Swimmer
2016, 2017 Seasons, San Francisco Ballet
Based on the short story by John Cheever , “The Swimmer” Choreographed by Yuri Possokhov
Music Composed by Shinji Eshima
Video Design by Kate Duhamel
I was the video designer for Yuri Possokhov’s “Swimmer” for San Francisco Balllet in 2016. It was a real odessey during which I spent every day telling myself to “just go for it,” as Yuri was open to creative ideas (“Yes, make the bus pink!”), unsure of how video is made (“I don’t understand computer stuff”) and had specific and wildly different references he wanted to incorporate from the stories and other great American works of art that meant so much to him while he was growing up in Russia, including the books The Catcher in the Rye, Lolita, the movie Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, and the painting by Edward Hopper, Nighthawks.
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He also wanted to include four songs by Tom Waits, which the composer of the score, Shinji Eshima wove into the 35 minute orchestral work beautifully. The story has a great deal of meaning to Yuri, which follows a man who decides to return home from a pool party by swimming through all of his neighbors’ swimming pools. The passage of time in the story is surreal, so that by the time he gets home, his entire life has passed, and he must confront the consequences of the choices he made throughout his life
The work of Kate Duhamel, it’s pretty amazing. This fusion of the video and the dancer is an almost a magical thing and certainly a tour de force.
Eclipse
Ballet Sun Valley - World Premiere
I did projection and set design for a new ballet, choreographed by Gemma Bond from ABT, with a new score by Judd Greensteen, starring Isabella Boylston and Marcelo Gomes in the leads. Gemma's ballet was based on the Eclipse which occurred on August 21st, 2017. We were all lucky to experience “Totality” in Sun Valley! Gemma's ballet had a large cast of 15 dancers and gorgeous, sleek costumes by fashion designers Reed and Harriet. It was an incredible experience to be there with the amazing star cast of dancers Isabella invited: Misty Copeland, Tiler Peck, Stella Abrera, Maria Kotchekova, Ida Pretorious, Marcelo Gomez, Xander Parish, Kimin Kim, James Whiteside, Tyler Angle, and so many more!
Backstage with Isabella Boylston and Marcelo Gomez after the show. Two of the top principal ballet dancers in the entire world.
