BETTER TOGETHER – ArtDesk

Ballerina And Partner Rehearse in front of Dali Clock, a clock within the iris of an eye where the eyelashes look like water droplets — Ballerina, sculptor, actress, and author Ludmilla Tchérina rehearses "Gala" in front of scenery designed by Salvador Dalí for a 1962 performance by the Théâtre Royale De la Monnaie in Brussels, Belgium.

an artist and choreographer sit on the hardwood floor of a dance studio while performers in silver leotards dance behind them next to an industrial lighted shelfing wall — Choreographer Trisha Brown and artist Robert Rauschenberg pose with dancers on the set of "Astral Convertible" set in 1989.

Ballet dancers in full body leotards featuring a skeleton applique take the stage — Performance artist Marina Abramovic designed the set for a production of the ballet classic "Boléro" at the Paris Opera Ballet, with costumes designed by Riccardo Tisci, chief creative officer of Burberry.

A prima ballerina on point leans to the right while pulling one up so her toe touches her thigh in an artistic costume designed by Isamu Noguchi — Prima Ballerina Maria Tallchief performs "Orpheus" (1948) choreographed by George Balanchine for the New York City Ballet. She wears a costume designed by Isamu Noguchi—who also designed the sets for the ballet. The score was written by Igor Stravinsky.

A LEG UP FOR WOMEN CHOREOGRAPHERS IN BALLET

A dance leaps through the air stage left as other dancers look to the right, forming a geometric shape in Jessica Lange's "Garden Blue" ballet — Scene from Jessica Lange’s "Garden Blue"

DESPITE THE PROMINENCE of women as performers in ballet, the choreography is unquestionably dominated by men. Companies, overwhelmingly led by men, typically favor nineteenth-century hits like Swan Lake and Giselle, in which most of the roles are for women. Male dancers often have more downtime to work on their choreography, and greater job security in a field in which male dancers are in higher demand. Furthermore, the instruction of ballet rarely includes choreography, whereas in modern dance, composition is incorporated into the learning process. This creates an imbalance in gender and power in an artform where women’s bodies are central.

In the spring of 2018, the New York City based American Ballet Theatre announced a new multi-year year program called ABT Women’s Movement. This new effort supports dance by women choreographers, involving at least three participants each season who will collaborate with the ballet company from the creation of their work to its staging. The goal is, for most seasons, to showcase a woman choreographer’s new work with the main company, another with its studio company, and a work-in progress for either troupe.
“American Ballet Theatre has a rich history of female leaders and creators,” says Kara Medoff Barnett, executive director. The company was co-founded in 1940 by dancer Lucia Chase, and Agnes de Mille was one of its early choreographers, creating iconic works like her 1942 Rodeo.

“The ABT Women’s Movement seeks to continue and extend the company’s legacy by providing opportunities for women to innovate and to lead.”

As part of its fall 2018 season, American Ballet Theatre held the world premiere of a new work by choreographer Jessica Lang in collaboration with artist Sarah Crowner, titled Garden Blue. This was Lang’s third work for ABT, following Her Notes (2016) and The Gi (2017). In her first work for the company, Crowner used stitched canvases that mixed painted and unpainted elements for bold geometric assemblages. Her artwork has been widely exhibited, including at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art and the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis. Still, designing scenery and costumes for ballet was a new experience.

Two women in modern fashionable clothes, Sarah Crowner and Jessica Lang, sit together on a cream-colored couch and pose for a photo — Artist Sarah Crowner and choreographer Jessica Lang collaborated to create "Garden Blue" for ABT.

“Although I have worked in installation before, working on this scale was a huge challenge,” Crowner says. “Also, making objects that are meant to be functional—used by dancers and suspended from the grid above, not to mention functional costumes that can be moved in—one doesn’t have to think about these concerns within the art world.”

She also considered lighting and how it would affect color and form as the dancers moved through a large space. “I learned a lot about back lighting versus front lighting, and the moods of certain colors,” she says. “Jessica was very open and trusted me completely.”

Claudia Schreier and Stefanie Batten Bland also developed new works for ABT Studio Company’s 2018–19 season. Supporting new dance by women is an exciting and important step in elevating their narratives onstage.

—ALLISON MEIER