Dancers bring the Alhambra to life

Mosaic Dance Theater Co., the Glen Ridge troupe dedicated to the dance movements and folklore of the Mediterranean region — the Middle East, North Africa and southern Europe, will be performing at Freeman Gardens on Saturday, Sept. 14, at 4 p.m.

The show will be a 30-minute excerpt taken from the complete 90-minute performances of “Impressions of the Alhambra,” scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 28 and Sunday, Sept. 29, 5 p.m and 3 p.m, respectively, at the First Congregational Church, Montclair.

The story line is based on the writings of Washington Irving (1783-1859) who wrote about the Alhambra, a 13th-century palace-city overlooking Granada, Spain, built by the Moors. The area around the Alhambra was well-trod by Irving who, in addition to being a writer, served as U.S. ambassador to Spain.

Morgiana Celeste Varricchio, the company founder who adapted Irving’s work, will be directing. She said “Impressions of the Alhambra” has been percolating in her head for 20 years.

The entire piece to be performed in Montclair is in three parts. Part I envisions Irving, the chronicler.

“His writing describes what he sees, but he goes a step further with just how he reacts to what he sees,” Varricchio said. “His imagination is always working.”
Parts II and III are adaptations of two legends.

“He spoke the language fluently,” Varricchio said, “so he could get right to the heart of the people who were the keepers of the lore. He retold the stories and that is what the audience will see in the dance.”

Part II will be performed at Freeman Gardens. It is a revival of a dance in the company’s repertoire. This is the Legend of the Three Beautiful Princesses whose names were Zayda, Zorayda and Zorahayda. Their father, Mohammed the Left-handed, locks them away in a tower after seeing the arrival of three handsome Spanish knights, Catholics who were taken prisoner. (Mohammed is “left-handed” to insinuate that he meddles in other people’s affairs.)

Through a window in the tower, the princesses and knights communicate and fall in love. But when the knights are ransomed by their families, before returning home, they plot an escape for their future brides. Using a rope to descend the tower, two of the princesses flee with their rescuers, but Zorahayda remains behind. She dies of a broken heart.

In Part III, the time period is 100 years after this escape and an adaptation of “The Legend of the Rose of Alhambra.” Granada is now in Spanish hands and King Philip V is visiting the city. A court page is in the field with a falcon. It uncontrollably flies away and perches on the tower where the three princesses were imprisoned. The bird will not budge, so the boy goes to retrieve it.

A young, beautiful girl opens the tower door. The page enters and, smitten with each other, they fall in love. But when Philip leaves Granada, taking the boy with him, the girl gives him a rose and succumbs to hopeless despair. But the spirit of Zorahayda, the broken-hearted princess, appears and asks the girl to play a magic flute to free her from her spirit.

The girl plays, releasing the spirit. Word of this reaches Philip’s court and the queen summons the girl to play for her. The girl obeys and is reunited with the boy.

“In the adaptation, I look for movement,” explained Varricchio. “For instance, Irving describes a muleteer who drives the mules. Here’s movement and an opportunity for a solo dancer.”

Irving also wrote of entering an inn where the host’s daughter dances, Varricchio said. This was another opportunity to adapt. But for “Impressions of Alhambra,” historically appropriate dances must be from three different time periods. There is the time period of Irving’s journey, then when the Moors controlled Granada and then 100 years later.

For instance, Varricchio said early 19th-century flamenco was not yet codified into a blueprint for dance. But her company strives to be in step with folk dances from unrecorded times.

“The production is not a museum piece, but entertainment,” she said.

Nonetheless, the show has used two choreographers, Samara Adell and Carlos Fittante, who is a specialist in dance styles. Ten people are cast.

As for the upcoming garden attraction, Varricchio said it is physically harder to perform in the open air than a room. The variables of an outdoor atmosphere are no picnic for dancers because they fatigue more quickly. For better or worse, there is no rain date for the Freeman Garden show, but the Montclair shows are free-of-charge with reservations requested: https://ticketstripe.com/
events/8883105590407081.

  Alhambra, Freeman’s Garden, Glen Ridge, Mosaic Dance Theater Co.