Second day in Paris started with a Master class at CENTRE RICK ODUMS. At this school, they teach Graham technique classe. So it was very nice to see dancers with same language that I speak. There are three teachers from the company to teach this master classes. Three very different approaches. I hope dancers enjoyed three different ways to look at the technique or experience diffrent things, and fiiding new things in classes…

then of course we had dress rehearsal for program B.
We opened with Embattled Garden (1958): Choreography and Costumes by Martha Graham, Music by Carlos Surinach, Set by Isamu Noguchi,

The second was ” Sketches from Chronicle” (1936) Spector: revied in 1994, Steps in the Street:revived in 1987 and Prelude to the action:revived in 1994. These three sections form this ballet now. But in 1936 I heard it was with 5 to 6 sections. We are not completely revived this ballet yet but it is plenty…

then last one was “Night Journey” story of Oedipus and his Queen/Mother Jocasta. Choreography by Martha, Music by Wiliarm Shuman, and set by Isamu Noguchi.
This is such a well made dance. Scene starts with Jocasta getting ready to kill her self. Then go back to the begining of the story where everything happened. Chorus women has three dances, one is to tell this terrible story, one it to bring Oedipus to Jocasta, and the last one is to narrates what happened and proceed Oedipus’s decision which he takes Jocasta’s jewelry to blind himself.
For chorus women,” daughters of the night”, there are not un-nessesary movement in these three dances. Each movement has meanings and it is very obvious. and of course technically very difficult so it is very challenging!

after the long day, having nice dinner with friends makes everything easy…