Jazz legend and saxophonist John Coltrane’s 1964 album, “A Love Supreme,” will be performed at 8 p.m. Tuesday at the Riffe Center Davidson Theatre at 77 S. High St.
Rosas, Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker’s dance company, put together the show, which De Keersmaeker choreographed along with her partner Salva Sanchis. Four male dancers will imitate the musicians in Coltrane’s quartet, each one representing the style and sound of one the instruments.
Melissa Starker, public relations manager at the Wexner Center for the Arts, said the dance’s trajectory mirrored that of the album itself.
Rosas dancers perform a choreographed rendition of John Coltrane’s 1964 album “A Love Supreme.” Credit: Courtesy of Anne Van Aerschot
“[The choreographers] were fascinated by the “Love Supreme” and worked together to put the piece of music to movement,” she said. “The way it evolved was similar to the album; it was Coltrane’s quartet improvisation. The dance piece started as improvisation and turned in to the show it is now.”
The choreographers’ infatuation with “A Love Supreme” led to the collaboration, which the New York Times called “Ecstatic. Freewheeling. Improvisatory.”
Sanchis helps to bring an improvisational element to the performance that coincides with the music while De Keersmaeker is responsible for the overall composition of the dance set to to the album, which earned a spot in the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999.
Lane Czaplinski, director of performing arts at the Wexner Center, who worked with De Keersmaeker at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, said the the Wexner Center chose to host the event because the chance to see this show should not be taken for granted.
“She’s one of the most famous leading living choreographers in the world. She doesn’t come to the U.S. all that often, so these opportunities are pretty special,” he said.
The quartet premiered its show in Brussels in February and has many upcoming shows throughout Europe in the months ahead. The Riffe Center is one of its few stops in the U.S., along with Philadelphia, Minneapolis, Princeton, New Jersey, and New York.
Tickets are still available via TicketMaster and are $26.50 plus fees for the general public and $16.50 plus fees for students.
