Out of the Blue
We met up with Ballet Memphis Artistic Director Steven McMahon to discuss Out of the Blue, his latest ballet performance adapted for the screen. A piece born out of a chaotic year that came from out of the blue. Watch the full walk & talk interview below and be sure to tune in November 5th at 7pm CST for the premiere of Out of the Blue.
Our Choreographer Q&A with Steven McMahon:
Tell us a bit about your new piece Out of the Blue and what inspired it.
It’s a personal piece, a lot to do with my perception of time and the rollercoaster of emotions we’ve all felt during quarantine. It’s also a lot about how the dancers are interacting together --how can they share space and energy even when they can't touch each other. It is our attempt to work through the sadness and melancholy we’ve been feeling; a bit of play on words from a year that truly came from ‘out of the blue.'
What was the hardest thing about filming a performance in a pandemic?
Different. It was a challenge to construct a piece differently than we normally do. We’re typically ready to perform for an audience at this point, but we won’t have that for a while, so we have to pep ourselves up to bring the same kind of energy we normally do for an audience. Our dancers are amazing though and they always do that.
It is our attempt to work through the sadness and melancholy we’ve been feeling; a bit of play on words from of a year that truly came from ‘out of the blue.'
What was the transition like preparing a piece for the camera rather than the stage?
We tried to keep our dancers safe and healthy, so having restrictions around the choreography, our dancers had to bring their energy in a different way.
What about the dancer's costumes for Out of the Blue?
I worked with Bruce Bui to mix and match blue tones and textures. We worked a lot with the dancers to allow the costumes to express their personalities. Depending on the work they were doing, the styles varied on their needs. There is a lot of individuality within it so the dancers could feel they had a part in what they were wearing.
Who did you work with on the music?
I had a string quartet from the Memphis Symphony Orchestra play for us. This time around they weren’t able to play live, but we brought them in a few days before to film their part. In the piece, the quartet’s performance is projected on screen behind the dancers. It was nice to have that community connection there.
