Follow Us

Second Fiddle: Joni Mitchell revisits her ballet

The Fiddle and the Drum, her one-act collaboration with Alberta Ballet, has grown into a full production

By Salena Kitteringham
February 19, 2009

Alberta Ballet choreographer Jean Grand-Maitre loved Joni Mitchell's one-act ballet The Fiddle and the Drum when it first hit the stage two years ago -- but there was one problem.

"Once we completed the short version and the reaction was so positive -- not just in Alberta or in Canada, but internationally -- I said to her (Mitchell), 'It goes by in the bat of an eyelash.' It could easily withstand four more songs or 20 more minutes of choreography. And we could put an intermission in somewhere in the middle to give the dancers a break, because it's so physically demanding."

The legendary singer-songwriter was game. As Grand-Maitre puts it, "there's a lot more that she wanted to say."

To read the full preview, click here.
http://www.edmontonjournal.com/entertainment/Second+Fiddle+Joni+Mitchell+revisits+ballet/1305372/story.html

 

© Copyright Edmonton Journal