Running Time: 8 minutes, 16 seconds

Music: Michael Nyman

       Concerto for Saxophone & Cello, Excerpts

Dancer Requirements:

Nine Women, including:

One Lead Soloist

One Allegro Soloist

One Adagio Soloist and

Six Female Corps

Soloist women must have strong pointe work and acting ability and be comfortable with modern dance movement.

Technical Requirements:

Stage Size: 30 x 20 preferred

Crossover needed

Special down left

Costumes:

Women: Originally set with short dresses in silk chiffon. Nine dresses in nine different colors.  Tan pointe shoes and tan tights.

Owned by: Gwinnett Ballet Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia

Description

Sententia is a contemporary ballet in three movements set to the unusual, driving Nyman Concerto for Saxophone and Cello.  The ballet loosely tells the story of a malcontent woman who realizes she can leave her present state of despair and depression to find happiness.  The choreography incorporates contemporary ballet and advanced modern dance movement.

In the first movement, the three "angry" dancers, dressed in dark, cool colors, lie in a heap at stage right.  The Lead malcontented female, originally costumed in green, dances a forceful solo demonstrating strong modern technique, turns, and extension. The other two malcontented dancers stand and dance an aggressive trio of strong jumps and difficult turns with constant, abrupt level changes, from high to low.

The "happy group" dressed in warm colors, enters from stage left, in upward-gazing leaps, jumps and turns.  The two groups dance simultaneously, using their separate vocabularies of movement and performance qualities before joining momentarily in complementary movements at different levels. 

All of the "happy group" exit except the Allegro Soloist, originally costumed in yellow.  The Allegro Soloist dances for the Lead Soloist with giddy, elfish petite allegro and delightful speed.  She is joined by two other happy dancers - flowing into a graceful adagio canon.  As the adagio builds musically, with the addition of new musical themes, the Adagio Soloist (originally costumed in scarlet) is partnered by members of the canon trio.  The Adagio Soloist performs a winsome, blissful adagio of lilting extensions, floating arabesque turns, Heaven-ward spiraling turns, and slow-motion pointe work in willowy lines.  The "happy" corps dancers re-enter the stage, and are joined, with some coaxing, by the Lead Soloist.  As the music suddenly returns to the playfully fast allegro, The Allegro Soloist and the Lead Soloist dance a joyful duet, and are then joined by the Happy corps in an exciting unison segment.

Just as the music builds to a clear celebratory saxophone solo, it suddenly turns out-of-key, like crying, and the two remaining "malcontent" dancers re-enter, calling the Lead Soloist into despair again.

The Happy dancers try to regain the Lead soloist, but fail, as she returns to the heap of cool-colored dancers downstage right.

The finale begins with the happy dancers in a series of walking crossovers, with sporadic dancers executing technically dazzling turns, jumps, or sharp pointe work.  Finally, the Lead Soloist realizes that she truly wants to achieve a more joyful outlook and calls the other members of her trio to join her.  The ballet finishes with a carefree repeat and development of the original unison allegro, with the Malcontent trio joining ecstatically.  The Lead Soloist, Allegro Soloist and Adagio Soloist dance together in counterpoint with the ensemble as the saxophone plays a solo against the orchestra.  As the music slows to a short phrase from the elegant adagio, all the ensemble, exit to stage right, with the Lead Soloist following triumphantly.

History:

Sententia was first commissioned by Lisa Sheppard's Gwinnett Ballet Theatre in 2003.

It was performed in 2004 in concert with the

Joffrey Ensemble along with Ms. Nilsson's jazz work Summertime.