Hurricane Sandy: remembering tragedy with artistry

About a year ago, the Northeastern coast was hit by hurricane Sandy.  I remember watching the news and seeing the amount of damage that it caused, the homes that were lost, and the people that were affected by it.




During the Thanksgiving holiday last year, many of my friends and I went to New Jersey to help participate in the clean-up was well as drop off donated clothing and food for those who had literally lost everything. It was such an amazing and humbling  experience to help those who really could not help themselves.

Atlantic City Ballet rehearsing "Eye of the Storm"

I came across an article about the Atlantic City Ballet that is premiering an original ballet to commemorate the lives of those who were affected by the hurricane.  Titled "The Eye of the Storm," the company put together workshops over the Summer to collect stories from hurricane survivors. The stories that they collected were those from children, parents, the elderly - everyone who had story. Kristaps Kikulis, the choreographer, turned the stories into interpretive ballet/modern movements and created a 45 minute narrative ballet broken into three parts: before, during, and after the storm.

I think that is is such a beautiful way to commemorate those who lost so much. For me, it would be a dream come true to be able to create something that so unique and exquisite in honor of something so sad. I have a feeling that people will remember this ballet forever, especially those who were affected by Sandy, and they will treasure this work.

The ballet premieres on November 2 at Dante Hall in Atlantic City.

  To read the full article and to see more pictures, click here.

 

Miss Tess

tessc@balletpetite.com