Our story begins...
The following Synopsis
is just like kind you read
at a performance.
It is a summary of the story.
---
Nuances are thoroughly detailed in the timed Narration (picture).
Except for the sampling shown in the
Ballet Preview, the text of the Narration is not
displayed on this website.
---
If pictures are still loading,
use the scroll bar.
The Ballet Story
Synopsis
Writing & Art
Rebecca Alzofon
Music
The Creatures of Prometheus op. 43
Ludwig van Beethoven
Choreography, Sets, Costumes and Lighting
Rebecca
Alzofon...
...in collaboration with your imagination
Original ballet concept copyright 1992 by Rebecca
Alzofon. All rights reserved.
WWW production copyright
Act I
ur story begins in a place where
there is little left from the Early Time.
It is dawn in an upper middle class American
town surrounded by other urban townships.
Everywhere, there is asphalt and stucco. The
scent of exhaust permeates the air. Commuter
traffic clogs streets once designed for another
way of life. Children dressed in designer
sportswear are dropped off at school.
Businessmen and -women, making important
phone calls, are rushing to the office: It's just
another day.
But within this town there is a very special
place - an almost forgotten place. Right in the
center of this town there is a sanctuary. Here,
there is a spacious and graceful woodland.
Wild creatures populate the land in healthy
numbers. Daffodils dot the vast fields in spring.
In winter, dewy meadows glisten in cool
daylight. Lush patches of tender miner's lettuce
pad the forest floor. The air is sweet with the
scent of wild vegetation, and sometimes, on
special mornings, a gentle mist nestles low
over the fields.
Here too, it is just another day. It is a bustling
wood, full of harmony, where like in town,
we find life's joys and challenges played out.
The birds and other animals of the land arise,
bathe and tend to their work. Dangers lurk in
some corners; but with the watchful care of
parents and friends, the creatures maintain
their safety. They endeavor to work and play,
to eat and sleep, and to mate and raise their
young and keep out of danger's way.
There is something else about this place: It is
filled with spirits. Because the human Stewards
of the spiritual life guarded the sanctuary since
the Early Time, there still thrives within,
a great community of rare nymphs, sylphs and
gnomes. In all their variety, they still appear
here in ancient procession. It is a great privilege
to witness their dance, and hear their song,
unchanged from the beginning of Time.
To think that we can still enjoy their delicate
beauty, the same celebrated by the ancient
Greeks! But only by the careful observer can
they be seen.
For the most part, the town's people hardly
notice the forest setting side by side with them.
Giving hardly a glance, they pass it daily. But
unbeknownst to them, its good spirits have
infiltrated their lives and give them solace just
by being there.
... And so it is that our first hero enters and
discovers the beauty of the ancient oak forest
whose spirits capture his heart and change his
life forever. When he fears they might leave
him, he is reassured by each of the spirits in a
touching ceremonial promise of eternal love.
See & Read this scene at the Paris Opera, Opening
Night.
Act II
We return to our hero in the woods where he is
joined by friends, and in the company of forest
nymphs, they joyously dance and play. Just
then, three figures approach. Our hero and his
friends hide to witness the beginning of a
terrible turn of events. Aghast, they watch the
developer's assistant stake and mark, while
nymphs writhe in shock and terror. Dragging at
his fine tailored suit, more nymphs are unfelt by
the developer as he discusses sewer lines and
utility poles. The Head Steward averts his eyes
in painful shame, shunning desperate nymphs'
offerings and pleas. As the only witness to their
betrayal, our first hero vows to stop the plan to
pave the ancient forest.
In town, and under the concerned watch of
sylphs, the plan to save the last piece of Nature
is quickly complicated by special interests.
Bickering and posturing destroy unity, while
desperate fear of losing the land leads the
community headlong into muddy bogs of
political red tape. When the time finally comes
for the public to speak at the City Council
Chambers, they discover hanky-panky between
the developer and the planning commission.
Outraged, the people realize their battle cannot
be won by popular sentiment. It seems the only
issue is who controls the purse strings.
Act III
easons pass. The battle to save the
land remains at a shaky standoff. The land, still
unchanged, continues to support wildlife and
sometimes the spirits forget their woes long
enough to enjoy their ancient dances in the
company of townspeople. One dance is
interrupted by a contingent from town who offer
part of the land in appeasement. But this turns
out to be an insulting snippet, flouting the
community's intent to save all the land. In
another outdoor dance, the townspeople are
galvanized by the words of a new hero. And
meantime a politician from across town converts
to a conservationist stance - but are his reasons
pure?
Failed efforts to stop the development lead to
what may be our nymphs' final day on earth.
The money never materialized. The Stewards
never considered alternate possibilities. Now the
bulldozers are poised. Stripped of all power but
sheer human feeling, the townspeople position
themselves to resist. Inconsolable, the forest
spirits say their goodbyes and prepare for death.
In the end, who will win: the forces of money or
the power of love for a beautiful haven from the
Early Time?
The End
Has this ballet been proposed to anyone yet?
More from the book reading experience:
Opening
As the winds blow over
town...
Tribute
For my father, who understands
Prelude Story
This day, in this land...
Letter
Dear [Artistic Director]...
Return to Entry Page for Ballet Proposal
Also in the Idea Library:
What's New? |
Shortcut
Entrances: | Studio
| Alzofon Art Institute | Guest
Wing, Link Room | Idea
Library | Academy |
Rebecca Alzofon can be e-mailed at rebecca@art.net
This page created: August 19, 1996