The last time I came close, I was in the pit taking photographs at her show with Dylan in Ottawa in 1998 (organized for me by the late, great Wally Breese). Joni was there for the February 8 opening, and it is the closest I have ever been to her. Both are identical, both were recently re-furbished for better sound and better sightlines, and both are presently the sites honoured with the opening of this fabulous ballet by the Alberta Ballet company, its young and fabulously creative artistic director, Jean Grand-Maitre, and by Joni Mitchell. The Jube is a 30-year old auditorium, with a twin in Edmonton. Joni has never sounded so triumphant as she did in the Jubilee Auditorium in Calgary that night. At the end, the moon re-appears, flooding the stage with moonlight - perhaps it's not too late. Near the end, it completely disappeared, leaving two things: complete darkness in an empty sky and a statement: thieves may have left the moon behind humans are leaving nothing. As the song was danced, the moon shrank, and shrank, and shrank.
Sex Kills opened with an image of Africa from space Passion Play, with an image of South America, If I Had a Heart, I'd Cry", with an image of Antarctica that looked like a floating white rose, at once its own shadow and generating its own light.įor the Roses opened with a close-up of a full moon, the bright side of the moon filling the entire drum. In its center was a huge orb, a native drum with a screen as the drum skin, regularly flashing images, both beautiful and challenging, of the Earth, the moon, the continents, shadows and light, life and death, and clouds, lots and lots of clouds. The back of the stage was a dark, black wall. This was Joni danced, so beautifully danced that one saw and heard, perhaps for the first time, the hope in the music that surrounds and strongly supports the anger, realistic observation, and some time hopelessness of the lyrics. A modern ballet danced to the best sound modern technology can deliver demonstrates the power of the music behind the lyrics, the jump, the verve, the beauty, and the hope. What she writes and sings matter, and her music matters.
Elton John & Alberta Ballet Love Lies Bleeding:, March 25, 2013Ī Review of "Dancing Joni and Other Works: The Fiddle and The Drum", Februby Brett Code.
The protest goes on: They bombed paradise (and I put up a multimedia extravaganza): Independent (UK Newspaper), February 9, 2007.Mitchell ballet sparks a love-in: Calgary Herald, February 9, 2007.Joni Mitchell ballet inspiring: Sun Media, February 9, 2007.Joni enjoys rousing debut: Calgary Herald, February 9, 2007.Joni dances into hearts of new generation: Calgary Herald, February 9, 2007.The Making of the Fiddle and The Drum: Alberta Ballet, February 8, 2007.The Joni joy in town: Sun Media, February 8, 2007.Much-anticipated Joni Mitchell ballet to debut: CBC Arts, February 8, 2007.Message from the Artistic Director: Alberta Ballet, February 8, 2007.MESSAGE FROM joni mitchell: Alberta Ballet, February 8, 2007.JONI MITCHELL, singer & songwriter: Alberta Ballet, February 8, 2007.Dancing Joni's songs plucked from entirety of career: Calgary Herald, February 7, 2007.Social distortion shapes ballet: Calgary Herald, February 6, 2007.Joni takes world's stage: Calgary Herald, February 6, 2007.Dancing under pressure: Calgary Herald, February 5, 2007.Moons and Junes and a ballet: Toronto Globe and Mail, February 3, 2007.
Joni sings, Joni paints, Joni dances, Joni laughs, Joni smokes, Joni riffs.: Calgary Herald 'Swerve', February 2, 2007.Reclusive Joni Mitchell turns her hand to ballet in a bid to save the planet: Guardian Unlimited, January 24, 2007.