Dance film finds inspiration in loneliness of pandemic
Music and dance are coming together in a film tribute to Canada's frontline workers.
Alberta Ballet is partnering with the Canadian National Brass Project on Ecclesia, a dance film inspired by the loneliness and separation experienced in the pandemic and how hope rises above all.
It features four Alberta Ballet dancers — Kelley Mckinlay, Mariko Kondo, Luna Sasaki and Garrett Groat — dancing to Morten Lauridsen's O Magnum Mysterium, which is performed by 13 brass soloists.
“The first time I heard the sublime interpretation of Morten Lauridsen's score by the Canadian National Brass Project, I was driving my car and I had to pull over. Something about this music connected me to the pandemic and the isolation we are all feeling. The hope and optimism woven within this composition somehow expressed exactly what I was feeling and gave me renewed strength,” said Alberta Ballet artistic director Jean Grand-maître.
“The entire film — the ballet, the musicians' participation and its message of resilience — appeared in my mind as I sat mesmerized in my car.”
It didn't take much to convince the Canadian National Brass Project to jump on board a joint project.
“In a year when so many Canadians lost so much, this was among the most precious gifts a performer can receive: to be a part of a project at once so heartfelt and beautiful, so joyful and poignant,” said CNBP artistic director James Sommerville. “With this film, we bear witness to the sorrows and sacrifices of the pandemic year, and we share the healing power of our arts.”
The film was shot on location in Calgary, Edmonton, Halifax, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto and Winnipeg.
It was released on July 1 on Alberta Ballet's website and also shared through both Alberta Ballet's and CNBP'S social media channels.