Watching “Clytemnestra” was very, very exciting. I have been learning the part of Cassandra, in the “name calling” scene, in repertory class, and have loved her absolute insanity, passion, yet simultaneous elegance, as well. Having the opportunity to see Janet Eilber’s master performance of the role gave me chills, and really contributed to my understanding of the extremity of the movements, and really showed me how wild Cassandra is supposed to be.
In terms of the ballet overall, I have seen some Graham works, and read Ms. Graham’s autobiography, on top of studying the technique for a few years. “Clytemnestra”, to me, was the epitome of her works in that it is filled with drama, the complexities of the female mind, matters beyond this world, divinity, and so much more. In addition, the extravagance of the work was so magnificent, and, also, so like Ms. Graham, seemingly.
It was amazing to see the people who are teaching today dance the roles, and a lot of the technique really came to life. Peter has been asking about our sense of the work as being “dated” or not. I do see why it could be described as dated, but I think that it is more important to focus on the themes and emotions within the story and the dancing, for those have a universality that will always be relevant for any audience. The reason we still read these stories, and see these works is because there is still much to be related to/ learned from them. We cannot just dismiss something because it is “dated”, and bringing a story to life in the way that Ms. Graham and her dancers do here is one way to add to something so ancient and make it accessible to even more audiences.
My favorite parts were Young Clytemnestra’s part, and Cassandra’s name calling, though I enjoyed the ballet in its entirety a great deal. I am so excited to have seen this!!!!
