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Click the link below for a New York Times article explaining and praising Twist's Symphonie Fantastique.

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Basil Twist's "Symphonie Fantastique," at HERE Arts Center, has expanded in scale and presence since its premiere 20 years ago. Credit Credit Sara Krulwich/The New York Times

A most uncommon and exquisite troupe of dancers has returned to New York, to the HERE arts compound in SoHo where they made their debut 20 years ago. And aren't we glad that these frolicsome and majestic beings are kicking up their heels again, or would be, if they had them?

They've expanded, of course, in scale and presence, as performers are wont to do once they've become stars and toured the world. They occupy a larger stage now and are framed by a more upscale production. I had worried, to tell the truth, that they might have grown too big for their, er, seams.

But from the moment they first glimmered into my view on a recent Saturday, like ghostly fireworks on a cloudy night, I found myself slipping into a fugue of irrational, unadulterated joy. Such is the enduring and improbable enchantment that can be wrought by a bunch of wet rags.

Anyone seeking pure, thought-exorcising escapism - the kind provided by acid trips and dreams of flying - need only plunge into the churning waves of "Symphonie Fantastique," the puppeteer deluxe Basil Twist's reimagining of Berlioz's 1830 musical masterpiece as a water ballet. Accompanied by a single virtuosic pianist, Christopher O'Riley, its performers - who float, twirl, unfurl and swirl in a 1,000-gallon tank of water - are nothing more than pieces of cloth and plastic.

But Mr. Twist, a recipient of the so-called MacArthur "genius grant," has the Pygmalion gift of coaxing inanimate matter into supple and seductive life. He has applied this talent to downtown drag shows ("Kitty Killer," "Arias With a Twist"), Broadway musicals ("Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," "The Addams Family"), blockbuster movies ("Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban") and lavish dance productions (Christopher Wheeldon's "The Nutcracker" and "A Winter's Tale").

In such works, Mr. Twist created a variety of memorable creatures that included an anthropomorphic Amazonian jungle, an elegant puppet nightclub band; a vintage Bohemian New York artist, Lee Nagrin, resurrected as a commanding effigy only weeks after her death (in "Behind the Lid"); and a tuna fish-themed nightmare sequence (for "Oh, Hello, on Broadway"). But "Symphonie Fantastique" remains his chef d'oeuvre, a piece that swims beyond the confines of literal representation to find visual equivalents for the sensual experience of music.

To achieve this goal, he picked a doozy of a template. Subtitled "An Episode in the Life of an Artist, in Five Parts," "Symphonie Fantastique" is Berlioz's musical representation of an opium reverie haunted by its dreamer's obsession with an elusive, beautiful woman.

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The pianist Christopher O'Riley and the tank of performers. Credit Sara Krulwich/The New York Times

You don't need to know the background to appreciate what Mr. Twist has done with it. For he is not trafficking in picturesque scenarios à la Walt Disney's "Fantasia" that turn classical evergreens into storybook narratives. Here, what you are watching never intrudes on or obscures what you are listening to; the discrete sensory experiences become, uncannily, one and the same.

This occurs through the manipulation of various pliable materials by a team of five never-seen puppeteers in wetsuits. Sheets as simple as bed linens, fringed shawls, Mylar panels and undulating feathers drift in and out of view, behind the glass wall of a vast aquarium. Andrew Hill's essential lighting is a spectrum of saturating color, from ashen grays to deepest crimson.

As to what the figures specifically resemble in the mundane world, these are some of the words I scribbled helplessly in my notes: "photographic negative," "sea anemones," "wheat fields," "goldfish," "ectoplasm at séances," "the marble folds on the Winged Victory of Samothrace." These are all entirely inadequate descriptors.

Listening to music without words - not only classical but also jazz - we tend to create highly personal, impressionistic galleries of what we're hearing. In the novel "Howards End," E. M. Forster enters the mind of Helen Schlegel, a young woman listening to Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, which for her conjures specific visions of gods and goblins. These analog fantasies are translations, and to some degree diminishments, of what and how Helen hears.

Mr. Twist's rendering of Berlioz transcends such problems of representation. Instead, his terpsichorean feathers and fabrics hypnotize us into a state that approaches synesthesia, in which we seem to be hearing with our eyes, or seeing with our ears.

The doubling of the original size of the water tank (it originally held 500 gallons) and the substitution of a live pianist for a recorded score have, if anything, only enhanced that response. Mr. O'Riley and his piano are visible in the shadows beneath the velvet-curtained tank. Between movements, he can be seen in a state of brooding contemplation - cracking his knuckles, rubbing his forehead, burying his face in his hands.

It's as if he fears all that ravishing, whispering, thundering music has somehow run away from him and taken on a life of its own. It has, of course.

Mr. Twist's ballet is a reminder that what we call ineffable art may be a product of meticulous planning and execution. But it also cuts loose from its carefully arranged moorings to visit places that even its creators didn't know existed.

HERE

145 6th Ave.

TriBeCa/SoHo

866-811-4111

here.org

Category

Off Off Broadway, Experimental/Perf. Art , Play , Puppet Theater

Credits

Created by Basil Twist

Cast

Puppeteers: Kate Brehm, Ben Elling, Andy Gaukel, Jonothon Lyons and Lake Simons; with pianist Christopher O'Riley

This information was last updated on

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Review: Head Tripping the Light Fantastic in 'Symphonie Fantastique'

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A most uncommon and exquisite troupe of dancers has returned to New York, to the HERE arts compound in SoHo where they made their debut 20 years ago. And aren't we glad that these frolicsome and majestic beings are kicking up their heels again, or would be, if they had them?

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Assertion #1: Creative people are passionate about what they do.

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Assertion #1: Creative people are passionate about what they do.

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Basil Twist is very passionate about the art of puppetry, which is evident in his many productions and involvements in shows. He has produced and directed many of his own productions, he has collaborated with various ballets (Dorothy and the Prince of Oz, Nutcracker, Cinderella, etc.), Broadway (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Beauty and the Beast, etc.), and dance, drama, and opera performances. Twist has made puppetry his life and career, and he has deservingly earned numerous awards and recognition for his creative skills and products. In the video below, Twist's passion and dedication to his craft is evident in the way he describes his inspiration and creative process in his involvement in the production of Dorothy and the Prince of Oz with the Tulsa Ballet. It is passion that drives Twist in his creative process and urges him to make something innovative and worth while.

Additionally, Twist is a third generation puppeteer. Although legacy and family history does not necessarily contribute to a person's passion, it does in Twist's case. In the video below, Twist mentions that he got involved in puppetry when he was a child due to his family. It is obvious that he is proud of his family's gift, so much so that he has a puppet of his grandfather. Twist is honoring his family history of puppetry and doing what he loves at the same time.

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Dorothy and the Prince of Oz - Set and Puppet Designer Basil Twist

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Assertion #2: Creative people take risks.

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Assertion #2: Creative people take risks.

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Basil Twist takes risks in his creative puppet productions. While puppetry can be seen as a risky profession in itself, one that people may find strange or uncomfortable, Twist takes this concept of risk-taking a step further. One of his most popular and notable shows of puppetry is his re-imagination of Berlioz's 19th century composition Symphonie Fantastique. This innovative show is performed inside a 1000-gallon water tank with 5 expert puppeteers wearing wetsuits, who are unseen by the audience; under Twists direction, they use a variety of materials to convey strong emotions, in coordination with a live pianist, in a literally underwater world. The article in the following "pad" describes Symphonie Fantastique as "a piece that swims beyond the confines of literal representation to find visual equivalents for the sensual experience of music". Twist has clearly taken a risk by doing something as different and creative as this project; it is unlike anything I have ever heard of or experienced in the world of performance. The photo below displays the act.

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Assertion #3: Creative people partake in imaginative play.

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Assertion #3: Creative people partake in imaginative play.

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Basil Twist engages in imaginative play with his puppet creations. With the use of his imagination, he creates props and truly makes them come to life. In her chapter on creative people and their typical qualities, Starko notes that “Playfulness with ideas is an essential part of both finding and solving problems” (104). The problem he focuses on is how to make inanimate objects appear to be real on stage in front of an audience. He spends time experimenting and playing with these inanimate objects, figuring out the best way to bring them to life, and transforming them into something impressively realistic and magical.

Watch as Basil Twist creates a rat puppet for a production of the Nutcracker; he works with the inexpensive materials he has available, manipulating and exploring their qualities while incorporating human movements to give people the impression that the rat puppets are real. In the video, he engages in imaginative play with his puppet rat creations and teaches others how to use it for their show.

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Puppetry with Basil Twist | Christopher Wheeldon's 'The Nutcracker'

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I purposefully chose a MacArthur Fellow whose creative work was something completely unfamiliar to me, in order to more fully explore the concept of creativity and in the spirit of Uncommon Genius. Basil Twist is a puppeteer, theater designer, and director. Twist explores the fine lines between what is real and not real, animate and inanimate. He focuses on abstract and non-representational puppetry, and he attempts to bring raw materials to life with their natural qualities. Twist uses puppets and creative sets to tell stories, to convey and evoke emotions, and to teach lessons.

Three conclusions that our class resources have made are...
1) Creative people are passionate about what they do.
2) Creative people take risks.
3) Creative people partake in imaginative play.
In this Padlet, I will be exploring how Basil Twist holds up to these assertions. Please follow the arrows directing the Padlet, as they will guide you in the logical order.

More Information:
Link to Basil Twist's MacArthur Foundation page: https://www.macfound.org/fellows/949/
Link to Basil Twist's website: http://www.basiltwist.com/index.php