{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2022}} {{Infobox ballet | name = Nine Sinatra Songs | italic title = yes | image = | image_size = | alt = | caption = | choreographer = Twyla Tharp | composer = Frank Sinatra | premiere = {{start date|1982|10|14}} | place = Queen Elizabeth Theatre, Vancouver | ballet_company = Twyla Tharp Dance | designer = Oscar de la Renta<br/>Jennifer Tipton | created_for = | genre = | type = | url = <!-- {{URL|example.com}} --> }} '''''Nine Sinatra Songs''''' is a ballet choreographed by Twyla Tharp to songs sung by Frank Sinatra. The ballet is danced by seven couples, portraying different stages of romantic relationships, with ballroom dancing incorporated into the choreography. The ballet was made for Twyla Tharp Dance, and premiered on October 14, 1982, at Queen Elizabeth Theatre, Vancouver, Canada.

==Development== ''Nine Sinatra Songs'' is Tharp's second foray into choreographing to Sinatra's songs. Her first attempt was ''One More Frank'' (1976), made for an American Ballet Theatre gala, danced by her and Mikhail Baryshnikov. The work was booed by the audience as it did not contain any virtuosic steps expected from Baryshnikov.<ref name=Anderson>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xS3CCAAAQBAJ|title=The Ballet Lover's Companion|last=Anderson|first=Zoë|date=May 29, 2015|isbn=9780300154290|pages=245–246}}</ref><ref name=Tharp>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pgIjw9XecBIC|title=The Collaborative Habit: Life Lessons for Working Together|last=Tharp|first=Twyla|date=November 24, 2009|isbn=9781416591917|page=41}}</ref>

Tharp made ''Nine Sinatra Songs'' for the Twyla Tharp Dance.<ref name=Anderson/> The ballet, danced by seven couples, depicts different stages of romantic relationships.<ref name=Oxford/> After researching ballroom dancing, particularly the couple Vernon and Irene Castle, for the 1981 film ''Ragtime'', Tharp decided to incorporate ballroom dancing into the choreography of ''Nine Sinatra Songs'', with the women dancing in heels.<ref name=Anderson/> Tharp had planned to dance in the ballet, but her role was ultimately danced by Sara Rudner.<ref name=Tharp2/>

Tharp chose songs from the 1950s and 1960s, a time "when my parents were together, when all parents were together, the last time we assumed as a culture that of course men and women lived together and loved for a lifetime, a condition I was still craving but begin to see as against all odds."<ref name=Anderson/><ref name=Tharp2>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AJ0dAQAAIAAJ|title=Push Comes to Shove|last=Tharp|first=Twyla|date=1992|isbn=9780553073065|pages=273–277}}</ref> Despite the title, the ballet only contains eight songs, with a reprise for "My Way".<ref name=Molzahn/> The reprise, however, uses a recording a later live performance at the Madison Square Garden. Tharp found that in this recording, "Sinatra's voice is much more mature, his passion deeper and stronger, his commitment absolutely secure."<ref name=Tharp2/>

Oscar de la Renta designed the costume, with women in 1950s style gowns and men in tuxedos. The lighting was designed by Jennifer Tipton.<ref name=Anderson/><ref name=Tharp2/>

==Songs== *"Softly, as I Leave You" *"Strangers in the Night" *"One for My Baby (and One More for the Road)" *"My Way" *"Somethin' Stupid" *"All the Way" *"Forget Domani" *"That's Life" *"My Way" reprise

Source:<ref name=Anderson/>

==Original cast== {{col-begin}} {{col-2}} *Shelley Freydont *Mary Ann Kellogg *Sara Rudner *Amy Spencer *Christine Uchida *Shelley Washington *Jennifer Way {{col-2}} *John Carrafa *Gary Chryst *Richard Colton *Raymond Kurshals *Tom Rawe *William Whitener *Keith Young {{col-end}}

Source:<ref name=Anderson/>

==Performances== ''Nine Sinatra Songs'' premiered on October 14, 1982, at Queen Elizabeth Theatre, Vancouver.<ref name=Oxford>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=42g8Hp-xA48C|title=The Oxford Dictionary of Dance|last1=Craine|first1=Debra|last2=Mackrell|first2=Judith|date=August 19, 2010|pages=326|isbn=978-0199563449}}</ref>

Other ballet companies that had performed the ballet include American Ballet Theatre,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-05-08-ca-1471-story.html|title=ABT to Open With 'Sinatra Songs'|work=Los Angeles times|last=Segal|first=Lewis|date=May 8, 1991}}</ref> Pacific Northwest Ballet,<ref name=Oxford/> Washington Ballet,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://dancetabs.com/2012/03/washington-ballet-twyla-tharp-all-american-bill-washington/|title=Washington Ballet – Twyla Tharp: All American bill – Washington|work=DanceTabs|last=Khadarina|first=Oksana|date=March 25, 2012}}</ref> Ballet West,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.deseret.com/2008/4/19/20083188/ballet-west-makes-9-sinatra-its-own|title=Ballet West makes '9 Sinatra' its own|work=Deseret News|date=April 19, 2008}}</ref> Hubbard Street Dance Chicago and Birmingham Royal Ballet.<ref name=Molzahn>{{cite news|url=https://chicagoreader.com/arts-culture/leading-light/|title=Leading Light|work=Chicago Reader|last=Molzahn|first=Laura|date=May 7, 1993}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.ft.com/content/60ffd498-ffba-11e9-a530-16c6c29e70ca|title=Birmingham Royal Ballet/Ballet Black at Sadler's Wells, London — Cathy Marston saves the day|work=Financial Times|last=Levene|first=Louise|date=November 5, 2019}}</ref>

In 1983, Tharp revised material from the ballet to make ''Sinatra Suite'' for American Ballet Theatre, with Baryshnikov and Elaine Kudo dancing. This ballet features songs "Strangers in the Night", "All the Way", "That's Life" and "My Way", while "One For My Baby (and One More For the Road)" was rechoreographed to a male solo.<ref name=Anderson/><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/12/13/arts/dance-abt-performs-twyla-tharp-s-sinatra.html|title=Dance: ABT Performs Twyla Tharp's 'Sinatra'|work=New York Times|last=Kisselgoff|first=Anna|date=December 13, 1983}}</ref> In 2010, Tharp incorporated songs used in ''Nine Sinatra Songs'' into her dance revue ''Come Fly Away'', with three numbers intact.<ref name=Anderson/><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/07/arts/dance/07tharp.html|title=Tharp Is Back Where the Air Is Rarefied|work=New York Times|last=Kourlas|first=Gia|date=March 7, 2010}}</ref>

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== *[https://www.twylatharp.org/works/nine-sinatra-songs ''Nine Sinatra Songs''] on the Twyla Tharp Dance Collective website

Category:1982 ballets Category:Ballets by Twyla Tharp Category:Frank Sinatra