Emily Dickinson, step-by-step
A new ballet tells the story of Amherst's famous poet
Thursday, May 14, 2009
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It almost goes without saying: The inspiration for Amherst Ballet's new, original production, "Emily of Amherst," based on the life of poet Emily Dickinson, came from one of her poems.
The poem reads, in part:
I CANNOT dance upon my Toes -
No Man instructed me -
But oftentimes, among my mind,
A Glee possesseth me,
That had I Ballet knowledge -
Would put itself abroad
In Pirouette to blanch a Troupe -
Or lay a Prima, mad,
It is just one of the 1,800 poems Dickinson wrote in her lifetime; fewer than a dozen of which were published before her death.
"It was the germ of an idea," said Jane Wald, who first presented the idea of creating the ballet to Catherine Fair, the executive director of Amherst Ballet. Wald is the executive director of the Emily Dickinson Museum, located at 280 Main St. in Amherst, which includes The Homestead, the house where Dickinson was born in 1830, and spent much of her life.
"Her poetry has been interpreted in ballet, choreography, but her life - not really," Wald said.
The museum, which operates under the auspices of Amherst College, also includes The Evergreens, the house next door to The Homestead in which Dickinson's brother, Austin Dickinson, lived with his wife.
The ballet's beginning
It was about four years ago that Wald first broached the idea of creating the ballet with Fair. Wald's daughter, Marianne Wald, now 17, is a student at Amherst Ballet. That conversation with Fair eventually proved to be the catalyst for the new production about the life and work of poet Emily Dickinson that will premiere Friday, Saturday and Sunday at Kirby Theater on the Amherst College campus.
"It was an intriguing idea, and intriguing challenge," said Fair, who has created much of the choreography for the four-act ballet. "We are the first people we know of to create a biographical ballet depicting, in dance, the life of Emily Dickinson."
Part of Amherst's observance of its 250th anniversary, the production is meant to create new and renewed interest in Dickinson's work by familiarizing audiences with her daily life in Amherst, as well as her impact on readers and writers throughout the world, according to Fair. The ballet premieres on Friday, the 123rd anniversary of Dickinson's death - on May 15, 1886 - at the age of 55.
As Fair points out, it is no small task to mount a full-length ballet; in addition to creating much of the movement herself, she hired other choreographers to contribute to the work, as well as a composer (Ted Trobaugh of Amherst), set and lighting designers (Barry Magnani of Amherst and Gerald Stockman of Brattleboro, Vt., respectively) and a costumer (Sueann Townsend of Amherst). Fair and the Amherst Ballet faculty double-cast - that is, different casts will perform on different days - most of the roles and held multiple rehearsals over many, many months to ready the work for Friday's opening.
But long before that, Fair and Wald worked together for years, researching Dickinson, her life in Amherst, her family and friends, and her copious writings. Wald, the historian, poured over Dickinson's letters and poems, passing many along to Fair, the production's director. She perused them as she created the libretto for the ballet.
"This has been an Emily education, a fascinating eye-opener," Fair said. "I've been like a child in a candy store; I wanted to include everything."
In the end, Fair says, she and Wald decided together on what would be portrayed in the ballet, including scenes of the former Amherst Academy, which Dickinson attended between the ages of 10 and 16, before entering South Hadley's Mount Holyoke Female Seminary (now Mount Holyoke College) in 1847.
The ballet also took its lead from Dickinson's close observation of the natural world, her early social flair and her increasing reclusiveness, as well as the impact of her observations as a child and young woman of burials in West Cemetery on Triangle Street - including those of several friends and relatives. All were depicted in her poems and letters and have been woven into the ballet, as have references to Poetry in Motion - a secret society of young women, to which Dickinson belonged, that got together from time to time for impromptu dancing, something that was generally frowned upon. The group sometimes met in Dickinson's home when her parents were away, rolling up the rug and dancing in the parlor.
"There are certain important pieces one needs to tease out and, Jane gave me a lot of guidance," Fair said.
The ballet is populated with people who figured in Dickinson's life: Emily's mother, Emily Norcross Dickinson, and father, Edward Dickinson; her younger sister, Lavinia, and older brother, Austin; her Amherst Academy headmaster, Leonard Humphrey; and her good friend Susan Gilbert, who later became her sister-in-law when she married Dickinson's brother.
"It's been fabulously exciting to take Emily Dickinson's life and tie it all together in a way that's riveting," Fair said.
Dressed to dance
Since its founding in 1971 by Therese Donohue, the directors of Amherst Ballet have gone to great lengths to create intricate and stunning costumes for all their performances. Dressing the dancers in "Emily of Amherst" fell largely to faculty member Townsend, an accomplished costume designer, and a cadre of parent volunteers.
Townsend says she first learned to make ballet costumes as a scholarship student at the Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan, where she studied ballet as a work-study student. At first, the school placed her in the kitchen - which Townsend says she didn't much like. The only other option, school officials told her, was to work in the costume shop.
"I'll learn to sew," she told them. Her first job: making 25 classical tutus.
The challenge with "Emily of Amherst," Fair says, was to create costuming that was consistent with the period's somewhat-restrictive clothing style, while ensuring that the dancers had full range of movement for the dance. That includes the famous white dress worn by Dickinson that is now on view at the Amherst History Museum. A replica of the dress is on display at the Emily Dickinson Museum and has been recreated for the ballet.
"We examined that very closely to replicate it in a way that could be danceable," Wald said.
Townsend figured out ways to add extra material to the skirts to accommodate high leg extensions while maintaining an authentic look. Also, using a costumer's trick, she sewed dress sleeves to stretchy T-shirts that are worn under dress bodices so dancers can move their arms freely.
"The pieces have been made so they have the look and line of the period," Fair said. "You wouldn't know the fabric has all those folds."
To get ready for tomorrow's opening, Townsend and her crew of volunteers that includes Heidi Stemple, Karen Schwartz and Linda Ho, have held several open sewing workshops at the studio over the past month, during which volunteers have made petticoats, skirts, underbodices, overbodices - nearly everything needed for the cast of 70 dancers. Some tuxedos and a woman's wrap were borrowed from the Valley Light Opera, Stemple says, but nearly everything else has been built from scratch or "pieced together."
"It's been a real Amherst Ballet-community project," Stemple said.
The music
Composer Ted Trobaugh first offered his services to Fair several years ago. A classically trained musician, he composes music for small films and commercial videos.
"Three years ago, I said, 'I'm here, if you want music,' " Trobaugh said in an interview last week.
It wasn't too long before Fair took him up on his offer - asking him to compose the music for "Emily of Amherst."
--Listen to selections from Ted Trobaugh's compositions for "Emily of Amherst":
"Emily and the Visitor"
Other selections can be heard streaming at Trobaugh's web site, Dolce Music.
"Very early on, we decided we needed something to root it [the music] in the time period," Trobaugh said. To that end, he got his musical inspiration from "The Syracuse Polka" by J.A. Fowler, using it as the core for his composition; it was piano music known to have been on Emily Dickinson's piano, he says.
"Much [of the music] is based on that piece, but I really stretched it," Trobaugh said. "It's clearly contemporary but rooted in the music of the time. It's not a mimic of the music; much like a clay pot that's still wet; I could mold, pull and stretch and modify it greatly."
Over several months, Trobaugh and Fair collaborated frequently, often during early-morning, coffee-infused meetings, during which, he says, Fair repeatedly asked for modifications. But, he insists, "That's been a big part of the fun."
"I like the collaborative process of talking with Catherine," Trobaugh said. "She described the scenes, the relationships, then, based on that conversation, I created the music that conveyed and supported the message she wants to portray. ... The music supports, emphasizes, clarifies the emotion and drama in the work."
Trobaugh called upon some modern technology - and just a handful of musicians - to create the sound of a full orchestra. Each musician played several of the parts and by overdubbing, using a computer, he says, he was able to create "the illusion of a full orchestra," which he has recorded for the show.
A 'daunting' responsibility
With a budget of just over $51,000 to fully mount the ballet, funding for the project has come in part from a $1,500 grant from the Amherst Cultural Council, sponsorship by Florence Savings Bank and WFCR radio and donations from individuals and businesses. The remainder will come from ticket sales, Fair said.
In addition to Fair's choreography, Sam Kenny, a former Amherst Ballet faculty member and now a professor of dance at the State University of New York, Fredonia, and Townsend, who joined the Amherst Ballet faculty in the fall, have contributed to the work.
Although Fair has directed other big ballets in Amherst, including "Ballet Stories" and "The Magician's Nephew," the prospect of creating and producing "Emily of Amherst" was "initially daunting," Fair says.
"It is a tremendous responsibility ... but it's been so fun," Fair said. "Emily Dickinson - the more you explore her, the more tremendous admiration and respect you have for her. The collaborating has been fabulous, now we're seeing it come together."
*****
About this performance
WHAT: Amherst Ballet's "Emily of Amherst"
WHEN: Friday at 7 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday at 2 and 7 p.m.
WHERE: Kirby Theater, Amherst College
COST: $18 for adults, $16 for seniors, $12 for children. To order, visit Amherst Ballet's Web site, www.amherstballet.org or send an email to info@amherstballet.org.
MORE INFO: Amherst Ballet and the Emily Dickinson Museum are offering hands-on classroom experiences for students in Amherst public schools. In addition, a shortened version of the ballet and an informal talk about Dickinson will be offered to Amherst public school students on Friday at 9:15 and 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Cost: $6 per student. Space is still available.
The ballet is part of the museum's "The Big Read: The Poetry of Emily Dickinson," a pilot initiative created by the National Endowment of the Arts in partnership with the Poetry Foundation to celebrate American poets and the nation's historic poetry locales.
Also, an afternoon tea will be held Sunday from 4:30 to 6 p.m. at the Emily Dickinson Homestead, 280 Main St., Amherst. Entertainment will include music by harpist Barbara Russell and a poetry recitation by local author Jane Yolen. Tickets cost $30 for adults; $20 for students ages 10 to 18. Pre-registration is required. For information on any of these programs, call 549-1555 or send an email to info@amherstballet.org.
Kathleen Mellen can be reached at kmellen@gazettenet.com.
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