In the Course of Sleeping

This ballet was set in a fantastical world during the moment it takes for a dewdrop to fall. The design included a 40-foot painting of a bird wing in mid-flutter with animated projections applied to its surface, each with a different reference to the passage of time. A jet slowly moves its way across the sky, a cloud moves the other way, and the watchful eye of Jean Cocteau surveys the scene. Suggesting a world of minute scale, a giant walnut shell was used as a self-propelled baggage cart. The luggage was transparent and set with lights and transparent clothing.

The central focus of the stage was an immense dewdrop which had a variety of lighting capabilities, from pearlescent to fire-like. The projections were done in collaboration with Dominique Drillot of Paris. This dance premiered in Monte Carlo, then went on to Paris, New York and Vancouver.