Global - The the steel orchestra music genre’s giants like Pat Bishop, Dr. Geraldine Connor and Dr. Dawn Batson that have previously highlighted Pan and Dance.
Carnival Messiah by Dr. Geraldine Connor
In speaking with Dr. Batson—Professor of Music, and Chair of Visual and Performing Arts, Florida Memorial University—about the NYU Steel/New York Theatre Ballet collaboration, she noted in part that “Pan music like the music of the ancestors, has never been divorced from dance. Sometimes we in the Western world try to create false boundaries and put music, art, literature and dance into separate compartments, and only with expressed permission do we allow them to mingle. True expression tells a story and in the artistic world of Pan all the elements combine to tell that story.”
Roots of Fantasy - the Music of Sergio Boré - tiago botelho
Dr. Batson’s distinct experiences with this combination go back several years, including in the late eighties with a show at Queen’s Hall in Trinidad called Pamberi Chimurenga. The production showcased a number of works with choreography by Andre Largen and professional dancers from Trinidad and Tobago. “Some of the works performed were: Aaron Copland’s ballet “Billy the Kid”; an excerpt from Stravinsky’s “Rite of Spring”; the Congolese “Missa Luba” with choreography by Andre; and an original piece of mine called “Finale” also choreographed by Andre,” explains Dr. Batson.
“Geraldine’s [Connor] Carnival Messiah, of course, stands out in many ways inclusive of dance. Pat [Bishop] with Desperadoes and Lydian Steel performed the musical scores of ballets. Pat, incidentally, was the person who suggested doing “Rite of Spring” to Pamberi [Steel Orchestra].”
“I think that the work of NYU Steel in carrying on the tradition of pan and dance is to be highly commended. The performance of pan is a dance in and of itself.”
NYU Steel and New York Theatre Ballet
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