Order of the Playbill
Whoever decided the order for the playbill and placed the Martha Graham Company’s performance of “The Rite of Spring” immediately after the Russian Ballet’s performance was a genius. Traditional ballet is full of pointed toes, grace, and elegance. However, in “The Rite of Spring”, there was stomping, no pointed toes whatsoever, and the concept was full of savagery and sacrifice and the music sounded like a battle cry at times. The order of the performance could not have been any better planned. It helps the audience realize that “The Rite of Spring” is not to be taken lightly and to understand how controversial it was when it first was performed. Today, all forms of expression are accepted and to not accept would award one with the title of being “Conservative.” Of course, the combination of music and choreography were the main components to setting this performance aside from all other, but the order of the “Fall for Dance Festival” helped it unique character become more emphasized.
