Gingham Shift
Choreography: William Whitener
Music: Bela Fleck and Edgar Meyer
William Whitener says about his piece, “It reflects a flood of memories that came to me near the end of my mother’s life. Many of the memories were from my childhood. My mother understood the importance of play in a child’s life. She seamlessly encouraged my transition from playing to a life of dancing.”
Mr. Whitener chose the music of Grammy winner Béla Fleck and MacArthur Foundation Fellowship recipient, Edgar Meyer. In his music, Fleck takes the American bluegrass banjo style and rethinks and reexamines it through shifting time signatures and evolving tonality. The musicians shift among piano, mandola, mandocello, bass, mandolin, banjo, a miniature guitar called a “papoose”, and steel-string guitar.
Music selections for Gingham Shift: 1) “Seesaw” by Bela Fleck, published by Fleck Music (BMI), administered by Bug. 2) “Chronium Picolinate” by Bela Fleck and Edgar Meyer, published by Fleck Music (BMI), administered by Bug and by Hendon Music Inc., a Boosey and Hawkes Company, publisher and copyright owner. 3) “Sliding Down” by Edgar Meyer, an arrangement with Hendon Music Inc., a Boosey and Hawkes Company, publisher and copyright owner.
World Premiere: May 5, 2005, Kansas City Ballet, Lyric Theatre, Kansas City, Missouri