Cave Beat

Inspired by the cave paintings of Lascaux, France,  and set to Peteris Vask’s modern classic, “Message,” Citie Ballet’s Mosaic III: Cave Beat features the choreography of Francois Chevennement and guest Tony Olivares  with live onstage painting by Levi Etherington.   Cave Beat evokes the first art, the first artists, and their audiences in three acts:  Awakening, Quest and Exodus. Libretto by Katherine Koller, light design and stage management by Nico Van der Kley and costumes by Margaret Solinger. Dancers: Emily Docherty, Allison Klein, Nyda Kwasowsky, Mingyi Liang, Sarah Tabler, Kayley Winfield, Dyanna Benitez Ruiz, Kiera Keglowitsch, Nicholas Kolos, Asuka Nurimoto, Lauren O’Kell.  February 22 and 23, 2014, at the Timms Center for the Arts, University of Alberta, Edmonton.

Awakening:  The humans arise in awe of life. They have fire and they have freedom–to explore, to hunt and to gaze upon the glory of nature. The artist arrives, speaking in a universal language that energizes the people. They look to one another for love, friendship and protection and reflect it with storytelling through words, paint and movement.

Quest: The story of the hunt–the artist, held in high esteem, captures the humans’ urgency and growth as they come to realize the divide between human and animal. As the humans assert their dominance over all that
surrounds them, including animals, fire and the earth itself, the artist captures it all.

Exodus:  The success of the hunt begins the evolution of the group into a community with shared hopes and dreams. The artist, positioned between past and future, guides the people as they begin to search beyond their former boundaries, even looking within themselves. They follow the artist as time passes and the primal age gives way to a modern urban stage.