It’s been a painful year for most of us with our lives severely constricted by the global pandemic. Performers deprived of live audiences and unable to practice their art had their professional lives indefinitely upended when theaters and other performance venues shuttered. Singer/songwriter Benjamin Scheuer had planned to spend much of 2020 on the road, touring in support of his long-awaited debut album. However, he poured his frustration into a new song Empty Stage a poignant anthem that mourns the temporary loss he shared with legions of singers, actors, musicians, and dancers around the world. Scheuer, an American who is currently residing in the UK, showed the song to legendary dancer-choreographer Carlos Acosta the Cuban/British choreographer who is now the Director of the Birmingham Royal Ballet. Between the two it then became a stunning soundtrack for a short film starring a dazzling corps de ballet. |
“Empty Stage” blends clips of Scheuer and Acosta taking in the English countryside with footage of Birmingham Royal Ballet dancers in rehearsal and, ultimately, executing an evening’s performance with no audience insight.
“Stages are empty when performances can’t happen,” Scheuer told HuffPost. “But they’re also empty right after a performance has happened, and right before a performance does happen. In all instances, they echo with the shows that have been in them … Together, we made something that celebrates the arts themselves.”
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Labels: 2020, Benjamin Scheuer, Carlos Acosta, music video, Royal Ballet
