Turkish by Matisse (1973)
Turkish By Matisse is a richly textured and emotionally gripping work set by Mari Sandoval to Igor Stravinsky’s Three Pieces for String Quartet. It was originally created by Ms. Sandoval in 1975 as an assignment for her teacher, the legendary Carmelita Maracci. She performed the piece numerous times in the Los Angeles area as a member of the Storie-Crawford Dance Theatre Ensemble (SCDTE), receiving critical acclaim. She eventually passed the piece on to Carrie Diamond, who was her student at Santa Monica High School as well as a fellow SCDTE dancer, who then passed it on to her student, Nikki Pfeiifer. Ms. Sandoval’s ballet perfectly captures the flavor of Matisse’s French countryside juxtaposed with the exoticism of his portraits of Turkish odalisques while illuminating the moving Stravinsky score.
Choreography: Mari Sandoval
Music: Three Pieces for String Quartet by Igor Stravinsky
First AD&M Performance: June 8, 2014
Performances
Dance: Up Close and Cultural 2014
Carillo Recreation Center
Santa Barbara Premiere
Danced by Carrie Diamond
Turkish By Matisse and Other Delights : May, 2015
New Victoria Theatre
