Ben Stevenson: A Choreographer & his Muses

An Interview by Robert Dupree with Claire Soares on her Film Ben Stevenson: A Choreographer & his Muses

FULL INTERVIEW
An excerpt-
Robert Dupree: Does the film cover Stevenson’s entire working life? Did you stop at the point your actual shooting stopped?
Claire Soares: Actually, I stopped earlier, because Stevenson is best known for his full length theater ballets. He had choreographed all those by the time he left the Houston ballet in 2003. His 27 years with Houston ballet and his formative years before that, in England, Europe and many different spots around the world, were to me, the most significant historically. Not to downplay his work since he moved from Houston to the DFW area, but as I said, this work was to feature a highly significant period in ballet’s history through the eyes of one of its greatest living choreographers and convey that special rapport that exists between choreographers and their dancers, especially the ones on whom they choreograph new material. I certainly did that. Had I tackled time after 2003, I could have conveyed his thoughts on the polish and brilliance of recent performances and smaller “gem” creations, but that would have interfered with what I wanted to stand out in terms of dance: the full length theater ballets and their contribution to the dance world.
Ben Stevenson: A Choreographer & his Muses is available to purchase! 3 DVDs Sold Separately with DFA Discount, $3.00 off each DVD!
Disc 1– Discount code: 4EZSN26W Disc 2– Discount code: XWT6SFFP Disc 3– Discount code: ZYDJWB48
Claire Soares is a filmmaker, whose main documentary film subjects are dance & culture, technology and environmental sustainability. A Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and author, she holds an MBA in International Business and an MA in Cinema & Television.
Robert Dupree interviewer, is the director of the Blakley Library at the University of Dallas, where he has also been a professor for 47 years. He has also taught as a visiting professor in Europe and Asia and lectures on a variety of subjects, including literature, philosophy, art history, music history, and theater. His interest in film dates back to the late 1940s, when he first began developing his own negatives and prints and subsequently took up 16mm movie-making. 
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