“Dance history [brought] to vivid life”
—Dance chronicle
Serpentine Dance (1999)
Solo, 8 minutes
Jody Sperling blended scholarship and imagination to reimagine Serpentine Dance, the first work of modern dance pioneer Loie Fuller from 1891.
An examination of the historical record – including the court documents of Fuller’s lawsuit against an early imitator – provided the groundwork for this refreshing and convincing interpretation. In true Fuller style, Sperling spins her voluminous silk skirts into motion, creating captivating, moving sculptures about her body.
CHOREOGRAPHY/DANCER: Jody Sperling
MUSIC: Ernest Gillet’s / PIANO: Jeffrey Middleton
COSTUME: E. Shura Pollatsek
“She brought dance history to vivid life through an alliance of sound scholarship, aesthetic sensitivity, and a finely honed dancing body.”
–George Dorris, Co-Editor, Dance Chronicle