Chronicle

About the show

Chronicle is more than an hour in length and chronicles the time frame from 1914 to 1936. It is divided into three major sections: Dances Before Catastrophe, which includes Spectre-1914 and Masque; Dances After Catastrophe, which includes Steps in the Street and Tragic Holiday-In Memoriam; and a final section Prelude to Action. Each section has been performed as an independent work. The opening solo Spectre-1914 is a prelude to the action that follows. The dancer moves with stiff, robotic gestures in response to off-stage drums and trumpet, an embodiment, perhaps, of the inevitability of marching off to war. In the subsequent section Masque, a soloist costumed in metallic gray holds forth to an audience of followers in a formal, "court-like" display. Steps in the Street, a long ensemble piece, suggests a mass of unwanted individuals, such as a group of the unemployed or homeless. The dancers shuffle dejectedly, occasionally rallying to execute rebellious gestures, and then return to their resigned trudging. Carrying a black flag, the soloist then leads the ensemble in a service of commemoration (Tragic Holiday-In Memoriam). The finale Prelude to Action depicts a call for "a brave new world".