A dance with allowances for a variable cast, Torelli began its life with
the aim of becoming a barge-dance, meaning a the piece presented on a
tug-boat barge being pulled around the waterways surrounding the isle of
Manhattan. Torelli's dancing, born of movement phrases clear, bold, broad
and big enough to be seen from significant distances on a catch-as-catch-can
basis, is designed to be plain, and utilizes neither stage make-up nor
theatrical costuming. The end result, originally performed only one time
(May 28, 1971) within New York City and without the actual use of a barge,
takes the form of an event that spreads out over the daylight hours.
"Sunrise" occurs literally at sunup as a kind of rustic kickoff, displaying
the huge, meant-to-be-legible-from-a-faroff-barge dance phrasing, all
performed to a Concerto in D Minor by the eponymous composer. "Midday March"
at noon, performed in yet another different, specially chosen locale,
involves marches, all suitably accompanied by a available marching band.
"Evening Raga" taking place at dusk, in a third location, marks culminating
activity, with moves based on American rags and Indian raga. The original
plan was to have the spectators shuttle between separate spaces offering the
diverse, musically inspired dancing, which would be viewed separately, but
the one-time performance could not, at the time, involve the intended
player-piano rags. Thus Torelli's full grand plan, including its
interconnected mix of raga and rags, remains yet to be fulfilled.