BWW Reviews: MARTHA SWOPE: THE REHEARSAL EXHIBITION By Trudy Garfunkel

Martha Swope: THE REHEARSAL EXHIBITION REVIEW by Trudy Garfunkel

Photographic Exhibition Captures Behind-the-Scenes Worlds of Theater and Dance

For nearly four decades (1957-1994), Martha Swope was America's pre-eminent photographer of theater and dance, her discerning eye chronicling hundreds of classical ballets, modern dance, and Broadway performances and performers. But she also went behind-the-scenes, documenting what audiences never get to experience-the creative collaborations that make the magic on stage possible: rehearsals.

Now, an exhibition of her rarely seen rehearsal photos at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center, gives us a glimpse of what she saw--the hard work, energy, and craftsmanship that make great art a reality. It is an illuminating visual record. As a photographer who also had studied ballet, she had a unique understanding of movement and process, an understanding that served her well in photographing dramatic plays, Broadway musicals, and dance performances on stage and in the rehearsal studio. Her ability to capture essential moments is evident in many of the visual images presented here.

Martha Swope: THE REHEARSAL (on view until January 26, 2013) celebrates this aspect of Martha Swope's life work in more than 100 (mostly) black and white photographs. Here are Merce Cunningham coaching New York City Ballet's Carol Sumner in his Summerspace (1966); Arthur Mitchell and Diana Adams rehearsing Agon before its creators, Igor Stravinsky and George Balanchine (1957); Erik Bruhn and Mikhail Baryshnikov rehearsing La Sylphide for American Ballet Theater (1975); Martha Graham setting her portion of Episodes at NYCB (1958); Savion Glover, Gregory Hines (in midair), and director George C. Wolfe practicing a dance number from Jelly's Last Jam (1992); Peter Gennaro demonstrating moves from West Side Story's Dance in the Gym sequence. Also from West Side Story, a photo of Jerome Robbins, Leonard Bernstein, Arthur Laurents, Stephen Sondheim, and other members of the creative staff in a studio before the premiere in 1957 (this photo, Ms. Swope's first published credit, appeared in Life magazine and was the start of her professional photographic career); Harold Prince and Patti LuPone backstage at Evita (1979); Geoffrey Holder directing Stephanie Mills in The Wiz; Michael Bennett sharing a laugh with the cast of A Chorus Line. Other iconic stage figures shown in rehearsal include Liza Minneli, Chita Rivera, Jack Lemon, and Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor. Complementing the photographic display are books, magazines, calendars, and programs that featured Ms. Swope's work.

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A passionate and enthusiastic dance lover with other interests in books, theater, music and architecture. I have served as the director of the docent program at the New York City Ballet. I am interested in all facets of dance, and do not limit myself to only one dance brand, as I call it. This encompasses ballet, modern, folk and whatever else there is. Call me eclectic.