In October 2000 Bruce Marriot, of ballet.co.uk asked Cathy to write a monthly diary for his online magazine. Cathy agreed and has made it – most months – on time! The most recent month’s news appears below but to read all of the previous entries go to: www.ballet.co.uk/contexts/marston.htm

Diary May 2005

It’s been a while since I’ve written my diary… won’t go into excuses but am somehow inspired to put some words down today. I’m on a train at the moment going through the Alsace area of Germany on my way from Basel to Mannheim. It’s a gorgeous day, I’ve just finished the new ballet I’m creating for Basel and am off to see a premiere tonight in Mannheim where I have some old friends.

It’s been a hectic winter – creating works for Ballet Central, Images of Dance, films for Channel Four (which we shot in Havana) as well as dancing with Arc Dance Company and The Royal Opera. I’ve also had an initial rehearsal period for my next Linbury evening which I’ll tell you about later. I’ve always said to myself that I like working hard in winter time, but I’m beginning to think I might be wrong: the heat of Cuba - and everything else about it - made the time I spent there feel so refreshingly creative – and now in Basel, just feeling the sun on my back as I walk to and from the theatre, really makes me relax into the process rather than charge through it.

My new creation in Basel is called ‘Orpheus and Persephone’. I’ve interwoven the two myths to make a half-hour narrative work which studies the stories in both mythological and psychological terms. We are told in various versions of the myth that a snake kills Eurydice. In this case, the snake is metaphorically seen as a serpent of jealousy inside Persephone; she looks up at the world that was once hers and begrudges the love of Orpheus and Eurydice because it’s something that she can no longer enjoy. As we all risk descending into depression when we lose someone, Orpheus goes deep inside himself – wishing desperately to retrieve his love. He first encounters three boys who could be seen as the three-headed dog, Cerberus, or in abstract terms as ‘voices of his own anger and reproach’. He is worn out in passing these obstructors and continues into an area of exhaustion and numbness; two women dance with him and as he charms them with the beauty of his movement they soothe and comfort him. Finally he comes upon Persephone and tries to persuade her to help him. He is nearing Death’s own abode and has nothing more to lose. She resists looking at him and facing her own guilt, but his passion wins her over. She sees her own reflection in Eurydice and decides to approach her husband and King of the Underworld to allow the couple to return to the land of the living.

I see Hades as not only God of Death but also Orpheus’ own dark side. As the famous ‘Don’t look back’ bargain is struck, the questions are asked to Orpheus, ‘Can you love and trust enough? Do you need to see to believe?’ He journeys upwards but his distrust and insecurity pull back. He is a split person – as we all are - and in my version of this story he sees a reflection of himself in the set that turns into Hades – his dark side in front of him. This is what makes him turn and lose his loved one forever.

The last movement of the ballet is the most gorgeous section of an incredibly beautiful string quartet by Peteris Vasks. It is a meditation in which we see Eurydice descend back into the earth – as Rilke puts it ‘already root’ - and then a duet between Orpheus and Persephone where the theme of the two stories collide; they stand next to each other as shells, experiencing their own loss. Finally, of course, Orpheus has to surface with the experience of his own darkness and vulnerability, which makes his story one with which people have identified for centuries.

I’ve had three weeks of not quite full-time to make the piece and it’s been a bit rushed, but I’m really excited to see it now. The dancers are great and while I return to London - to choreograph Don Giovanni for Grange Park Opera - next week, they have two weeks to get my style into their bodies. The premiere is on 20 May and I can tell you that EasyJet’s flights are still very reasonable into Basel – it would be lovely to see some of you there!