artistic director: Jean Grand-Maître
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Ballet Production an Artistic Adventure
By Stephanie Classen, Saskatoon StarPhoenix
January 21, 2009
When Alberta Ballet artistic director Jean Grand-Maitre approached legendary songwriter Joni Mitchell about working on a ballet, he had no idea the adventure he was about to embark on.
"Joni's a very intense artist. She's always been in the entertainment industry for what she calls the artistic adventure, not so much for all the hoopla that goes with pop music," he said.
The pair spent eight months in 2006 crafting The Fiddle and the Drum, a ballet inspired by the themes of environmental neglect and the warring nature of humankind, mainstays in Mitchell's body of work.
For Mitchell, this new artistic expression continued in her risk-taking tradition. For Grand-Maitre, a long-time choreographer, the collaboration reminded him of why he became an artist in the first place.
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