'The Best Thing To Hold Onto In Life Is Each Other'

‘Requiem for a Rose’ was inspired when Lopez Ochoa received a bunch of roses; their wilting was a perfect metaphor for romance, once beautiful but one day stops existing (Faizi, 2018), as opposed to devoted love, which is left enduring. Lopez Ochoa paints the image of a rose through both costume and formation. The dancers all dressed in flowing red skirts with nude coloured tops give the impression of petals of a rose. In the excerpt I analysed, the dancers surround the central couple in a semi-circle, which reflects petals of the rose spiralling around the central point, or flower heads fitting together into a bouquet (Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, 2019).

The idea of romance is established through the choreography, such as the lyrical movements. Lopez Ochoa focussed enormously on the softness of the movement, which is evident in the work (PennsylvaniaBallet, 2009). She draws on her flamenco and street dance background to incorporate the undulation of the swirling dancers. The central couple also embodies this passionate romance, with their constant connection to each other, either physically or through intention (Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, 2019). The comparison of romance with real love is most obvious through the contrast of the whimsical petal-like dancers, with the singular bare dancer, who moves in an angular and static way (Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, 2019). This communicates that love is not always pretty, and represents the rawness of true love, as opposed to the flourishes of romance. The adagio strings music was chosen by Lopez Ochoa purely for the reason that it was ‘the most romantic music (she) knew’ (CNN, 2013) and so further develops the image in the audience's mind.

In her creative process, Lope Ochoa began her vision with symbols as opposed to movement, as is apparent from the striking visual she formed in ‘Requiem for a Rose’ (smuinballet, 2017). She also made sure in her choreography to articulate exactly what feelings she wanted to express through each step (PennsylvaniaBallet, 2009), which is both obvious, and instrumental in what makes the finished piece so successful in its emotional connection to those watching.

The overall impact of this excerpt of ‘Requiem for a Rose’ is that it provokes viewers to reconsider love, sparking the revelation that romance is just the exterior to the greater interior that is love. The piece creates beauty and then fights to work against it, divulging the truest side of human emotion (PennsylvaniaBallet, 2009). 

Bibliography

Faizi, E. (2018). Creating New Realities: Annabelle Lopez Ochoa Revisits "Requiem for a Rose". [online] Smuin Ballet. Available at: http://www.smuinballet.org/annabellelopezochoa/ [Accessed 28 Nov. 2019].

smuinballet (2017). Requiem for A Rose: An Interview with Annabelle Lopez Ochoa. [video] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uauPXK_3BG4 [Accessed 28 Nov. 2019].

CNN (2013). Atlanta Ballet's "Requiem for a Rose". [video] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6aGMndjsrLU&t=30s [Accessed 28 Nov. 2019].

PennsylvaniaBallet (2009). Pennsylvania Ballet: Requiem for a Rose. [video] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3czmJKOcA7U [Accessed 28 Nov. 2019].


Excerpt:

Annabelle Lopez Ochoa (2019). Requiem for a rose - Excerpt. [video] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZ_qcfmaPEw&list=WL&index=13&t=0s [Accessed 28 Nov. 2019].