Bach and Ballet

‘Bach and Ballet’ explores the synergy between dance and music by interpreting the works for solo cello and violin by J.S. Bach and works by other great composers through the medium of contemporary ballet, and vice-versa.

An interdisciplinary collaboration between spouses – violist Geoffrey and dancer-choreographer Mikayla Archambeau – ‘Bach and Ballet’ includes performances of Bach’s suites, Manuel de Falla’s Canciones Populares, and Chahagir (Torchbearer) by Alain Hovhaness.

Live music and dance highlight the deeply emotional qualities of fine performing arts, including baroque dance forms as interpreted by Bach, Geoffrey’s virtuosic playing of the viola, and Mikayla’s own fresh take on the music of an old master alongside her dramatic dance founded in classical ballet, an ancient art form of its own.

The result is an affirmation of human potential in an ‘age of anxiety,’ music and dance experienced in their organic essence without technology or amplification. For educational outreach at schools, shorter excerpts will be offered, with engaging explanations to support context.