Strange Humors (1998)
for string quartet and djembe
duration: 5'
versions also available for concert band and sax quartet
Premiered January 1998, Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center, New York.
Choreographed by Robert Battle
I originally wrote this piece for a Juilliard student as part of a workshop class. Robert Battle soon got a hold of it and gave it a whole new spin. Thanks to the Parsons Dance Company, this work has been heard over 150 times in performances around the world, and it remains in the Company's active repertoire. Stylistically, this "sultry" piece (according to the New York Times) attempts to merge pseudo-African hand drumming and pseudo-middle eastern folk music.
Video of Strange Humors
Music by John Mackey
Choreography by Robert Battle - choreography copyright © 1998, Robert Battle
Dancers: Samuel Roberts and George Smallwood
Performed at the Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival