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Theme and Variations For Harp and Dancers

Act I:: Smooth Moves 2010: Theme and Variations for Harp and Dancers (Premiere)

www.arizonaballettheatre.com

 

Choreographer: Norman Walker

Music: Reinhold Glière

Arizona Ballet Theatre's Performance, June 5th, 2010, onstage at The Stevie Eller Dance Theatre on the University of Arizona's campus in Tucson

Photographer: Charles (Chic) Bressel

Theme and Variations For Beautiful Young Ballerinas - IMG_1737_2_2

 

Norman Walker, a native New Yorker, retired to Tucson in May 2004, and is happily teaching and choreographing for the most advanced dancers at

Arizona Ballet Theatre.

 

For years, Norman Walker was a dancer with the May O'Donnell Dance Company in New York City. It was an enviable position. O'Donnell, a leader in early modern dance, had been a student of the influential Hanya Holm and later danced with Martha Graham and José Limón. In 1949, Holm started her own company, where Walker rose from beginner to principal dancer. It was a glorious period for Modern Dance.

 

Mister Walker then performed with and choreographed for numerous companies in diverse styles.

He devoted a full decade to his own company, Norman Walker and Dancers. This led to the long association with the legendary Jacob's Pillow. dance establishment in the Bershires of Massachusetts.

 

Norman Walker and Dancers performed at Jacobs Pillow through most of the 60s and early 70s along with many of the other ballet and modern dance greats. (Careful search of Jacob's Pillow archives reveals Norman Walker and Dancers performed at Jacob's Pillow during the years 1961, '62,'63, '65, '66, '67, '68, '69 and '71.) From 1975 through 1979, he had a successful term as Director of the Jacob's Pillow Dance Program. Mr. Walker has choreographed over 210 pieces ranging from modern solos to full-length ballets for companies all over the world. While modern dance is his first love, Mr. Walker's interest is in good dance, in any form it may take.

 

Norman Walker, is a former Director of Theatre Arts, Adelphi University. Norman had started there as Director of the Dance Department, and was quickly appointed head of all the Theatre Arts Programs at Adelphi.

 

A Renaissance man, Mr. Walker continues to teach, choreograph, perform character parts, and even design his own costumes and sets. He has also directed plays and operas. We are thrilled that he has become a major presence on our staff. His ballet and modern choreography for our performances, such as "Cinderella" in 2006, has been magnificent. Norman Walker's Modern Dance Classes at Arizona Ballet Theatre Studios are always met with great enthusiasm from our dancers. (They can often be seen practicing his choreography before ballet classes.) We look forward to seeing what he does next!

 

Mr Walker finds time to continue his association with

The Central Ballet of China - also known as The National Ballet of China - was on a 10-week tour of the United States.

 

The review in the NY Times describes at some length the premiere of "Before the Wedding Chamber," a duet by "the American choreographer Norman Walker", as well as mentioning "New Year's Sacrifice," a dramatic work on a Chinese theme that the company presented in 1986."

Here we see The National Ballet of China performing Norman Walker's work...

 

And, here they are featured in a performance at the University of California at Berkeley.

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Here are my tools for this theatre set:

Camera: Canon EOS 30D

Exposure: 0.01 sec (1/100)

Aperture: f/4.5

Focal Length: 56 mm

ISO Speed: 1600

Lens Model: Canon EF28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM

 

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Uploaded on June 25, 2010
Taken on June 5, 2010