fondly do we hope...

I have to admit: I do not do much reflectvie thinking about Abraham Lincoln. I don't think that much about him at all, if I am honest. I mean, he was a great man, a great President (perhaps THE greatest president we've ever had, with all due respect and apologies to George Washington), I live in his Land, and I happily spend the currency that is marked by his wise and solemn visage. I was intrigued by the idea of Bill T. Jones's "Fondly do we hope... fervently do we pray" - a commissioned dance work reflecting on Lincoln's legacy during this year, the bicentennial of his birth.

Off we went to Ravinia on Saturday night for the last performance of the season. It's always sort of a melancholy place to be on the last night of the season - it was chilly, and empty (even though the restaurants were open and so it was possible to obtain one last carrot cupcake)and parking was free. (Okay, so that wasn't melancholy as such.) I didn't know what to expect - but the performance sure did deliver. It was a clever, skillful blend of dance, song, prose (from Walt Whitman, and from speeches made by the Man himself), and history. A quote from Vanity Fair says something about the past, present and future mingling freely in Jones' body and his body of work - sounds pretty, right? But watching the piece, I started to understand what the quote was saying. The 90 minute piece flashed back to the Civil War, and Lincoln's assassination, then fast forwarded, to snippets of modern day stories (each told through words and dance) and then fast forwarded again, to a person in the future. All tied together by the admiration of a great man, Lincoln, and how his legacy has impacted each one of us in turn.

It was pretty deep. When I was sitting there, I don't think I was able to absorb the whole of what was happening. I had not read anything about the work on purpose - I wanted to see it and then form opinions for myself about what was happening. Yeah, maybe not the best strategy here. But I've been reading now, about Jones and his work and I think I am able to more fully appreciate "fondly" on reflection. I have also posted Hedy Weiss's review on this blog - she may explain the details better than I have done here.

So yes. Overall a very rewarding and interesting close to the season. Until next summer, Ravinia.