Junk Duet
Ethan Stiefel and Susan Jaffe of American Ballet Theatre in Junk Duet, as performed in Known By Heart (1998). Photo by Paul Kolnik.
Kølpin and Caddell in performance in Denmark.
Ethan Stiefel and Susan Jaffe of American Ballet Theatre in Junk Duet, as performed in Known By Heart (1998). Photo by Rosalie O’Connor.
Ethan Stiefel and Susan Jaffe of American Ballet Theatre in Junk Duet, as performed in Known By Heart (1998). Photo by Paul Kolnik.
Ethan Stiefel of American Ballet Theatre in Junk Duet, as performed in Known By Heart (1998). Photo by Paul Kolnik.
Keith Roberts and Ashley Tuttle in a later performance. Photo by Mike van Sleen.
Keith Roberts and Ashley Tuttle in a later performance. Photo by Mike van Sleen.
Premiere
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Date
6 August 1998
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Venue
Sommerballet på Frederiksberg
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Location
Copenhagen, Denmark
Production
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Choreographer
Twyla Tharp
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Composer
Donald Knaack (Junk Music, 1996)
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Lighting Designer
Jennifer Tipton
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Costume Designer
Santo Loquasto
Dancers
Description
Junk Duet was commissioned by Alexander Kølpin for the Sommerballet Festival in Denmark. He performed the classically structured pas de deux with Stacy Caddell. The duet was later included in Known By Heart (1998), commissioned by American Ballet Theatre.
Tharp pits the two dancers against one another in a cartoonish competition. The percussive score by Donald “The Junkman” Knaack is played on 100% recycled materials. The scrapheap sounds enhance the comedic blend of exaggerated pantomime and classical ballet vocabulary. The ballerina dominates her partner until he cowers behind her henpecked and she takes her final bow.
Underpinned by a deliberately crude Bournonville sensibility, the choreography draws on Danish classical technique – quick footwork, buoyancy, and musical restraint – that is essential to understanding its structure and humor.
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Commissioned by
Alexander Kølpin
Past Performances
Stacy Caddell and Alexander Kølpin
Junk Duet (premiere) | Stacy Caddell and Alexander Kølpin
Sommerballet på Frederiksberg
Copenhagen, Denmark
August 6 1998 Premiere
American Ballet Theatre
Junk Duet – Push Comes To Shove | American Ballet Theatre
New York, NY
October 29 1999 Repertory
Twyla Tharp Dance
Hammerklavier (premiere) – Junk Duet – Westerly Round (premiere) | Twyla Tharp Dance
Los Angeles, CA
June 23 2001 TTD Performance
Twyla Tharp Dance
The One Hundreds – Junk Duet – Westerly Round | Twyla Tharp Dance
Becket, MA
June 30 2001 TTD Performance
Twyla Tharp Dance
Junk Duet – The Fugue – Westerly Round – Surfer At The River Styx |Twyla Tharp Dance
Becket, MA
June 18 2003 TTD Performance
Twyla Tharp Dance
Junk Duet – The Fugue – Westerly Round – Surfer At The River Styx |Twyla Tharp Dance
London, United Kingdom
July 3 2003 TTD Performance
Twyla Tharp Dance
Junk Duet – The Fugue – Westerly Round – Surfer At The River Styx |Twyla Tharp Dance
New York, NY
July 28 2003 TTD Performance
Twyla Tharp Dance
Junk Duet – The Fugue – Westerly Round – Surfer At The River Styx |Twyla Tharp Dance
Princeton, NJ
September 25 2003 TTD Performance
American Ballet Theatre
Sinatra Suite – Junk Duet | American Ballet Theatre
New York, NY
October 19 2006 TTD Performance
Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre
Octet – Junk Duet | Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre
Pittsburgh, PA
March 14 2008 Repertory
American Ballet Theatre
Junk Duet | American Ballet Theatre
London, United Kingdom
February 1 2011 Repertory
American Ballet Theatre
Sinatra Suite – Junk Duet – In The Upper Room | American Ballet Theatre
New York, NY
November 8 2011 Repertory
The Santa Fe Concert Association
Junk Duet | The Santa Fe Concert Association
Santa Fe, NM
July 26 2012 Repertory
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