Boston Ballet Dances to The Stones

[Sim]

From Today's Links:

 

Boston Ballet performance inspired by iconic Rolling Stones hits - CBS Boston (cbsnews.com)

 

 

Choreographer Stephen Galloway told WBZ-TV the Rolling Stones have a long relationship with Boston, with Mick Jagger even working out with the dancers in the past.

 

"It's the first time in the galactic universe that the Rolling Stones have ever allowed their music to be choreographed," Galloway said.

 

So how about Christopher Bruce's wonderful Red Rooster???  Or did he just go ahead and use the Stones' music without permission??  Somehow I doubt it...people should perhaps inform themselves before mentioning firsts in the 'galactic universe.'   I do hope someone has pointed this out to Mr Galloway and Boston Ballet.  Christopher Bruce was there first.

[San Perregrino]

4 hours ago, Sim said:

From Today's Links:

 

Boston Ballet performance inspired by iconic Rolling Stones hits - CBS Boston (cbsnews.com)

 

 

Choreographer Stephen Galloway told WBZ-TV the Rolling Stones have a long relationship with Boston, with Mick Jagger even working out with the dancers in the past.

 

"It's the first time in the galactic universe that the Rolling Stones have ever allowed their music to be choreographed," Galloway said.

 

So how about Christopher Bruce's wonderful Red Rooster???  Or did he just go ahead and use the Stones' music without permission??  Somehow I doubt it...people should perhaps inform themselves before mentioning firsts in the 'galactic universe.'   I do hope someone has pointed this out to Mr Galloway and Boston Ballet.  Christopher Bruce was there first.

did Flick Colby never choreograph a Stones number for Pans People on Top of the Pops? 

[Sim]

6 minutes ago, PeterS said:

did Flick Colby never choreograph a Stones number for Pans People on Top of the Pops? 

I have no idea...Pan's People was before my time in London!

[Scheherezade]

Is, perhaps, Melanie Hamrick the key to the current connection between ballet in the USA and the Stones’ music or did Mick Jagger work out with Boston Ballet prior to his relationship with Melanie?

 

I do, by the way, love that throwaway reference to the galactic universe. Could Mr Galloway perhaps have a predilection for exaggeration?

Edited October 13, 2022 by Scheherezade

[fromthebalcony]

Boston Ballet actually danced Bruce's "Rooster." I guess Mr. Galloway was not informed of that. Obviously, he is not able to use the music without permission. He does have quite the resume, and was actually a Forsythe dancer. He also worked with Jagger previously on his creative team:

 

https://www.bostonballet.org/stories/behindthescenes-stephen-galloway/

 

I saw the performance of "Devil's Eye." It was fun to watch and I preferred it to "Rooster." As a regular ballet attendee, it's not something I want to see all the time, but the audience loved it. 

[trog]

20 hours ago, PeterS said:

did Flick Colby never choreograph a Stones number for Pans People on Top of the Pops? 

 

Somebody did this, so it looks like Pans People are dancing to The Stones

 

 

[zxDaveM]

strictly speaking, Little Red Rooster itself is a cover (of a Howlin' Wolf tune), and I can't remember what the other Rolling Stones songs/covers were in Christopher Bruce's piece

However, as The Verve can testify, if you use a Stones tune (or a sample) without prior permission, you'll get nobbled!

[Emeralds]

I remember seeing Stephen Galloway performing as a guest soloist with the Royal Ballet a while ago when he was still dancing- I think it was Tetley’s Voluntaries and Forsythe’s In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated. He also designs costumes. 

 

So many companies have danced Christopher Bruce’s iconic Rooster now, and so many performers across different genres have been inspired by Bruce’s work, but it’s never hyped or even covered in the press; you have to do a lot of digging to find out - I call him the quiet genius. Being a bit of a bunhead when younger, I’d never even heard the Rolling Stones’ songs until I watched Rooster (performed by the incredible London Contemporary Dance Theatre),  which I thought was just out of this world (especially the choreography to Little Red Rooster, which was sheer wit and eloquent dance writing).

 

LRR of course wasn’t written or first performed by the Stones, although theirs is a pretty good cover, but was written by Willie Dixon and first performed by Chester Arthur Burnett, aka Howlin’ Wolf. (Am resisting the temptation to add a Sleeping Beauty Act 3 pun). It’s likely that Galloway considers Bruce’s work beyond the galactic universe - perhaps the heavens? 

[Emeralds]

Haha! That’s spooky that zxDaveM and I said the same thing at the same time! 😆👻

[Sim]

Yes, I know that LRR is not a Stones original, but many of the songs in the piece are, so would have needed permission from the Stones to use them. Therefore they gave permission for their music to be choreographed to way before Mr Galloway came along. That’s the point I was originally trying to make…

[San Perregrino]

2 hours ago, trog said:

 

Somebody did this, so it looks like Pans People are dancing to The Stones

 

 

 

@trog thank you for making my day