Galantheae, 2022

Galantheae is an abstract piece that draws on the imagery of the

Galanthus flower also know as the snowdrop to honour the strength

and resilience of dancers. These small, seemingly delicate, elegant

flowers have sharp, steely tips enabling them to burrow through the

frozen earth to blossom, the first flowers to signal the end of harsh

winter. This is a determined, resolute plant, as described in the Ted

Hughes poem which was an inspiration for this work. The snowdrop

embodies the duality of strength/elegance which is at the heart of

dance. Visually, the white tutus of the piece evoke the bell of the

snowdrops; the music of Chopin and Reijseger contrast to echo the

same duality. Finally, in the classification of plants, the genre

Galantheae is inspiringly known as a “tribe.”