Bringing it back: Nijinsky’s RITE tonight

A Joffrey Ballet dancer in Vaslav Nijinsky’s THE RITE OF SPRING, as reconstructed by Millicent Hodson and Kenneth Archer. Photo courtesy CPA.

Tonight and tomorrow the fabulous Joffrey Ballet will perform in UNC’s Memorial Hall, in one of the most eagerly-awaited programs of Carolina Performing Arts’ year-long investigation of Igor Stravinsky’s THE RITE OF SPRING, its offshoots and permutations. The Joffrey will dance Millicent Hodson and Kenneth Archer’s reconstruction of Vaslav Nijinsky’s ballet that made folks go crazy when the music and dance premiered simultaneously in Paris 100 years ago.

Hodson spoke at UNC’s excellent academic conference on THE RITE last fall, and she was super. She had the crowd on its feet, attempting to follow her through the complex rhythms of the music, and in the process, made its powerful construction both clearer and more astounding. Now she’s back, with reconstruction partner Archer, and they will present the “Program Notes Live” before the performances on the 23 and 24. The FREE talks take place in the Historic Playmakers Theatre an hour before performance time in Memorial Hall, and would be well worth attending, even if you are not seeing the dance. See the CPA site for more info.