Uploaded March 2021 | Updated September 2026, 1 hour ago
"Although the reconstruction process undertaken by Hodson and Archer relies on diverse source material to suggest a restoration of a material phenomenon—how the dancers and audience members in 1913 experienced the ballet—it seems their ultimate goal aligns more with the ideal: reconstructing what Nijinsky would have wanted." -Marisa Lily Gaetgaeow, 2018
Can a lost ballet be found again? This was the question that led two archivists and a ballet master on a 17-year quest to revive Vaslav Nijinsky's LE SACRE DU PRINTEMPS, the ballet that inspired the most famous opening night riot of all the performing arts. But what are we really hoping to preserve when we reconstruct a dance? Zach Barr (they/them) explores the inspired, contentious, and often impossible story behind the Joffrey Ballet's 1987 reconstruction of THE RITE OF SPRING, and the struggle to document an ephemeral work of art.
Bibliography: docs.google.com/document/d/1NOdEh161PoRwPTaEeATNovi_Uzt15cxevFHI7P_ygxA/edit?usp=sharing
"And Now, They Sing" playlist: youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4vfdXUW5yrUATqDIsz1d5C8wDdewZflz
For suggesting topics: twitter.com/AdmiralZachBarr
For donations: ko-fi.com/admiralzachbarr
"Although the reconstruction process undertaken by Hodson and Archer relies on diverse source material to suggest a restoration of a material phenomenon—how the dancers and audience members in 1913 experienced the ballet—it seems their ultimate goal aligns more with the ideal: reconstructing what Nijinsky would have wanted." -Marisa Lily Gaetgaeow, 2018
Can a lost ballet be found again? This was the question that led two archivists and a ballet master on a 17-year quest to revive Vaslav Nijinsky's LE SACRE DU PRINTEMPS, the ballet that inspired the most famous opening night riot of all the performing arts. But what are we really hoping to preserve when we reconstruct a dance? Zach Barr (they/them) explores the inspired, contentious, and often impossible story behind the Joffrey Ballet's 1987 reconstruction of THE RITE OF SPRING, and the struggle to document an ephemeral work of art.
Bibliography: docs.google.com/document/d/1NOdEh161PoRwPTaEeATNovi_Uzt15cxevFHI7P_ygxA/edit?usp=sharing
"And Now, They Sing" playlist: youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4vfdXUW5yrUATqDIsz1d5C8wDdewZflz
For suggesting topics: twitter.com/AdmiralZachBarr
For donations: ko-fi.com/admiralzachbarr
![Low Budget Milky Whites [LIVE at BroadwayCon 2024]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/m6EUYZNgxT4/mqdefault.jpg "Low Budget Milky Whites [LIVE at BroadwayCon 2024]
He wasn’t puppeteering her just yet; she was still inanimate. Then he tilted her head ever so slightly, and instantly there she was: imbued with life and seemingly quizzical — even if her big, almost teary eyes are really just beveled foam coated with clear epoxy that catches the light. Yeah, we’re best friends, said Kanagawa. -Laura Collins-Hughes, 2022
Of all the characters from “Into The Woods,” none have seen more…variation between productions than Jack’s beloved cow. The defunct Tumblr blog “Low Budget Milky Whites” catalogued a bestiary of staging choices: puppets, masks, facepaint, balloons, and more. But, funny as they are, what can these costumes teach us about the medium of theatre? Zach Barr (they/them) discusses the differences between Static and Dynamic Art, through the lens of the cow as white as milk.
Performed July 27, 2024 – LIVE at BroadwayCon 2024
Thank you to BroadwayCon and the Mischief Management staff for hosting me! This was my first time ever presenting And Now They Sing live, and it was a blast the whole way through. Special shoutout to the attendee who brought their own Milky White puppet and asked me to sign the udder afterwards – I missed your name but you made my whole weekend.")
