Aaron Copland
Rodeo: Four Dance Episodes
Rodeo: Four Dance Episodes (also stylized as Rōdē,ō: Four Dance Episodes) is a one-act ballet choreographed by Justin Peck to "Four Dance Episodes" from Copland's Rodeo. The ballet premiered on
Production#
When Peck made Rodeo: Four Dance Episodes, he had only been appointed resident choreographer of the New York City Ballet months ago. Peck claimed he saw the de Mille version performed by the American Ballet Theatre three years prior, and several different versions at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, before making his own. He said he “wanted to understand what she did” but not let de Mille’s choreography “loom over” him. On why he chose this score, he said it was due to the “kinetic energy that it embodies” and “it also felt deep enough for the exploration of an entirely different ballet, one that didn’t snub or get in the way of the Agnes de Mille original.” The night before the premiere, dancer Andrew Veyette injured himself while performing George Balanchine’s Donizetti Variations, so Peck, who was still dancing at the time, cast himself in Veyette’s role in the first movement of Rodeo, while Sean Suozzi replaced Veyette in the fourth movement. Peck went on stage before the premiere to explain the situation.
Reception#
On the premiere, the New York Times wrote that “the work’s energy, charm, inventiveness, musicality and polish proved irresistible” despite Veyette’s injury. The reviewer particularly singled out the second movement male quintet with Applebaum, Hall, Peiffer, Scordato and Stanley for bringing “Peck’s most haunting poetry.” The men in the ballet were listed in Pointe Magazine “Top 12 Standout Performances of 2015”.
- Composer
- Aaron Copland