In a kinetic medium, modern-dance choreographer Jessica Lang’s inspirational guidance for her first full-length ballet might come as a surprise: She first contemplated space, and concept.
The vision of her poetically alive set fired up not only a full-length piece, but one that incorporates live music and singing in “The Wanderer,” which comes to Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts, University of Connecticut, Storrs, on Thursday, Nov. 19.
White trees delicately trace the set’s inky upper space, and their roots dangle onto the floor, becoming like living entities that the eight dancers interact with as the character The Wanderer makes his way through the woods, lost both existentially as well as emotionally.
The use of space, said Lang, remains her consistent trademark as a choreographer, even in this longer, one-hour work that departs from the shorter, more abstract pieces Lang is known for.
“I’m very concerned with every element that goes into the space and that is very evident in all my work — I’m very invested in creating the entire space,” said Lang.
The set design was conceived with Lang envisioning white string for the trees and their roots. Then Lang searched for music to complement the naturalistic concept when it premiered at Brooklyn Academy of Music in 2014. Lang needed to rise to a new challenge: a full-length ballet that would be one hour long, with no intermission.
An organic fit was found in Franz Schubert’s “Die schöne Müllerin.” “I knew a string piece would be beautiful,” said Lang, who also found the libretto, which chronicles a besotted Miller — The Wanderer, through a crisis with God and his thwarted pursuit of a girl. The Miller’s journey, which is aided by a meandering brook, takes him through a forest, an apropos pairing with the pristine, other-worldly environment of the set.
“It was the perfect length and world,” said Lang of the classical score. The libretto calls for four main characters, The Wanderer, the Girl, The Hunter, and The Brook. Logistically, that posed a problem; for a full-length piece, Lang needed more dancers, so she created The Others, four dancers who perform as a sort of Greek Chorus in the ballet.
The piece will be performed at the Jorgensen with baritone Ryan Burns, a doctoral student at the University of Connecticut who will be accompanied by a pianist.
Meticulous work with lighting designer Nicole Pearce led Lang to an effect she describes as a painting — at times saturated with green to represent the forest to more of a sorbet effect that captures the sky.
“We concentrated on colors found in nature,” said Lang, whose work on the lighting was completed while at a residency in Arizona, a place where spacious sky and light were harnessed for inspiration.
Nothing, however, usurps a choreographer’s true fire: the muse they find in the movement, and artistry of the dancers they entrust with their creation.
“The movement is based in the classical vein and contemporary ballet ideas,” said Lang, who utilized some theatrical gestures to convey parts of the story, but stressed that dance fueled the telling.
The Cast And Characters
As The Wanderer, dancer Clifton Brown transports audiences with his artistry and technical abilities, conveying the story as well as the sadness inherent in The Wanderer’s destination of death by suicide.
Falling in love is central in this dance of loss and grief, and as The Girl, Laura Mead is very easy to fall in love with, said Lang. “She has beauty and a natural quality and innocence.”
Commanding the part of the robust Hunter with whom The Girl becomes smitten — searing the soulful Wanderer — is Milan Misko, who Lang said presents the pompous Hunter with the type of grandeur required.
Humanizing a natural element, The Brook, is dancer Kana Kimura, providing an exquisite and captivating feature, said Lang.
The ethereal trees were constructed from 2,700 yards of string — the same type of string used in hoodies. The effect this set strikes is both naturalistic and surreal.
Costume designer Bradon McDonald amplified the thematic sensibility of nature with designs that look delicate, but were hard to construct, said Lang.
“We wanted them to be people, not theatrical beyond believability, we wanted that human, everyday feeling.”
The Wanderer is a universal character. His naiveté and joyous love only combust in pain and loss, and his consuming grief is one that is highly relatable.
“Everyone has experienced love in some way, and also loss, so it has a universal theme in terms of relationships and pain,” said Lang, noting that not everyone throws themselves into a brook and dies over such trauma in their lives.
“We don’t all go to that extreme, but we can all empathize with the pain and sadness he goes through.”
JESSICA LANG DANCE: “The Wanderer” is performed 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 19, at Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts, 2132 Hillside Road, Storrs. Tickets: $34, $37 and $40; $15 for UConn students; and $20 for non-UConn youth. Tickets: 860-486-4226 and jorgensen.uconn.edu.
