The Chaconne Project
A new evening length work centered around J. S. Bach's iconic Chaconne in D minor.
Incorporating pointework and premiering during the 2025-26 season.
Pigeonwing Dance joins GRAMMY® Award-winning violinist and experimental composer Pauline Kim Harris onstage in a dance version of her ongoing Chaconne Project, a "reincarnation" of Bach's often-recorded masterwork.
Kim-Harris uses Bach's iconic 12 minute Chaconne in d minor -- thought to have been composed after the composer learned of his wife's death -- as the launching point for an exploration of the chaconne form. In addition to composing her own electroacoustic Ambient Chaconne, she has commissioned several contemporary composers to write new works exploring the form.
It’s a wild ride through time and space ... Exhilarating ... Modern to the core ... Pauline Kim Harris takes the listener into uncharted territory.
-- Strings Magazine
Choreography
The chaconne is a musical form characterized by a repeating harmonic progression over which variations are built. Historically, it was associated with sensuality and sometimes considered scandalous, particularly due to its connections to female dancers. In its early days in Spain, it was often performed by women and had connotations of eroticism. As it evolved and spread to other parts of Europe, the chaconne became more refined and was adopted by male composers in the Baroque era.
Pigeonwing Dance has its own history with the Chaconne, having performed to multiple versions (live solo violin, as well as recorded versions for solo piano, guitar, and violin + orchestra) during their popular Carpet Series -- an audacious outdoor dance installation taking place in New York City public spaces.
Just as Pauline Kim Harris reinterprets and modernizes the baroque chaconne through extended violin techniques and contemporary compositions, Pigeonwing's choreography explores the boundaries of classical ballet technique -- particularly pointework. We create a dialogue between traditional and contemporary forms and pushing ballet and concert music into new territory.
The videos below do not represent the staging of The Chaconne Project, but are intended to give a sense of Pigeonwing Dance's signature choreographic style as it relates to Bach's music for solo violin.
Music
A few selections from The Chaconne Project, as well as a recording of Bach's original by Kim Harris' legendary teacher Jascha Heifetz.
My relationship with Bach can be best described as spiritual, layered with emotional history and intellectual searching. Healing. Cleansing. Grounding. Fortifying. Humbling. A source of guidance most in time of need or absolute joy. A sense of mutual understanding that grows deeper with time. I guess you can say Bach is part of my life, like air.
-- Pauline Kim-Harris