To end this week of Serenade exploration, conversation, and celebration, I wanted to leave you with some parting thoughts on the final scene of the ballet.
The following was written by @claudiarothpierpont in 1984 for Ballet Review:
“The men lift her high, standing, and carry her aloft like a saint’s figure in procession, on a slow diagonal toward the back of the stage. As they move forward, she very slowly begins to raise her arms upward, passing through postures of supplication to the final one of surrender, her back arching deeply as her arms pass overhead and behind her. She is borne completely open and unprotected into the light. In her wake, a trail of girls rises up onto pointe and echoes her opening back as they follow. […] These last moments of Serenade have always imparted a sense of the mysteries of death and redemption. In a deeply felt performance of these moments in November 1982, when Balanchine was first known to be gravely ill, Karin von Aroldingen raised her arms upward through a clasped steeple of prayer as she gave herself to the light.”
“You may or may not believe in heaven. I doubt I do. But I went there once. In Serenade, we are dancing for Mr. B at the pearly gates, his angels, ghosts, fairies, sylphs, Psyche reunited with her beloved Cupid.”
—Toni Bentley, Serenade: A Balanchine Story
As you swipe through the photos, you nearly get a 360 view of the final image of the ballet.
(top left) Mimi Paul by Martha Swope, 1966
(top right) Suzanne Farrell by Martha Swope, 1968
(second row) By Roger Wood, 1952
(third row, left) Diana Adams by Fred Fehl, 1960
(third row, right) Martha Swope, 1958
(bottom) Martha Swope, 1960
Thank you @alastair_macaulay_ for pointing me in the right direction several times and joining in the conversation of this Balanchine milestone! If you want to learn more about Serenade and have several hours to spare, I recommend exploring his essay, “The genesis of Balanchine’s ‘Serenade’: a chronology and bibliography"
Today I put out a call-to-action on Instagram for dancers around the world to post a photo of themself dancing Serenade. Over 100 people participated!
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