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Mitchell Using the Arts to Address Global Concerns

By Kelly-Anne Riess, Regina Leader-Post
January 15, 2009

Approaching Joni Mitchell to collaborate on a project takes courage, especially when one doesn't have much in the way of money to offer.

Luckily for the Alberta Ballet, Mitchell is more interested in artistic achievement than financial reward.

Mitchell and the ballet's artistic director and choreographer, Jean Grand-Maitre, created The Fiddle and The Drum for the company's 40th anniversary.

"We wanted to do something special, and my friend suggested Joni Mitchell because she was born in Alberta and grew up in Saskatchewan," said Grand-Maitre.

When he initially sent the proposed project to Mitchell's agent, he suggested the ballet should be about her life.

But Mitchell threw the idea out after Grand-Maitre flew to meet with her in Los Angeles.

"She said, 'I'm not interested in a ballet about my life when we're in a red-alert situation with the environment and with all these fairy-tale wars going on. We should be focusing our energy on saving the planet,' " said Grand-Maitre. "When you're working with Joni, you say, 'I'll follow your lead.' "

The work that resulted is a neo-classical ballet about Mitchell's concerns about environmental neglect and the combative nature of mankind, particularly the conflict in the Middle East.

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