Movement as Storytelling
This personal reflection is part of a series called The Big Ideas, in which writers respond to a single question: What is history? You can read more by visiting The Big Ideas series page.
'Why isn't Eva Perón blond?'
A New York City audience member asked me this question during a post-performance Q&A for 'Doña Perón,' a work I created for Ballet Hispánico. It wasn't the first time I'd been asked about the historical accuracy of my ballets. Dandara Veiga was the dancer performing the leading role of Evita, the famously blond wife of the 20th-century Argentine president Juan Perón. Veiga is a Black woman with dark hair.
Historical accuracy, or merely replicating facts, has never been the objective of my ballets. It was obvious to me why Evita wasn't performed by a blond dancer. I cast the dancer who best expressed the essence of the historical Evita, not the one who matched her hair or skin color. Veiga captured Evita's strong and ambitious exterior along with her inner insecurity and rage over never being accepted by the upper class.
I believe ballet shouldn't try to be a dispassionate factual narration of events in sequential order. Ballet is an artistic expression, not a documentary. It has the power to intensify, magnify or even exaggerate reality. Ballet offers a creative freedom that allows us to re-examine history and explore new ways of using movement as a form of storytelling.
About 10 years ago, I created my first ballet about a historical figure. I've been hooked on finding ways to convey history through dance ever since. In addition to my ballet on Eva Perón, I've originated five more narrative ballets about historical figures: the fashion designer Coco Chanel, the opera singer Maria Callas, the poet Delmira Agustini and the artists Frida Kahlo and Fernando Botero. I recently worked out a new version of 'Carmen' for Miami City Ballet, based loosely on Molly Bloom, who was indicted by the F.B.I. for organizing underground poker games in the 2000s.
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Movement as Storytelling
This personal reflection is part of a series called The Big Ideas, in which writers respond to a single question: What is history? You can read more by visiting The Big Ideas series page. 'Why isn't Eva Perón blond?' A New York City audience member asked me this question during a post-performance Q&A for 'Doña Perón,' a work I created for Ballet Hispánico. It wasn't the first time I'd been asked about the historical accuracy of my ballets. Dandara Veiga was the dancer performing the leading role of Evita, the famously blond wife of the 20th-century Argentine president Juan Perón. Veiga is a Black woman with dark hair. Historical accuracy, or merely replicating facts, has never been the objective of my ballets. It was obvious to me why Evita wasn't performed by a blond dancer. I cast the dancer who best expressed the essence of the historical Evita, not the one who matched her hair or skin color. Veiga captured Evita's strong and ambitious exterior along with her inner insecurity and rage over never being accepted by the upper class. I believe ballet shouldn't try to be a dispassionate factual narration of events in sequential order. Ballet is an artistic expression, not a documentary. It has the power to intensify, magnify or even exaggerate reality. Ballet offers a creative freedom that allows us to re-examine history and explore new ways of using movement as a form of storytelling. About 10 years ago, I created my first ballet about a historical figure. I've been hooked on finding ways to convey history through dance ever since. In addition to my ballet on Eva Perón, I've originated five more narrative ballets about historical figures: the fashion designer Coco Chanel, the opera singer Maria Callas, the poet Delmira Agustini and the artists Frida Kahlo and Fernando Botero. I recently worked out a new version of 'Carmen' for Miami City Ballet, based loosely on Molly Bloom, who was indicted by the F.B.I. for organizing underground poker games in the 2000s. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
