RIDE
is an evening-length theatrical performance work for horses, dancers and riders. It explores the sensuous and archetypal bond between horse and human through a powerful mix of music, dance, and aerial ballet. Originally performed on Martha's Vineyard, it is currently in development in the New York/Connecticut area.
In RIDE, the horse is the beloved - the dance speaks to our hunger for communion with a more primal self, and a desire to experience ourselves as partners and participants with all of nature. In the words of poet James Wright,
Yet the earth contains
The horse as a remembrancer of wild
Arenas we avoid.
— James Wright
The cast includes eight to ten dancers and six to eight horses and riders, with live music and video projection, creating an intimate and spectacular theatrical experience.
The next step in the development of RIDE is a workshop exploration of new work with an aerialist and three horses. Currently scheduled for late April 2008, the rigging will be by Flying by Foy, whose fifty-year credits include most Broadway performances, and who set the gold standard for theatrical flying. For the past twenty years, they have worked with Paola Styron, the aerialist, dancer and equestrian for RIDE. In addition to Ms. Styron, the workshop will include two of Ms. Josa-Jones principal dancers, Ingrid Schatz and Deanna Pellecchia, and three horses, including the well-known liberty-trained horse, Escorial, subject of the upcoming book, Pony Dances. The concept for the workshop is exciting and fresh, as there has never been a theatrical work that combined this complex and elegant aerial technology in a performance with horses.
During the workshop, we will create live performance elements, as well as filming the aerial sequences for the dance film, ARENA. At the conclusion of the workshop we will hold an open rehearsal for potential producers, investors and broadcasters. We are projecting a premiere of the live performance in 2009.