McLachlan ballet to explore women's lives

The Alberta Ballet offered a sneak peek of its upcoming Sarah McLachlan-inspired ballet in Calgary on Tuesday, along with news that two additional dates have been added to its spring run.

Fumbling Towards Ecstasyis the company'sthird pop-inspired dance production.

Artistic director Jean Grande-Matre decided to create the work after seeing the interest generated by his previous two ballets set to contemporary music. The Fiddle and the Drumwas set to themusic of Joni Mitchell, while Love Lies Bleeding,which reflected the life of Elton John.

Fumbling Towards Ecstasy will explore the "ever-changing lives of women," with female dancers ranging from 11-year-old girls to an experienced, 53-year-old ballerina.

The title of new ballet, also the name of McLachlan's hit 1993 album, hints at itssubject matter, Grande-Matre told CBC News.

"A lot of us suffer in our lives and are gauche and make mistakes and never learn how to forgive ourselves," he said.

"All of this is part of Sarah's music. In my choreographic vocabulary, I always tell the dancers: 'It's not always about grace. It's about finding grace. Struggling to find grace.' So sometimes I show their weight and the contraction of the body, which then leads to abandon, surrender, very soaring lines and graceful choreography. As much as she believes in the fumbling towards the ecstasy, so do I."

A longtime fan of McLachlan's, the Quebec choreographer revealed that when he lived in Europe years ago, he listened to her music to feel closer to home.

"I think she's one of the great melodic writers of our time. Her poetry is beautiful. She seems to bring us back to earth in this crazy entertainment industry that we have to suffer every day," he said.

Fumbling Towards Ecstasy will feature 17 McLachlan songs drawn "from her earliest albums to her latest," Grande-Matre said. Among the songs used are the title track, Hold On, Into the Fire, Good Enough, Ice Cream and Building a Mystery.

The Grammy and Juno-winning singer-songwriter has been heavily involved in the ballet's creative process, he added. She's helpedchoose songs, aided with the libretto, lent a hand with fundraising and even provided some personal art that will be projected during the performance.

"In the ballet world, a lot of the composers we work with died centuries ago. So to be able to work with a living composer, who can share with you their thoughts on their music [...], enables us to create a ballet that hopefully will be so truthful and so intimate," Grande-Matre said.

Fumbling Towards Ecstasy will debut in Calgary on May 4. It continues through May 7. An Edmonton engagement follows May 12-14. The company is also in talks to tour the ballet across North America.