December 4, 2007

Posted December 04, 2007

Luminato 2008 is proud to present the Toronto premiere of the Alberta Ballet's The Fiddle and the Drum, a contemporary dance work inspired by the music of Joni Mitchell and choreographed by Alberta Ballet's Artistic Director Jean Grand-Mantre.

Presented in partnership with The National Ballet of Canada, The Fiddle and the Drum will be mounted for 10 performances at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts.

The Fiddle and the Drum, a semi-abstract narrative ballet danced in neo-classical style, is performed to an hour of Mitchell's compelling music and her latest artworks, which are projected on three large canvas screens behind the dancers throughout the ballet. Alberta Ballets 26 dancers merge through powerful and sensual movements with Joni Mitchell's eclectic sound and visual art and create a contemporary fusion of art forms that awaken and stir the soul.

The piece also speaks volumes about Joni Mitchell's life-long concerns about environmental neglect and the warring nature of mankind. As an artist creating today, quite frankly, I can see no other subject matter that is of more importance now. We need people to awaken to this reality, says Ms. Mitchell.

The Fiddle and the Drum will be performed in a program that includes Harald Landers virtuoso piece Etudes and William Forsythes provocative the second detail.