The Storyteller

Members of The Australian Ballet in performance.

Dancers of The Australian Ballet perform the opening section.

Tharp rehearses with a dancer from The Australian Ballet in New York City. Photo by Jesse Huot.

Premiere

Date

28 October 1997

Company

The Australian Ballet

Venue

State Theatre

Location

Melbourne, Australia

Production

Choreographer

Twyla Tharp

Composer

Kiyoung Kim

Lighting Designer

Jennifer Tipton

Costume and Scenic Designer

Santo Loquasto

Dancers

Nigel Burley

with

Justine Summers, Nicole Rhodes, Kirsty Martin, Damien Welch, Matthew Trent

Number of Dancers

6

Runtime

00:14:36

Description

In the summer of 1997, The Australian Ballet sent six dancers to New York City. They joined Tharp in the studio to learn and rehearse a new work she created for the company.

Set to a composition by Kiyoung Kim, The Storyteller is a dramatic ballet with elements of primitive mysticism. The music combines Western forms and a piano with traditional Korean percussion, woodwinds and vocals. The dancers enter in a slow procession. One man – the oracle – emerges from the group. Five other dancers complete the cast, functioning either as a Greek chorus or the players in the oracle’s tale.