I think that is probably the question on everyone’s minds. How was the premiere performance of Divina.com?
The answer is a broad one, of course. For the audience (“guests”) the evening began with aperitifs in the museum courtyard, while tech setup continued. About a half hour after the doors opened to guests, the dancers came onstage in their leotards to do their warmup class with Marga Nativo, their ballet mistress. This was a special treat for the audience who felt drawn in and intimately involved in the whole performance. It was also unavoidable, as there is no curtain, and there is no backstage to speak of.
To perform such a large piece at the Bargello necessitates that kind of inclusive quality. There is an open area in the center, and a colonnade around the sides with classic arched ceiling that hosts all the statues. The stage basically spans 3/4 of the width of the open area, and 2/3 of the depth as well, leaving room for about 100 seats in front of the stage and another 150 or so under the colonnade.
Stage at the Bargello Museum
To the right of the stage (stage left), is a zone with poor visibility, so all seats were removed, leaving a nice open milling space for the aperitivo. That was hosted by the hotelier and restaurateur of Palazzuolo Sul Senio, who took advantage of the opportunity to promote their village as a vacation site.
Stage as seen from tech table
From 5 to 7:30pm we did a full run-through. I think this might have sapped the dancers a little bit, but it definitely helped anchor the details for everyone, especially the lighting designers who hadn’t been able to practice all their cues even once yet. Some costume details were figured out for the first time, and Mirko Bottai tells me he was finishing up costumes just before the ballet began.
I have to make an aside.. Mirko is a total sweetheart. He’s a very energetic vital with lots of vision, lots of talent. He said his goal was to bring Adi Da’s art down onto the stage through the costumes, and I think he did a really good job.
The projection professionals were really challenged to meet the requirements and limitations of this gig, and there are more details to handle before the next performance. Their director expressed that he takes pride in his work and wants it to go flawlessly — this is an attitude shared by every professional involved.
Last week, Keith Ferrone, the choreographer, joked that I would be handing over the final version of the file a half-hour before performance. I didn’t realize how close this prediction would be! After the run-through finished, Keith requested two little timing changes before the evening’s performance. They were simple enough, so I agreed. When I went home to shower and change I setup my laptop and made the changes, outputting four new files for that purpose.
This meant, of course, that my final files had not been fully tested in a runthrough, and I was calmly sweating bullets until the end of the ballet. I did NOT want to be the person who single-handedly would bring the show to its knees!
The performance went really well. Yes, little glitches, but again and again a smile came to the face seeing things coinciding perfectly to enhance the performance value.
So today I relax, letting concern fly to the winds. Tomorrow it is back to work.
And this week I PROMISE to visit museums. Starting today! I’ll report in tomorrow.
All my love and gratitude to everyone who has made this trip possible.
Bargello Colonnade, stage right
Cenacolo di Ognissanti, and the Chiesa
Three of us took a morning trip to the church where Adi Da’s Art had been on display during last year’s Winter In Florence arts festival. It is an old monastery housing fantastic Ghirlandaio frescoes, including “The Last Supper”. The Cenacolo is by the river, and in the 20th Century had known severe damage due to high flooding in the city. Restoration had been selective and inconsistent in quality and style. One gets the feeling that if a patron wanted some part restored that small part would be repainted, leaving the rest in its earlier condition. But it is wonderful to see the art in its original setting. In the Vespucci family church next door there was also much wonderful art. There is a radiance and transcendental quality in the art in these two buildings. Outside in a small square a wonderful bronze statue stands… Hercules wrestling with a lion. I love the orbiting energy of man and beast, where they become a single force of movement and animal strength.