The Biblical tale of Sarah, Hagar and Abraham, with its personal pathos and divine intervention, is a foundational part of the Jewish story told in Genesis. It’s also the inspiration for choreographer Marika Brussel’s dynamic and sensuous contemporary ballet piece, “Slant of the Earth,” getting its premiere at the Peninsula Ballet Theater in Woodside on April 11-12.
“I looked at the whole story as sort of this love quartet, where Abraham loves God the most, Sarah loves Abraham the most, and Hagar loves Sarah the most,” Brussel told J. “And how is that going to work out?”
In her new piece, it works out through dramatic movement and choreography brought to life by the dancers. The title “Slant of the Earth” suggests how one’s point of view can change the meaning of the story, Brussel said. The 30-minute dance is set to music by Peter-Anthony Togni and music by Shinji Eshima.
“There’s some marimba in it that sounds like knocking, and I feel like all the characters are kind of knocking on the door,” Brussel said. “Abraham is knocking on God’s door, and Sarah is knocking on Abraham’s door, and Hagar is knocking on Sarah’s door.”
Most of the dancers performing the piece are members of the Peninsula Ballet Theatre Company, with principals Chloé Watson and Vinnie Jones, guest artist Calvin L. Thomas Jr. and a supporting ensemble of six.
While inspired by the original story of Sarah, Brussel admits she did change the ending of the story.
“My understanding of the Biblical story is that Sarah and Abraham throw Hagar out, and that’s it, and they’re done with her, but I leave it open in my piece,” she said.
In “Slant of the Earth,” Sarah goes after the pregnant Hagar, but it’s not clear if she reaches her. It’s open for interpretation, said Brussel, who was a 2020 arts fellow at LABA East Bay, an incubator for Jewish artists, and divides her time between the Bay Area and London.
“Maybe things in the world could have been different if we looked at the story in a different way, and she wasn’t just throwing her out to die,” she said.