On Saturday, October 7, six UNC Charlotte dancers performed An Homage To Dutch Art In A Global Age at the North Carolina Museum of Art (NCMA) in Raleigh. Choreographed by dance professor Delia Neil, this piece was commissioned by the NCMA to accompany the exhibition, Dutch Art in a Global Age: Masterpieces from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
Dutch Art in a Global Age features paintings by Rembrandt, Frans Hals, Gerrit Dou, Jacob van Ruisdael, Rachel Ruysch, and other celebrated artists. These pictures are complemented by five important paintings from the NCMA’s Dutch collection, exquisite decorative arts in silver and ceramics, and superb impressions from the MFA Boston’s world-renowned print collection.
The dancersgave six performances of An Homage To Dutch Art In A Global Age in the East Building. While the Dutch master Vermeer is not represented in the exhibition, Neil chose one of the most famous Dutch masterpieces, Vermeer’s “Girl with a Pearl Earring,” as inspiration for her work. The music for the piece is from the Girl with a Pearl Earring movie soundtrack, composed by Alexander Desplat.
Performances were followed by a conversation with Professor Neil and the student participants: Kynadee Bowman, Martha Murray, Francie Foster, Sophia Pistone, Olivia Munn, and Jiji Schindler. Five of these six students are enrolled in the Professional Training Certificate that the Department of Dance offers in partnership with Charlotte Ballet. This year eight students are enrolled in the program, the highest number since the program’s inception.
An Homage To Dutch Art In A Global Age is the fifth work that Neil has choreographed and presented in collaboration with the NCMA. In addition to the Raleigh performances, the work will appear at the Fall Dance Concert on campus, November 16-19.
Pictured: Dancers rehearsing for An Homage To Dutch Art In A Global Age, photographed by Zach Allred, and in performance at the NCMA.