Carmina Burana - Danced!

Yes! Crows Feet Dance Collective is presenting again a major dance theatre work! This show will explore Carl Orff’s famous cantata for orchestra and chorus - with a contemporary twist. The wheel of fortune, the power of luck and fate has never been so relevant - in our new Covid world.

Orff drew his text from a 13th century manuscript containing songs and plays written in Latin and medieval German, which was discovered in 1803 at the Bavarian monastery of Benediktbeuern. The texts present a varied view of medieval life, including religious verses, social satires and bawdy drinking songs.

The Crows have had a lovely time researching medieval costumes, and you will see a wonderful array of costumes, especially the headwear! The first part, Primo Vere (In Early Spring) presents youthful, energetic dances; the second part, In Taberna (In the Tavern), evokes drunken feasting and debauchery; and courtship and romantic love are the subject of the third part, Cour d’Amours (Court of Love).

The orchestration of Carmina Burana is ideal for dance as melodies and harmonies combine with heavy rhythmic percussion to give the music a primeval and visceral character. Crows Feet is using the fabulous recording by Andre Previn and the Vienna Philharmonic.

Forty five dancers perform Carmina Burana, from the four Crows groups - Wellington, Kapiti Coast, Lower Hutt and Palmerston North. The dance style is contemporary, and the movement vocabulary references European folk dance, connecting to the music’s medieval themes.

Come and see the Crows revelling in dance to the wonderful Carmina Burana.