WATER (2024)

WATER (Section 1) NYC PREMIERE
FIRE (Section 2) WORLD PREMIERE

Choreography: Alison Cook-Beatty
Music: John Adams Harmonium,
(for large orchestra and chorus): Part 2- Because I Could Not Stop For Death- Wild Nights, John Adams, Edo de Waart, San Francisco Symphony, Vance George, San Francisco Symphony Chorus

Inspired by “Wild Nights” 1861 poem by Emily Dickenson
Wild nights Wild nights
Were I with thee,
Wild nights should be
Our Luxury!

Futile the winds
To a heart in port, —
Done with the compass,
Done with the chart.

Rowing in Eden!
Ah! The sea!
Might I but moor
To-night in thee!

This work was developed in residence at Kaatsbaan Cultural Park Weekend Residency in NY in April 2024 and continued to be developed at Windhover Performing Arts Center in Rockport, MA where this section premiered.

WATER” is a dynamic and visceral exploration of the fluidity and power of water, inspired during the development stage by Emily Dickinson’s evocative poem “Wild Nights.” While the poem informs the creative process, it is not directly incorporated into the piece itself. With a cast of six dancers, and guided by choreographic dramaturg Erika Batdorf during our residency at Kaatsbaan in 2024, Alison Cook-Beatty developed a deeper understanding of movement and expression, choreographing a work that speaks to connections and tensions in human interactions. The music of John Adams’ Harmonium drives the work, enhancing its emotional depth with sweeping orchestrations and choral textures. Through dynamic formations and intricate partnering, “WATER” visually represents currents, swells, and stillness. This captivating journey immerses viewers in the beauty and intensity of life through the lens of nature’s most powerful element, capturing longing, connection, and the relentless passage of time.