Rebecca was selected by the international Fulbright Review Committee to study in Russia based on her choreographic potential. She explores the themes of famous literary works and significant historical events through movement, speech, and music. Rebecca is currently working on a full-length dance-theater production based on the play Antigone, by the famous Greek playwright Sophocles. She is choreographing this work as part of her Fulbright studies in Russia at The Saint-Petersburg Conservatory. The US premiere of Rebecca's work will be held in Philadelphia in the Spring of 2006.

Antigone: A Word From the Choreographer.

Composer

Russian composer, Timofey Buzina, has specially composed the music for Davis's new modern ballet, The Goal of Antigone.

Timofey Buzina is among the youngest working composers in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Buzina was born in 1977 in Yekaterinburg, formerly known as Sverdlovsk. In 2001, he graduated from The Mussorgsky Ural State Conservatory (professor: V.A. Kobekin). From 2002 to 2004, he did postgraduate studies at The Rimsky-Korsakov Saint Petersburg Conservatory (professor: S.M. Slonimsky). His works have been performed in modern music festivals and concerts in Yekaterinburg and Saint Petersburg. He is the current General Manager of The Saint Petersburg Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra, and speaks Russian and English fluently.

Background

Inspired by Sophocles' play Antigone, this work depicts the sacrifices suffered by individuals when acting in a way they personally deem honorable . Antigone disobeys the orders of the king, Creon, when she buries the body of her dead brother, a fallen warrior. Creon sentences her to death. My work integrates dance and drama to tell this story through movement and the spoken word.

Theme

My aim is to convey the emotional journey of an individual as she accepts a punishment for an action that she believes was morally right and noble. Although this piece tells the story of a specific young girl, the overarching theme is universal and relevant to diverse audiences. Each of us has been forced to accept the negative consequences for a personal conviction we held at some point in our lives. By observing how Antigone handles a similar situation, we can better appreciate the challenges that face us each day. It is this universality that makes the piece significant.

Dialogue, Music, and Costume

In constructing this piece, I chose to use excerpts from Sophocles' text and a haunting musical score to simultaneously convey the story and the emotion initiating the movements. The dialogue, which I recorded as a voiceover, creates the dramatic intensity of the environment.

Olga Siminova (Ismene), Rebecca Davis (Choreographer), Astik Oganyasin (Antigone)

Rebecca Davis with Russian Antigone Dancer, Astik Oganyasin

Shots from the Russian version of Davis' ballet "Antigone"

Click HERE to see an excerpt from Antigone