'Rite of Spring at 100' off to a fiery start

Carolina Performing Arts’ “The Rite of Spring at 100” series might not have culminated in a riot in 2012, but the series is off to a fiery start.

The series celebrates the centennial anniversary of Igor Stravinsky and Vaslav Nijinsky’s controversial 1913 ballet “The Rite of Spring.”

The Silk Road Ensemble featuring cellist Yo-Yo Ma kicked off the series in September.

Other world-renowned artists such as the string quartet Brooklyn Rider, dance group Compagnie Marie Chouinard and members of the Mariinsky Orchestra soon followed.

In total, CPA commissioned 12 new works to interpret “The Rite of Spring” in the forms of movement, imagery and music during its 2012-13 season.

“It will be a real cross section of the piece throughout history, but then moving forward with some very interesting and exciting contemporary voices,” said Marnie Karmelita, director of artist relations at CPA.

Mark Nelson, director of marketing at CPA, said “The Rite of Spring at 100” was given its own marketing campaign so it could receive the attention it deserves.

“We really consciously made the decision that it’s part of the season — but it’s a stand-alone event,” Nelson said. “It wouldn’t get the attention it deserves were it a sub-line under the regular season.”

The orange abstract sun that serves as “The Rite of Spring at 100” logo captures the original ballet’s energy, Nelson said.

CPA also celebrated the centennial event with the academic conference “‘Reassessing ‘The Rite’: A Centennial Conference” in October.

Will Robin, an event coordinator and a UNC musicology graduate student, said the conference merged performing arts, campus culture and scholarly attitudes.

The weekend conference featured 26 scholars and explored the impact “The Rite of Spring” has had on culture throughout the 20th century.

The conference was funded primarily by a $750,000 grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, said Reed Colver, CPA’s director of campus and community engagement.

“For us to be able to bring scholars from all over the world for this conference, and then also to have some of our UNC scholars to be able to go to Russia and participate in a sister conference, is really incredible,” Colver said.

“The Rite of Spring at 100” series also had a presence in the classroom.

The art, music, communication and English departments offered nine classes in the fall 2012 semester that incorporated “The Rite of Spring” into their curriculums.

The wide range of course topics, from avant-garde film to literature, all discussed modernism in one way or another.

John McGowan, who organized “The Rite of Spring at 100” courses, said the series should extend outside the theater.

“The key idea is to better integrate what is being done in Memorial Hall into the academic life of students and faculty on campus,” McGowan said.

Emil Kang, executive director for the arts at UNC, said CPA is not looking to present the ballet over and over again.

“We’re not looking behind, but forward — and how to think about the performing arts in a new way,” Kang said.

“It’s the idea of looking at an artistic work that can really provide a unique lens of looking at society and the world.”

Contact the desk editor at arts@dailytarheel.com.