![]() Counting it out was important, and quite impossible at times, but it was necessary so they could learn to dance in the pocket of the rhythm instead of through the music – that is, to dance on top of the beat. She is soon joined by the other dancers who equally have trouble sitting still.ĭancing en pointe in exact rhythm can be very difficult for some classical dancers. She looks around once more, does a take downstage and smiles a big smile, a move matched by the triangle, and then she’s off! She begins dancing to “Blue Rondo à la Turk” with quick footwork and splendid musicality. Still bored, taps her hands on her thighs, the movement mimicked by the snare drum. She has been told to “take five.” The sound of her fingers rolling on the deck are mimicked by the drummer on a wood block. She raps her fingers on the floor, looking bored. The lights come up on a ballerina (Noelani Pantastico) sitting on the stage. Unless you put food in front of an artist, they won’t stop. That was the essence of how I found my way into the piece. Or an artist starts doodling on another piece of paper. Or a dancer starts practicing another step. Many times, I have told a band to stop playing, and, inevitably, the pianist starts noodling some other tune. And while that might be true in the world outside of the arts, artists never really “take five” – they are always thinking, always moving, always playing. It asks you to stop working and relax for a bit. The phrase “take five” has always interested me. “Take Five”, “Blue Rondo à la Turk”, and “Strange Meadow Lark” – you couldn’t get more entertaining than that! Here was my opportunity to finally choreograph to those Dave Brubeck songs I loved so much. Right away I accepted and said I would have a think about the music. I knew PNB had a wonderful reputation for top-notch dancers, and I also knew Peter was doing a magnificent job running the company. He was commissioning choreographers to create an evening of spirited, witty pieces designed to entertain. Peter was putting together the program for PNB’s “Laugh Out Loud!” Festival. I received a call from the incomparable Peter Boal, former principal dancer with New York City Ballet who had been recently appointed as Artistic Director of Pacific Northwest Ballet. This music was a big part of my life growing up, and now, hardly a day goes by when I don’t listen to jazz. Other songs on that album I adored were “Blue Rondo à la Turk”, which has an unusual rhythm that consists of three measures of 2+2+2+3 and one measure of 3+3+3 then repeats, and “Strange Meadow Lark”, a beautiful ballad that starts with a piano solo and moves into a 4/4 swing. I remember Corky saying, “This is the first jazz album to sell a million copies!” That seemed like a lot to an eight-year-old girl. My older brother Corky, who had a great ear for jazz, had it in his collection and I gravitated to it even as a young child. I first heard the album Time Out by the Dave Brubeck Quartet around the age of eight, and I listened to that record for years until I completely wore it out. ![]() I knew I was listening to something different – it was addictive. ![]() It was that time signature which intrigued me. Brubeck asked Paul Desmond to write a song in 5/4 time. Brubeck’s style was odd time signatures, improvised counterpoint, and distinctive harmonies. “Take Five” was written by saxophonist Paul Desmond and recorded by the Dave Brubeck Quartet. They stick with me and whenever I hear them, I imagine how I would translate that song into dance. There have been many songs in my lifetime that I dream I might someday have the chance to choreograph.
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