Imaginative and Mystical, Island Moving Company's "Nuit
Blanche", an evening of vignette performances, was held
at Newport's Bellevue House, once the home of Jane
Pickens and Walter Hoving, an exuberant celebration of
the arts. Modeled after its Parisian counterpart, the
evening came together like a mystical art circus, with
gongs and a marching Dixieland-style band of jesters
leading the 450 guests from one performance area to
another.
The
gardens themselves are magical, and mysterious and the
dance sequences included a pas de deux with a dive into
the pool, while an opera singer was warming up in
another part of the gardens. The entire event was the
exquisite interplay between purposefulness and whimsy,
luring people to what was around the corner? and where
would the Tin Pan Band lead them next. Opera near a
garden house, a dancer with lights within a gazebo, a
jazz band marching through to the next event, and a
mysterious gong signaling a "happening."
The
gigantic tent was magnificently decorated by John
Sawicki, with help from designer Peggy Mulholland.
Emlen Drayton served as auctioneer, and dancers gyrated
to the Tin Pand Band from New York (previously, the
jesters), and tout Newport was there. A "Nuit Blanche
Shoe" competition, judged on appropriateness for the
event and terrain, encouraged best feet forward, and was
won by Janine Atamian.
Seen
were Island Moving Company Director Dominique Alfandre,
Chairman of the Board John Brooks, Board members Ellen
Barnes, Brenda Calkins, Joan Martin, and Congressman
David Cicilline. The consensus the morning after (e
mail and Facebook flurries attested) was that "Nuit
Blanche" was one of the "best events we'd ever been
to".