by Crystal Pite, associate choreographer
Choreography: the second person by crystal pite
Photo: joris-jan bos
“This is a picture Joris-Jan Bos took of the final moments of The Second Person, a work I created for NDT 1 in 2007.
This scene was particularly poignant for me as Mariëtte Redel was partnered by the entire cast of more than two dozen people. Mariëtte herself was transcendent. She travelled along known paths, yet improvised her response with luminous grace and presence. The rest of the cast held and carried and animated her body in the most attentive and compassionate way, as if she were the world’s most precious vessel; as if she contained their collective soul. The group became a single entity, and Mariëtte was both its puppet, and its god.
The compassion and mastery of the company were breathtaking.
I have been moved and shaped by moments like this. I’ve had the chance to learn profound things, I’ve caught glimpses of grace, I’ve been touched to the core by the experience of creating with other humans. This was one of those moments for me. NDT, as a company, continues to be one of my greatest teachers.”
