Performed in Dresden, Germany
October 8, 1999
Scene from Ascent IV
Iris Sputh, Dancer
Performed in Dresden, Germany
October 8, 1999
Scene from Ascent IV
Iris Sputh, Dancer
Hoop Dances
Music: Stephen Rush
Scenario: Stephen Rush
Set: Michael Rodemer
Choreography: Iris Sputh
Contrabass: Matthias Bauer
Dancer: Iris Sputh
"Hoop Dances" is a collaborative artwork by composer Stephen Rush and sculptor
Michael Rodemer, with additional creative improvisational input from Contrabassist
Matthias Bauer and Dancer Iris Sputh.
The narrative of the work is derived from a vision experienced by a Lakota Sioux
mystic named Black Elk. His vision was recorded in John Niehardt's book "Black
Elk Speaks".
In the vision Black Elk sees his nation, the Sioux, symbolised as a hoop and a tree.
Stephen Rush has constructed the piece "Hoop Dances" in five large sections
or movements, each reflecting one of the "Ascents" described by Black Elk
in his vision. These Ascents, or steps, are like the rungs of a ladder, steps that
his nation must take in order to survive and transcend the unsettling presence of
the "white man" on native soil.
At the beginning of the First Ascent, the hoop lies around the base of a tree. The
hoop is a symbol of wholeness, vibrancy and vitality. The Second Ascent sees leaves
falling from the tree, symbolizing a weakening of the tree. The Third Ascent marks
the breaking up of the sacred circle, accompanied by the sound of "the whole
universe carrying the war in the winds". At the beginning of the Fourth Ascent
the tree is actually wilted and dead.
Then another plant begins to grow in its place, and the hoop returns in a three-dimensional
web of hoops, with bright-colored blossoms growing up around the plant to symbolise
the vitality of the restored culture.
The piece "Hoop Dances" is a way of retelling Black Elk's vision to a contemporary
audience, and is meant to embody the transformation and healing of all world cultures.
This piece was written expressly for the "Dresden Days" in hope that the
transformation taking place in Germany, especially in Dresden, can be celebrated
by the collaboration of German and American artists in the premiere performance of
the work.
Special thanks are due to Iris Sputh and Matthias Bauer for their generous and giving
spirit.