Ballet British Columbia

Balanchine's famous quote that "Dance is music made visible" reminds us that movement and music are related in an intricate symbiotic relationship. Given the anthropological evidence, it is obvious that the two art forms have been intertwined since the very beginnings of human society.

Whether it's as simple as rhythmic patterns in the form of instrumental expression or the human voice in song, music organizes and coordinates physical movement. The regularity of most music imposes structure on what might otherwise be a series of random actions. Historical records show that the great Greek dramas were usually accompanied by musical instruments and almost always with words or dancing, often with both.

For Tobin Stokes, the composer of the music for A Streetcar Named Desire, there have been many nights working late, trying to complete the intricate melodies before the ballet's world premiere on April 6, 2006. The 95 minutes of music, like the ballet itself, has to reflect different time periods and a variety of moods. "John Alleyne was very clear about his intentions for this ballet," Stokes says. "He had done the research and was very clear about the historical context for the various sections of the work." Late 1940s for the 'present' time period and early to mid-40s for the 'past' at Belle Reve and the Hotel Flamingo.

"Based on our discussions and my own research, I was able to create the music based on a pretty thorough knowledge and understanding of the play, John Murrell's scenario and John Alleyne's intentions," he says. "From the beginning John was very clear that jazz was going to be the predominant style for the music. This allowed me to give the musicians an opportunity to improvise in their solos, in keeping with the traditions of classic jazz.

"Improvisation gives the score new life from performance to performance as the musicians evolve and get more comfortable with the score. Clearly though a changing, evolving score had to remain consistent in terms of the counts to give the dancers a way to get through the two acts of the ballet." One of the reasons dancers generally work to counts is so they are not confused by the change in musical texture when the music is played live during performances.

Born in North Vancouver, Stokes trained as a pianist and went on to study music at the University of Victoria. He completed his degree in percussion and began composing in 1989. He seems comfortable in many genres and is a prolific composer for film theatre, opera, orchestra and other ensembles. Stokes has numerous CDs to his credit and has premiered work in Hiroshima, Venezuela, Prague, the Netherlands, the U.S. and Canada.

In his music for this ballet, Stokes combines some of the major musical influences of the 1940s, particularly jazz, blues, Cajun and Creole music and the country/bluegrass sounds of the late 30s. Jazz was probably the most influential musical development in the middle of the 20th century with the prominence of artists like Charlie Parker and Thelonious Monk. Complex harmonies and chord changes, dissonance, syncopation and edgier improvisation became hallmarks of the new style. In the late 40s, especially after Miles Davis' Birth of the Cool in 1948, a smoother form of jazz developed called 'cool jazz', using contrapuntal lines and complex solos.

"For me the most compelling part of working with dancers has been their total commitment to the work and their focus and creative impulses. Watching them working to capture every nuance, phrase and intention of the music regardless of its style has been a fantastic experience and a real privilege for me."

If you listen to some of the individual cuts from the ballet's music, you can easily hear echoes of the different time periods Stokes based his music on as well as the sultry, unique sounds we often associate with the jazz of New Orleans.