Dancers have long recognized that Richard MacDonald enters both aspects of their unique world. They dance in his studio, under his keen eye, knowing that his observations are laser focused. He notices every nuance of their movement and their personality. He sees the fatigue they artfully hide on stage, and he watches as their muscles tense, and their sinews stretch. From this intensive study the artist explores all the expressive possibilities of the dance and reaches into the unseen world of the dancer’s mind, imagination, and spirit. These works explore what it is to be a dancer. He does not leave the magical realm of the stage unexplored, however, so there are works that show the ballet from the perspective of the audience in the hushed and darkened theater—drawn into the beauty of the costumes, the romance of the stories, and the transcendent quality of the music. Join us as we celebrate a special collection of over 20 sculptures, drawings, and paintings which celebrate Richard MacDonald's dance and ballet works Beyond the Barre.
Those of us outside the world of ballet only see one of its two faces. We see the aura of mystery under the stage lights, we hear the rousing strains of magnificent music from the unseen orchestra, and we watch weightless ballerinas leap like gazelles, while their male counterparts soar through the air in jumps that defy gravity itself. What of the other face of ballet? Unless we are involved in some way, we don’t see the rigor of hours at the barre, the grit and determination of dancing despite pain or injury, the unglamorous difficulties, and the arduous routines. Which face of ballet shows its true beauty? Both. The wonderful reality that we see in works of art by Richard MacDonald is like peeking behind the plush curtains of the theatre, into the world of the dancer—with all its beauty, its struggles, and its indomitable spirit.
Dancers have long recognized that Richard MacDonald enters both aspects of their unique world. They dance in his studio, under his keen eye, knowing that his observations are laser focused. He notices every nuance of their movement and their personality. He sees the fatigue they artfully hide on stage, and he watches as their muscles tense, and their sinews stretch. From this intensive study the artist explores all the expressive possibilities of the dance and reaches into the unseen world of the dancer’s mind, imagination, and spirit. These works explore what it is to be a dancer. He does not leave the magical realm of the stage unexplored, however, so there are works that show the ballet from the perspective of the audience in the hushed and darkened theater—drawn into the beauty of the costumes, the romance of the stories, and the transcendent quality of the music.
Richard MacDonald’s ballet works truly go “Beyond the Barre” and take the audience into the experience of the rehearsal, the audition, and the “barre work” and from there he leads us into the spotlight with some of the world’s legendary dancers: dancers he has studied and befriended, during long studio hours, where both artforms are perfected.
