"SQUARE NONE"
2012
Aspen Santa Fe Ballet's production of Square None (2012) was made possible by the Jerome Robbins Foundation's New Essential Works (NEW) Program with additional support by Dr. Dan Luedke, in honor of his wife, Dr. Susan Luedke.
Length: 20 minutes
Original Music by: Michelle Ross
Additional Music Composed by: Alva Noto, George Frederic Handel, & Aphex Twin
Costumes by: Austin Scarlett
Lighting: Seah Johnson
Mentors: Tom Mossbrucker, Jean-Philippe Malaty, Jorma Elo, Nicolo Fonte, Risa Steinberg
Original Music by: Michelle Ross
Additional Music Composed by: Alva Noto, George Frederic Handel, & Aphex Twin
Costumes by: Austin Scarlett
Lighting: Seah Johnson
Mentors: Tom Mossbrucker, Jean-Philippe Malaty, Jorma Elo, Nicolo Fonte, Risa Steinberg
"Set to an eclectic score, with lighting that evoked moods from the eerie to the joyous, “Square None” made imaginative use of the dancers’ athleticism in its pursuit of abstraction. But the piece also yielded moments of grace that suggested that De La Cruz is as much a poet as he is a craftsman. Although “Square None” may have represented too much of an attempt to sum up everything he’s learned about choreography so far, its spirited creativity clearly impressed the crowd." - Calvin Wilson, St. Louis Post- Dispatch. CLICK HERE FOR FULL ARTICLE
"I have come to like ballet and dance, and I have come to cherish the Aspen Santa Fe Ballet company, which routinely out-performs the more established, big-city companies that ASFB brings in to perform in Aspen. Never, though, do I remember watching a dance piece and thinking, "Great - only I wish it had gone on longer.
But that was my reaction to "Square None," which was debuted last weekend by the ASFB company. The first commissioned piece by 23-year old choreographer Norbert De La Cruz III built in speed and intensity over it's 17 or so minutes, exploring themes of youth and naivete. With its innovative (and youthful) approaches to movement and lighting, it felt like a thrill, like a discovery of something new. As far as I was concerned, it was thrill that could have kept on going - as wonderful as it was I felt there was more to explore, more building beyond the valley." -Stewart Oksenhorn, Arts Editor, The Aspen Times
But that was my reaction to "Square None," which was debuted last weekend by the ASFB company. The first commissioned piece by 23-year old choreographer Norbert De La Cruz III built in speed and intensity over it's 17 or so minutes, exploring themes of youth and naivete. With its innovative (and youthful) approaches to movement and lighting, it felt like a thrill, like a discovery of something new. As far as I was concerned, it was thrill that could have kept on going - as wonderful as it was I felt there was more to explore, more building beyond the valley." -Stewart Oksenhorn, Arts Editor, The Aspen Times
"Norbert de La Cruz is one of the most purely beautiful movers that I have encountered over my years of dance-watching, and he brings elements of his own style to the ballet - smooth and with a sensuous fluidiity - while also incorporating more geometric design patterns. This juxtaposition keepsSQUARE NONE ever-fresh, and Norbert's setting of certain gestural elements on the music is striking. The dancers - all of who seemed to have a natural affinity for the choreography - come and go, linking into movement sub-units and then dispersing, only to appear again in different configurations. The cumulative effect of all the elements made SQUARE ONE both impressive and enjoyable (the two do not always go hand-in-hand) and not only placed the ballet on my top list of 21st-century works to date but made me want to see more of Norbert's work."
- Philip Gardner , OBERON'S GROVE. (CLICK HERE FOR FULL ARTICLE)
- Philip Gardner , OBERON'S GROVE. (CLICK HERE FOR FULL ARTICLE)