Company Repertory

Page last updated: 01/21/03

Equilibrium (2002) A Kafkaesque solo for Peter Boal to an original cello composition by Eddie Guttman. World premiere of both choreography and music at Dance as Ever's October 2002 concerts.

Rideau (2002) A quartet set in a magical and sensuous curtained landscape to Debussy's urbane sonata for flute, viola and harp.

Gavotte (2002) Set to the music of Jean-Philippe Rameau, this modern-day gavotte is set in motion by the action that is the conclusion of the historical form of the dance -- the man kissing the woman's hand. Originally created for the Louisville Ballet's 2002 Choreographer's Showcase.

Midare (2001) A spare, elegant solo for Peter Boal to traditional Japanese Koto music by Yatsuhashi Kengyo. It was so beautiful that members of the audience were actually gasping and sighing throughout the performance. (Lisa Jo Sagolla, Backstage)

Green (2001) an aqueous quartet to Romantic-era music by Franz Berwald...lovely and lyrical, features dazzling partnerwork, amusing Balanchine references and attractive dancing (Lisa Jo Sagolla, Backstage) and radiates a loving, knowledgeable fan's appreciation of style. (Jennifer Dunning, The New York Times)

Duet (2001) An abstract, courtly dance for two men to Jean-Philippe Rameau.

Quodlibet (2000) A pure, classical quintet that is a classical exercise with an elegant grace to music by Mozart and Weyse. (Mary Cargill, Dance View)

Summer Dance (2000) A female trio evoking the atmosphere of a northern summer day in the mountains near a lake.

A Shropshire Lad (2000) Created by Mr. Witchel for New York City Ballet principal dancer Peter Boal, the solo emphasized Mr. Boal's quiet intensity and his ability to hold attention with even a simple walk. (Jack Anderson, The New York Times) A most evocative new solo. . .Witchel has seized on Peter Boal's power to express in classical dancing and gesture a completely new world. (Francis Mason, WQXR) An extraordinarily moving piece. (Mary Cargill, Dance View)

The Elevator (2000) A Ballet-Vaudeville in the tradition of Jerome Robbin's The Concert. The Elevator pokes affectionate fun at some of the world's most beloved choreography by transporting it to a crowded elevator. An hilarious new ballet . . .You have to see it to believe it. (Francis Mason, WQXR) 'The Elevator' was a complete change of pace, a very funny finale which combined elevator music with parodies of classical dancing (Mary Cargill, Dance View)

Scherzo Fantastique (1999, second version) - Entirely new choreography to the same music used in 1995, the current version is a beautiful, fragile and strange waltz for a trio of women. Witchel is one of the few new choreographers I have seen who can create personality through steps. (Mary Cargill, Dance View)

Aubade (1999) Created by Mr. Witchel for New York City Ballet principal dancer Charles Askegard who danced superbly this brilliant, longing solo. (Francis Mason, WQXR). Witchel has created a short, virtuosic ballet that is both extremely musical and pure in a classical, structural sense. (Gia Kourlas, Time Out/New York)

Armature (1999) a quintet that examines the structure and anatomy of ballet. The more deeply one is in love with the nuts and bolts of the classical vocabulary, the more passionately one responds to "Armature." (Lisa Jo Sagolla, Backstage) "Armature" looks back to an old time kind of ballet that's not possessed by razzmatazz; it wants to show us ease, fluency and softness with no hard corners. (Frances Mason, WQXR) In The New York Times, Jack Anderson wrote regarding the composition of Armature, "Such a structure could inspire some choreographers to make desperate efforts to seem ingenious. But Mr. Witchel never forced effects in his ballet."

Reger-Mozart Variations (1998) - A lyrical work for three couples to Reger's score, beginning with a tender pas de deux done by all the couples in unison and ending with a long, intricate double fugue.

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Shasta Cola and Amy Rodgers in Runway. Photo by Steven Ashmore

Word Become Flesh (1996) - To music by Perotinus Magnus, a quartet for women that deals with the questions of sensuality and spirituality.

Les Noces (1996) - To the great Stravinsky score, Mr. Witchel examines commitment and marriage, creating a ritual for our time. [Witchel's] new Les Noces places Stravinsky's ritual in a . . . collective where personal liberty has been refined to poignant rumor. - (Don Daniels, Ballet Review)

Scherzo Fantastique (1995) - To Josef Suk's music of the same title, this work for three couples explores the intoxication of the fin de siècle and the waltz.

Gavotte (1995) - A trio for women to Rameau's Gavotte and Six Doubles, this complex and complicated work sets up its own emotional atmosphere within its technical demands.

Sauve qui Peut: Every Man for Himself (1995) - To Martinu's Concerto for Two String Orchestras, Piano & Tympani, this quintet for men deals with the tension and isolation of five men, and with homosexuality, the fear of one's own, and the fear of other's sexuality. There is a vivid dance poetry in 'Sauve Qui Peut.' - (Don Daniels, Ballet Review)

Illyria (1995) - To music by J.C.F. Bach, this is a charming and ingenious work for four couples.

we could go on like this all night (1994) - To the haunting second movement of Brahms' Sextet Op. 18, a most remarkable, exquisitely danced pas de deux. (Bert Wechsler, Attitude Magazine.)

Madrigaux (1994) - To madrigals by Josquin Desprez, Clement Jannequin and other French composers of the 15th century, the work is a series of linked episodes comprising the portrait of a community.

Field (1994) - To the A Major Keyboard concerto by Bach, this work expands the pastoral vein Mr. Witchel had worked with in Equivalent Graces.

Horizon (1993) To Bach's Keyboard Concerto No. 1 in D Minor, this is a smartly choreographed neo-classical work (Lisa Jo Sagolla, Backstage) for three couples.

A Waltz Remembered (1993) - A romantic pas de deux to the second movement of Sibelius' Symphony Number 3.

Three Movements (1993) - For three men, a short modern work to Schoenberg's Serenade, Op. 24, movements 1, 4 and 6.

Equivalent Graces (1993) - Also for two men, and three women, this sweetly lyrical piece to the fourth guitar quintet by Luigi Boccherini looks at friendship and companionship in an outdoor setting.

Rondo For Five (1991) danced to Mozart . . .a well plotted quintet that made use of traditional ballet steps and patterning (Jennifer Dunning, The New York Times)

Dancers: Jennifer Rondinelli, Molly Daly, David Pittenger;
photo by Jack Deaso

If you've never gotten to see Dance as Ever, and would be curious to see what all the fuss is, we have a limited number of videotapes available. They are professionally shot and edited (NTSC video format). Tapes of our 1996, 1999, 2000 and 2001 concerts are currently available, at a cost of $25 each, which includes shipping within the U.S. Our 2002 video wil be available in mid-2003.

2002 (available in mid-2003)

• Word Become Flesh
• Gavotte
• Equilibrium
• Rideau

2001

• Scherzo Fantastique
• Duet
• Midare
• Green

2000

• Quodlibet
• Summer Dance
• A Shropshire Lad
• The Elevator

1999

• Armature
• Aubade
• Scherzo Fantastique
• Horizon

1996

• Word Become Flesh
• Sauve Qui Peut: Every Man for Himself
• Les Noces

• $1 - Canada
• $3 - Mexico
• $7 - all other countries

Att: Leigh Witchel
Dance as Ever, Inc.
36 West 44^th Street, 707
New York, NY 10036
 

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