After All

Shortly after winning the ‘76 Olympic Gold Medal, ice skater John Curry commissioned Tharp to create After All, an ice dance that explores the weight and rhythm shifts possible in dance, yet unexplored in competitive figure skating.

In the first section, the skating mirrors the musical embellishments in Albinoni’s Baroque concerto but holds fast to the compulsory school figures, now no longer judged in competition. The final action of the piece is a long, gliding balance. With a single push on one skate, Curry coasts around the entire perimeter of the rink. He arrives at the center of the ice just as the momentum dissipates and the final note diminishes.