Triptych // 2010

Faith is the first performance in Seattle choreographer Pat Graney's Faith Triptych. Combining 3 iconic performances that investigate the lives of women and that were created over the span of a decade (1991-2001), the triptych creates a mini retrospective of Graney's work. Faith (1991), Sleep (1997) and Tattoo (2001) were each originally commissioned by On the Boards and feature 12 of the original cast members.

The remount of Faith Triptych is commissioned by OtB, the Myrna Loy Center, the Flynn Center for the Performing Arts and the National Performance Network.

Faith Triptych was made possible by the National Endowment for the Arts' Amerrican Masterpieces: Dance initiative, administered by the New England Foundation for the Arts.

Premiered
2010
Location(s)
  • On The Boards
    2010
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2010 Fall Arts Preview: See It/Do It
Make a personal connection with Pat Graney by taking a dance class with one of her current or former dancers. KT Niehoff, Kara O’Toole, Ellie Sandstrom and Amy O’Neal, among others, all teach at Capitol Hill’s Velocity Dance Center (velocitydancecenter.org), which offers classes from break dancing to ballet—plus modern dance Ms. Graham herself would applaud. 

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'Faith' best part of Seattle choreographer Pat Graney's 'Faith Triptych'
Set for seven female dancers, it's an hourlong immersion in the feminine psyche. Its movement is velvet-edged, unhurried, mesmerizing — closer to slow-motion gymnastics than dance.

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Seattle choreographer Pat Graney revamps her 'Faith Triptych' at On the Boards
Call it a homecoming of sorts — even though Pat Graney, unlike other prominent Pacific Northwest choreographers, never left town except to tour.

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Pat Graney’s "Faith Triptych" Fills Every Seat at On the Boards
It’s a monumental evening in just about every aspect, from the years-in-the-making works from 1991, 1995, and 2001; to the manipulation of time and space; to the ways women see themselves (or not), and feel embodied. There’s spectacle in stagecraft (Jeff Gerson’s sand- and rice-falls, and transforming table; Ellen Fullman’s sound skirts, pictured above; and a large alligator comfortable enough to sleep on designed by Carla Wesson and built by Marilyn Lysohir) and in concept (the “living Caravaggios” of Faith, the full body art of Tattoo).

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Soft Power - Pat Graney's Faith Triptych, a Homegrown Dance Masterpiece
Where to begin with choreographer Pat Graney? Maybe with her exterior: She grew up as the daughter of a Chicago detective, listened to "Crimson and Clover" over and over, and now wears jeans and sneakers with an unself-conscious grace that's hard to find in anyone of any age. She has big brown curls and a smile that hugs you like a favorite aunt. Her conversation walks a line between the hesitancy of a brilliant person who weighs every word and the directness of a wise person to whom you'd tell secrets and ask for advice.

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It Came To Me In A Dream
Graney’s zany and visionary dreaming has always undergirded her choreography and infuses the triptych. In the reverie that inspiredFaith, Graney was a space-age anthropologist: “I have on a white space suit with a white hat and we are actually rappelling down these buildings, me and these two bearded white guys.” In her dream excavation, Graney comes upon a huge wire sculpture:

Edit:
Seattle choreographer Pat Graney revamps her 'Faith Triptych' at On the Boards
Call it a homecoming of sorts — even though Pat Graney, unlike other prominent Pacific Northwest choreographers, never left town except to tour. On the Boards is remounting three of her signature pieces, "Faith" (1991), "Sleep" (1995) and "Tattoo" (2001), in a single-evening show titled "Faith Triptych" that opens Thursday. All three dances were originally commissioned and presented by On the Boards. In their new "Triptych" format, they've been trimmed considerably, with "Sleep" almost halved from its original two-hour running time.

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Performance Timeline