“A masterful work of resplendent yet restrained evocation of the supernatural”
—Phillip Sandstrom, dance insider
Clair de lune (2005)
Solo, 5 minutes
CHOREOGRAPHY: Jody Sperling
LIGHTING: David Ferri
MUSIC: Claude Debussy
ORIGINAL PIANIST: Jeffrey Middleton
ORIGINAL COSTUME: Michelle Ferranti
REDESIGNED COSTUME: Jody Sperling (Design), Jeanette Aulz (Fabrication)
Created in homage to Loie Fuller
World Premiere June 22, 2005
Paul Taylor Dance Company Premiere: November 16, 2024
Originally performed as the first movement in the three-part Debussy Soirée, Clair de Lune was has been a standalone favorite following its premiere. The work is a stunning synthesis of light, movement, and music. Evoking the shimmer of the moonlit sky, the dancer swirls an enormous Fuller-style costume into huge, multi-faceted iridescent shapes.
For an extended whirling moment, the performer manifests a full moon gliding across the stage. In the piece’s apotheosis, the dancer slowly spreads her wings and appears as an angel of the night.
“an exquisite re-vivification of Fuller’s unique form”
–Dance Enthusiast
”wowed the audience . . . visually mesmerizing homage"
—Out and About Magazine
"creates a mood of poetic rapture"
–Oberon's Grove
“She might be a mother-of-pearl anemone-butterfly Christmas-tree angel, soothing and ethereal.”
–Chris Dohse, New York Press