VideoLearn 6 Quintessential Moves From Broadway鈥檚 Hadestown Tony Award-nominated choreographer David Neumann reveals the inspiration behind the movement.
By
Ruthie Fierberg
May 29, 2019
David Neumann came to dance late in life. A b-boy, he danced in clubs growing up but didn't start dancing professionally until his mid-20s. But once he started, he wanted to know about dance and movement on a global scale. And all of that fuses together in the choreographer鈥檚 Tony Award鈥搉ominated work on Broadway鈥檚 Hadestown.
Neumann鈥檚 choreography draws on his knowledge of dance from 鈥渃ultures all over Asia, Africa, South America, you name it.鈥� But his storytelling is grounded in an American ethos. 鈥淭he music is American,鈥� he says. 鈥淭his is an American piece about America.鈥�
In a mythological world where the movement could be anything, the music is where Neumann began. 鈥淚 really wanted to catch the vibe of the music, the feel,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 got plenty of stank. So that New Orleans trombone, jazz, funky groove to it I thought was a beautiful way to look at human effort, to look at the machinations of physical labor, as well as give the audience a chance to feel music in the body.鈥�
In creating the realm ofHadestown, Neumann collaborated intensely with Rachel Hauck, the scenic designer envisioning that world, Rachel Hauck. Because of the amphitheatre meets music hall aesthetic, Neumann鈥檚 parameters involved a small stage footprint, so levels, gestures, and flow find more place in Hadestown than jumps or big traveling steps. 鈥淲e also have turntables, which are challenging,鈥� adds Neumann. 鈥淪o the decisions about: Do they walk with the way the turntable is turning or against it?鈥� impacts the story in the space.
So do the performers for whom he created the movement. 鈥淭he performers have embodied the work, the choreographic material, in a way that is truly profound to me,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t makes the choreography function in the way that I intended, which is embedded in the story鈥攏ot front and center.鈥� Beneath the surface, if you will.
Learn six quintessential sequences of Hadestown choreography from Neumann in the video above. (Videography and video editing by Roberto Araujo.)
Ruthie Fierberg is the Senior Featurese Editor of 半岛体育. Follow her on Twitter on Instagram or on her website .
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A Look at Hadestown on Broadway
A Look at Hadestown on Broadway
13 PHOTOS
Andr茅 De Shields in the original Broadway cast of Hadestown
Matthew Murphy
Timothy Hughes, Afra Hines, Ahmad Simmons, Kimberly Marable, and John Krause in Hadestown
Matthew Murphy
Eva Noblezada, Andr茅 De Shields, and Reeve Carney in Hadestown
Matthew Murphy
Jewelle Blackman, Kay Trinidad, and Yvette Gonzalez-Nacer in Hadestown
