For part three of Connect 2 Choreography's series on the Boston Dance Alliance's Open Call Audition, I emailed Melinda Sullivan, who choreographs for the Boston Early Music Festival.karen Krolak: I have bumped into to people from the Boston Early Music Festival (BEMF) at events at the Arts and Business Council of Greater Boston but I don't know much about the organization. Can you give us a little background about it?
Melinda Sullivan: BEMF is one of the world's leading interpreters of early music. They present a Concert Series and Chamber Opera in Boston each year and an international biennial festival that showcases a full-production baroque opera every other June.
kK: And, how long have you been involved with it?
Melinda Sullivan: BEMF is one of the world's leading interpreters of early music. They present a Concert Series and Chamber Opera in Boston each year and an international biennial festival that showcases a full-production baroque opera every other June.
kK: And, how long have you been involved with it?
MS: I have been working with Boston Early Music Festival since 1995, first as a dancer, then adding assistant choreographer and ballet mistress duties. For the November performance of Purcell's chamber opera, Dido and Aeneas, I will make 14 dances. This is BEMF's third chamber opera to be per
formed at New England Conservatory's Jordan Hall. The last two were only one night and sold out. This year we are adding a second performance.
kK: That is wonderful to hear that BEMF is building a bigger audience for seldom seen styles of dance. How do you develop these pieces?
MS: I am using English notations from 1700 as my basis. The dances will be English baroque and character dances from the same period. We will bring back two fabulous baroque dancers, Caroline Copeland and Carlos Fittante as our principals. We also need two females and a male to round out the company. I will offer baroque classes to the new dancers. Please visit www.bemf.org for more info and pictures.
kK: Have you attended the BDA's Open Call Audition before?
MS: Yes, I have attended the last two BDA auditions. There was mostly a pre-professional quality and not enough men. But, I am ever hopeful to find one female with excellent footwork, excellent ballet and modern abilities, musicality and theatricality for the November production, and two men for the June opera, Niobe.
kK: Well, best of luck finding people this weekend. Tomorrow I will continue this series with Sara Smith, who will be presenting a piece at Panther's Cave for Dance in the Fells.
formed at New England Conservatory's Jordan Hall. The last two were only one night and sold out. This year we are adding a second performance.kK: That is wonderful to hear that BEMF is building a bigger audience for seldom seen styles of dance. How do you develop these pieces?
MS: I am using English notations from 1700 as my basis. The dances will be English baroque and character dances from the same period. We will bring back two fabulous baroque dancers, Caroline Copeland and Carlos Fittante as our principals. We also need two females and a male to round out the company. I will offer baroque classes to the new dancers. Please visit www.bemf.org for more info and pictures.
kK: Have you attended the BDA's Open Call Audition before?
MS: Yes, I have attended the last two BDA auditions. There was mostly a pre-professional quality and not enough men. But, I am ever hopeful to find one female with excellent footwork, excellent ballet and modern abilities, musicality and theatricality for the November production, and two men for the June opera, Niobe.
kK: Well, best of luck finding people this weekend. Tomorrow I will continue this series with Sara Smith, who will be presenting a piece at Panther's Cave for Dance in the Fells.
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