It seems unsurprising for a fan of
Over the Rhine to say that an artistic collaboration between the band and the Cincinnati ballet would be incredible. Those familiar with the work of Karin Bergquist and Linford Detweiler know how the couple can create achingly beautiful songs and how they draw even a large audience in to feel like their live performances are uniquely intimate. Adding another dimension to their songs through dance could hardly be a bad idea.
Even knowing all this, the experience of seeing OTR's music paired with ballet was, for the lack of a better word, truly magical. From the moment the curtains part and the band starts playing, it almost seems as though the music has become a living, breathing organism through the dancers. Bergquist's beguiling voice draws you into a world where all music is expressed through the miraculous human movement.
The costuming was simple and modern: while for each of the three sets there was a different overall theme, each dancer had a variant of the same costume. Each costume had a small detail that was unique to the dancer, from neckline to added accessory.
Three wonderful choreographers were able to bring this extra dimension to the music and successfully translated it into a combination between ballet's rigid traditionalism and modern dance's intention imprecision. It's easy to imagine how much the dancers may have enjoyed this departure from the structure of traditional ballet. Their movement was particularly powerful when the whole dance corps was on stage, such as the group that assembled for "Only God Can Save Us Now." Individual dancers would emerge and then be drawn back into the fold.
The only shame is that this enchantingly powerful and moving collaboration was only shared with the public for two days. But perhaps the fleeting nature of the creation makes it all the more unique.
