Ross as Bothwell.[39] Wilson recalled that in rehearsals, Graham would stop rehearsals and let everyone meditate. Graham also explained the symbols in the choreography, "each thing was weighted carefully."[38] Graham initially gave Wilson ballet steps, despite knowing little about them. Wilson then asked Graham to give her modern dance steps. Though Graham was glad about this request, she remained unsure whether Wilson could dance it, and other dancers assisted Wilson. She said the result of her dancing in the manner of Graham was "marvelous." She added that the Graham dancers "were thrilled that I could actually move my back – they had expected a ramrod."[38] Graham created two versions of choreography for Wilson, one performed in the ballet's initial run in spring 1959, which Wilson thought was "less interesting", and another performed later that year, described as "much more in [Graham's] style, when she realized I could do more."[38]

Previously, Graham only worked with her own dancers and followed her own schedule. However, for Episodes, she did not have ultimate control over all elements. Instead, she had to follow Balanchine's concept and the NYCB mode of working, where multiple choreographers share rehearsal schedules.[40] She also clashed with Kirstein numerous times, especially regarding the designs of the ballet. NYCB was under union regulations and all costumes and sets must be made under legal contracts and at union shops, but Graham attempted to circumvent this.[41] Graham was more cordial with Balanchine, and found him "so wonderful to work with, considerate and concerned – a joy to be with."[42]

Only one Graham dancer worked with Balanchine, Paul Taylor. Taylor had some background in ballet, as he regularly took classes taught by Cecchetti disciple Margaret Craske during the 1950s.[43] Kirstein, keen to work with Taylor, had previously invited Taylor to work on two projects, one as a choreographer and one as a dancer, but neither came into fruition.[44] Balanchine was suffering from arthritis, and had difficulties demonstrating the steps to Taylor.[17] Taylor, who originated a long solo, found Balanchine's process "a complete switch" from Graham, "The speed and craft in which he works are astounding, the rehearsal time being used economically, none if it taken up by explanations of concepts, poetic imagery, or motivation."[17] Taylor was used to dancing Graham's plot-driven choreography, and initially struggled with Balanchine's more abstract concept. He also found the musicality and movement vocabulary to be more challenging than Graham's choreography.[17][45] Fearing he would forget the complex choreography, Taylor would go home immediately after each rehearsal to draw stick figures and write notes for himself.[46]

Prior to giving Six Pieces, op. 6 to Graham, Balanchine had spent four days choreographing to the score as a pas de deux for Diana Adams and Jacques d'Amboise, and nearly completed the pas de deux when Graham asked for more music. According to d'Amboise, Balanchine's vision of the pas de deux was "[a] version of first man and first woman," like Adam and Eve right after they ate the apple. Balanchine then made another pas de deux for Adams and d'Amboise, to Five Pieces, op. 10, and abandoned his original vision.[13][47]

After Taylor's solo was cut from the ballet in 1961, he offered to teach it to whomever Balanchine chose, though Balanchine never took up this offer.[55] It was not performed until 1986, three years after Balanchine's death, when Taylor reconstructed it for Peter Frame, then a soloist at the NYCB.[46][63] Taylor cast Frame after spotting him at a company class, which Taylor was invited to observe by co-ballet master in chief Peter Martins.[lower-alpha 2][46] As Taylor's performance had never been filmed or notated, he relied on his notes and photographs to teach the solo to Frame.[46] Taylor removed knee works that would be dangerous to Frame's ballet-trained body.[15] Frame continued to perform the solo until 1989, a year before his retirement.[64]

In 2014, when the Miami City Ballet performed Episodes, Taylor's solo was included. Frame taught the solo to the company's dancers,[58][65] based on an archival video of him dancing the solo in 1989, though he did not let the dancers watch the video, and only showed them photographs of Taylor.[15] Jovani Furlan danced it on opening night.[58]

In 2020, NYCB performed the solo again.[15] It was alternated between Furlan, who had since joined NYCB, and Michael Trusnovec, a former Paul Taylor Dance Company member who performed as a guest artist. As both Taylor and Frame died in 2018, Furlan taught the solo to Trusnovec.[15] The two watched videos of Frame dancing the solo in both 1986 and 1989, and found significant differences on the choreography between the two videos. Believing that the 1986 version is closer to the original, they restored some steps back to the solo.[15] NYCB excluded the solo from the ballet again in 2022.[66]

• Balanchine, George; Mason, Francis (1977). Balanchine's Complete Stories of the Great Ballets. ISBN 9780385113816.
• Buckle, Richard (1988). George Balanchine: Ballet Master : a Biography. ISBN 9780241121801.
• Kane, Angela (2007). ""Episodes" (1959): Entente Cordiale?". Dance Research: The Journal of the Society for Dance Research. 25 (1): 4–25. doi:10.3366/dar.2007.0020. S2CID 194106172.
• McDonagh, Don (1974). Martha Graham: a biography. ISBN 9780715367162.
• Reynolds, Nancy (1977). Repertory in Review: 40 Years of the New York City Ballet. ISBN 9780803773684.
• Stodelle, Ernestine (1984). Deep Song: The Dance Story of Martha Graham. ISBN 9780028725208.
• Taylor, Paul (1999). Private Domain: An Autobiography. ISBN 9780822956990.
• Tracy, Robert (1997). Goddess: Martha Graham's Dancers Remember. ISBN 9780879100865.