Arratu

In October, I had the opportunity to create, direct, and choreograph a 6 minute piece of theatre using artists from the Nevada Ballet and Cirque du Soleil as part of A Choreographers' Showcase.

This piece is my first time choreographing / directing a work of live theater. I also fabricated the masks and the headpiece for the monster.

While some things get lost in translation - you can't see the big projection in the background that I made near the end - a video of the piece is here:




More photos will be posted when they are released by Cirque / NBT. The entire process was really incredible, and pretty unmatched considering I had the chance to see a vision from my head realized in a professional theater with custom music, lighting, and costumes.

Martin St-Pierre composed and wrote the piece's haunting score (website)

Michelle Meltzer, Stephan Azulay, and Shingo Yokoyama danced in the piece and all contributed additional choreography. Additionally, we got to work with 4 kids from the NBT future dance program.

Sean Jensen lit the piece, giving it a powerful visual presence.

Yukako Kobayashi fabricated the costume for the monster - an incredible piece of hand stitched fabric, which I will post shots of when able.

Chris Larson provided the costumes for the two dancers and was spot on with their looks.

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The piece is intended as a dark, allegorical fairy tale that can be interpreted in a number of ways. 'Arratu' is an ancient Akkadian word for "curse."