Wayne McGregor, a renowned British choreographer, is premiering his ballet "Woolf Works" at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York. Former prima ballerina Alessandra Ferri will come out of retirement for the role of Virginia Woolf, at the age of 61.
The ballet is based on three novels by Woolf: "Mrs. Dalloway," "Orlando," and "The Waves," each act representing one of the books.
Woolf's inspiration for Orlando came from Vita Sackville-West, and McGregor aimed to explore themes of identity, and freedom in Woolf Works by combining three stories into one stream-of-consciousness narrative.
McGregor is known for his work in contemporary dance, including collaborations with major ballet companies and Hollywood blockbusters. He is also the director of dance for the Venice Biennale Danza, where he has been working to invest in new voices and showcase their work.
The choreographer said he believes older dancers bring a different kind of physicality and emotional experience to performances, challenging the notion of dancers retiring in their 40s.
Ferri used her life experience to unearth personal parallels for her role, defying preconceived notions about what the female body is capable of.
McGregor collaborated with composer Max Richter on the musical score for Woolf Works.
Sources: Yahoo News, Vogue, Playbill
This article was written in collaboration with Generative AI news company Alchemiq.
