Title: Ode
Premiere: April 26, 1975, Altschul Plaza, Barnard College, NYC
Performer: Jessica Fogel
Duration: 8 minutes.
Music: Excerpts from J.S. Bach’s Goldberg Variations, Glenn Gould pianist
Description: I wrote a program note/poem that was distributed to onlookers before the performance. It was performed outdoors in Altschul Plaza, Barnard College, NYC, as part of the college’s annual spring festival. The dance was particularly designed for Altschul Plaza’s circular bench, which no longer exists. At the beginning of the dance, I released a helium balloon into the air. The balloon station at the festival had run out of balloons, so I had to borrow one from a little girl—the daughter of a friend of Sandra Genter’s. The little girl burst into tears when I released the balloon at the beginning of the dance. I felt bad, but the dance went on.
Photo contact sheets of Ode by photographer Gerry Goldstein 4/25/75
