After All
Curry in performance at Madison Square Garden in New York in 1976. Photo by Johan Elbers.
Curry in excerpts “I. Grave” and “II. Allegro” from After All.
Tharp and Curry during a rehearsal at Madison Square Garden. Photo by Johan Elbers.
Premiere
Production
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Choreographer
Twyla Tharp
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Composer
Tomaso Albinoni (Sonata no. 11 in B minor: Concerto Saint Marc, 1708)
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Lighting Designer
Jennifer Tipton
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Costume Designer
Santo Loquasto
Performer
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Number of Performers
1
Sections
I. Grave
II. Allegro
III. Andante
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Runtime
00:07:15
Description
Shortly after winning the ‘76 Olympic Gold Medal, ice skater John Curry commissioned Tharp to create After All, an ice dance that explores the weight and rhythm shifts possible in dance, yet unexplored in competitive figure skating.
In the first section, the skating mirrors the musical embellishments in Albinoni’s Baroque concerto but holds fast to the compulsory school figures, now no longer judged in competition. The final action of the piece is a long, gliding balance. With a single push on one skate, Curry coasts around the entire perimeter of the rink. He arrives at the center of the ice just as the momentum dissipates and the final note diminishes.
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Commissioned by
Past Performances
- 1976
- 1978
- 1980
- 2007
- 2008