The Leaves Are Fading

Politicians and pundits warn of an impending Social Security crisis due to aging of American society and the retirement of the Baby Boomers. These doomsday predictions claim that the Social Security trust fund will run out of money in about thirty years as the number of retirees greatly exceeds the number of workers. Workers will shoulder tremendous tax increases to fund these retirement payments, and Social Security may not

exist when younger workers retire.

These scare tactics can cause resentment among younger workers. However, members of my generation must pause and think. My parents, aunts, uncles, and many of my teachers are Baby Boomers. Many are approaching retirement age, some have retired, and some have reached retirement age but are still working. The Boomers in my life are healthy, active adults with no plans for retirement at age 65. They intend to continue working and paying Social Security taxes for as long as their health permits. If this is also true of many Boomers, will this “crisis” really be as bad as predicted?

At family gatherings, I listen to conversations between my parents and my aunt and uncle. Though they are aware that retirement is just over the horizon, they seem reluctant to speak about it, preferring to focus on their own activities, their adult children, and concerns about their aged parents. They also enjoy reminiscing about their youth. The strong bonds holding their relationships together through decades of marriage are quite evident. Together they have faced joy and sorrow, and success and failure.

These family conversations remind me of Anthony Tudor’s ballet The Leaves are Fading which is about people about to pass into the autumn of their lives. It was choreographed in 1975 for American Ballet Theatre (ABT) and kept in their permanent repertory. This is one of Tudor’s last ballets and one of his most beautiful. Unlike other Tudor ballets which tell a clear story, The Leaves are Fading is basically abstract. It creates a mood and a feeling, leaving it up to the viewer to form a personal interpretation. The title describes the time of year when summer is ending, and the trees have lost their rich, green hue. The leaves hold the memories of warm, sunny days as the trees prepare for a colder, bleaker season. The choreography captures this idea of memories very well. There are many instances where the dancers appear to be nostalgic, but also intent on moving forward.

The Leaves Are Fading

This clip features Amanda McKerrow and John Gardner of ABT.  The deep commitment between them is evident from the moment they step onto the stage.  They are almost always in constant contact with one another, each reacting tenderly to the other’s touch.  This is a mature love, very different from the frenzied, passionate love seen in younger couples. Instead, the dancers show a relaxed ease and a complete trust like that of couples who have been together for decades. One can easily imagine one partner finishing a sentence for the other.

The opening is very poignant. Holding hands, the couple enters without any music (1:08). The man looks off into the distance deep in contemplation. The woman slowly releases his hand and with deliberation walks around him in a circle. The music begins playing (1:21) as she steps in front of her partner, he gently takes her hand, she turns to face him, rising up on pointe, battement front followed by a quick fouette into arabesque, all the while holding onto her partner’s hand.  She again turns to face the man and again to the front, develope side, and then both walk diagonally to downstage right. He lifts her up carrying her tenderly toward the front of the stage. She does a simple rond de jambe after being set down, rises up on pointe in fourth position and falls back into her partner’s arms who then gently sets her back up on pointe in a low arabesque. This beautiful sequence is repeated near the end of the dance as well (4:25).

Tudor excels at depicting the many facets of a love that has survived the test of time. There are simple, quiet moments of tenderness: holding hands while walking (1:06); the man’s hand  placed lightly on the woman’s back to guide her (1:47, 1:56); the woman’s  arm around the man’s neck (4:15); the woman’s hand stroking her partner’s cheek (5:14).  Tudor also inserts several playful moments where the man appears to be teasing the woman by touching her arm (2:35), and another where the woman leads the man in a series of lighthearted attitude turns circling the stage and culminating in a grand jete overhead lift which drops into a supported backbend (3:27-3:59).  

The music for this piece has several climaxes (2:44, 3:01, 4:00) which Tudor uses to highlight how the man’s strength lifts the woman, appearing to carry her away from difficult times. In each lift, the woman arches back to gratefully accept the man’s support.

Again, this is reminiscent of a long-married couple who has experienced both joy and sorrow during the course of their relationship.

The last diagonal (4:50) features the woman very softly jumping into a kneeling position on the man’s legs which also are in a bent position. He then lifts her into an overhead arabesque with her torso bent over him so she can look down at him. He sets her back down into the kneeling pose and repeats the lift. The use of the kneeling position is especially compelling. Traditionally, kneeling has symbolized respect for a superior power such as a king or lord. In this diagonal, both dancers appear to be kneeling, indicating mutual respect and equality. A wistful tender series of supported turns follows ending with the man tenderly carrying the woman offstage.   

This clip showed only the central pas de deux from this beautiful ballet for nine women and five men. One day, I hope to see the entire ballet. Sadly only this clip is available on video.