November 6th belated bird-day celebration

The stately Tarah Birtwhistle and Jaime Vargas, photo: David Cooper

"The Messiah", created by Argentinian choreographer Mauricio Wainrot -- former Artistic Director of Les Ballets Jazz de Montreal -- for the Ballet Royal de Belgique, premiered in September 1997, but on Friday night, it was created for Susan and me in celebration of my "amie pour la vie".

The Royal Winnipeg Ballet holds the double distinction of being Canada's premier ballet company and the longest continuously operating ballet company in North America. In 1953, the company received its royal title, the first granted under the reign of Queen Elizabeth II. The lofty music of Handel's masterpiece was recorded by the Academy and Chorus of St. Martin-in-the-Fields in April 1992 at the Point Theatre in Dublin, Ireland. Each of the dizzying 32-sections ended with a striking sculptural effect, often with one dancer lifted heavenward by a group into a tricky pose. The female dancers wore ballet slippers rather than pointe shoes and the company were gorgeously yet simply costumed in pristine white by Carlos Gallardo, the male dancers in unbelievably flattering pants and shirts. The sets were pure white and when dancers in the company were not onstage, they sat side-by-side, backs erect, hands on their laps, on white benches upstage, reminding me of birds lined-up on a wire.

For its premiere in Buenos Aires at the end of 1999, Wainrot wrote: "As we entered the 21st century ...the Messiah, at this special moment, represents a look back at new or old utopias, a turn to ourselves to listen to our most intimate silence and to get closer to others, especially those we love, those who share our destiny and those who are and were witnesses of our joy and pain."

Fitting words for a memorable evening with my best friend.