Shostakovich Dances

Over the course of several months, I sat in on the rehearsals as the choreographer Alexei Ratmansky made his new “Shostakovich Trilogy” for American Ballet Theatre. I was struck by the choreographer’s deep engagement with Shostakovich’s musical style, his inner world, and the ideas and experimentation of early Soviet dance. The more I learned about Shostakovich and his times, the more the work seemed to reflect essential qualities of the music. I wrote about this in an essay for The Nation, “Running Like Shadows,” which came out today.

And here is my review of the Trilogy, for DanceTabs.

I’d love to hear your impressions and comments.