For three weeks I was immersed, drawing dancers as Margo
Sappington taught the Milwaukee Ballet her new work, COMMON PEOPLE. She was
patient, supportive, open to
modifying her choreography in accordance with a dancer’s strengths and
weaknesses. As in any work of art, the details could not show me the whole,
especially as envisioned by Margo. And as much as I loved the individual
sections, the whole was a mind-blower! The costumes, the use of light, the
explosive color, combined with Shatner’s words, the insight, the humor, the varying moods, I really couldn’t see it till I
saw it. Ahead of time, Adolph said
he’d go with me once; this afternoon will be his third time, for it’s the sort
of work you can see over and over again, and see something new every time. We
dragged two of our grandsons last night, one six years old, the other almost
nine, both in a state of constant complaint until Margo’s dance began. Then even they were mesmerized. The
older one said afterwards, “That was more like a rock dance than a ballet.” Too bad I’ve been too busy to write
this sooner! You have three hours left to go to the last performance.
