Covid-related restrictions have led many artists to find creative ways to keep performing and collaborating. In composer David Chesky’s case, it led him to commission a series of films, each one setting a movement from his new ballet The Abreu Danzas, using dancers from New York, Washington DC, Puerto Rico and Brazil.

Composed as a tribute to the late Jose Antonio Abreu, founder of the El Sistema education system whose principals have inspired similar initiatives throughout the world, Chesky writes that in the work: 'I try not to find some ever-eluding meaning of life, but the passion of life, and in this case, city street life. Throughout history composers wrote dance music, waltz's, mazurkas, etc. I use the rhythms of the streets of major cities as a catalyst to create these energetic orchestral works.

Though intended for performance in a theatre, Chesky instead invited dancers to choose an iconic location in their city, then gave them complete freedom over their choreography, camerawork, and scenery - though to comply with safety measures only a single camera-person was used, and the dancers performed during off peak hours.

'This thought would have never entered my mind before the pandemic, but perhaps in the future this format will integrate itself into the performing arts sphere, and it will open the realm of possibility to more diverse "stage" works, and a more diverse audience,' he adds.

Three videos have already been released, but Gramophone can exclusively reveal the fourth, in which dancer Sorely Muentes-Méndez responds to Chesky’s music on the colourful streets of San Juan, Puerto Rico.

You can watch the first three movements at Chesky's YouTube channel

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