What is Filling Station?
Q: What is Filling Station?
A: Filling Station is a one-act ballet with music composed by Virgil Thomson and choreography designed by Lew Christensen.
Q: Who performed the role of Mac in the original production?
A: Lew Christensen performed the role of Mac, the filling station attendant, in the original production.
Q: Who designed the sets and costumes for Filling Station?
A: Paul Cadmus designed the sets and costumes for Filling Station.
Q: Where was Filling Station first performed?
A: The ballet was first performed in Hartford, Connecticut by Ballet Caravan in November 1937.
Q: What did dance historian Grace Robert praise about this ballet?
A: Dance historian Grace Robert praised the characterizations as being "definite and well-rounded" and noted that all of them are seen in terms that are "balletic". She also pointed to the pursuit of the gangster as an especially effective moment.
Q: What effect did Robert note during a particular scene?
A: Robert noted that during a particular scene on a darkened stage, several figures with flashlights performing grand jetée (leaps) created an effect "dramatic out of all proportion to the simplicity of the means employed."
Q: When was Filling Station popularly performed in South America?
A: The ballet was popularly performed in South America when it was presented there by an American company assembled by Lincoln Kirstein in 1941.
