Sarabande

Choreographer: Benjamin Millepied

Created in 2009 on Millepied’s then pick-up troupe Danses Concertantes, Sarabande is set to music by Johann Sebastian Bach: excerpts from Partita for Solo Flute in A Minor and two of Bach’s six Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin. In this ballet for four male dancers, Millepied’s pervading lyricism and penchant for a fluid and, at times, near-improvisatory movement quality breathe dimension into these exemplary solos for flute and violin which are performed live on stage (whenever possible). The piece opens to the sounds of a bright, playful flute from which a solitary male dancer draws his impetus with poised exuberance. The mood then shifts to a more somber place during the second solo, which is succeeded by the arrival of the noble and virtuosic violin, and with it a courtly-yet-contemporary pas de trois that sets the tone for the various solo and ensemble sections that follow.

Premiere
November 2009 at Maison de la Danse in Lyon, France

Lighting Design
Masha Tsimring and Benjamin Millepied

Costume Design
Paul Cox

Music
Johann Sebastian Bach:
-Partita for Solo Flute in A Minor, BWV 1013: Allemande, Sarabande 
-Sonata for solo violin No. 2 in A Minor BWV 1003: Andante
-Partita for Solo Violin No. 1 in B Minor BWV 1002: Corrente, Sarabande, Double
-Partita for Solo Violin No. 1 in G Minor BWV 1001: Presto

Length
23 Minutes

Sarabande