Re-imagining Bach in Hans van Manen’s Choreographies

Neoclassical ballets often do not focus on portraying stories in a conventional sense. Rather, choreographers seek to inflect our interpretation of the music. Certain compositions by J. S. Bach offer choreographers ample room for creative intervention because the music can afford multiple interpretations as to where structural articulations lie, how successive key areas relate to each other, or the location of cadences. Drawing on examples from Fantasia (1993) and Solo (1997) by choreographer Hans van Manen, this article illustrates how van Manen’s choreographies provide alternative interpretations of Bach’s music. Some insights about these dance-music interactions may even illuminate music-theoretical concepts more generally.