Buzz grows for Joni Mitchell-Alberta Ballet collaboration

The upcoming dance, music and visual art collaboration between Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell and the Alberta Ballet is drawing interest from around the world.

Mitchell has collaborated with the ballet's artistic director Jean Grand-Matre to create The Fiddle and the Drum, a ballet set to her music and performed before projections of her artwork.

The company described the work as a semi-abstract narrative ballet dealing with the themes of "environmental neglect and the warring nature of mankind."

The 48-minute production, featuring nine Mitchell songs,is set to premiere as part of a mixed program the company will stage in Calgary, running Feb. 8-10. It then moves to Edmonton for shows on Feb. 16 and 17.

"As an artist creating today, quite frankly, I can see no other subject matter that is of more importance now. We need people to awaken to this reality," Mitchell said in a statement.

According to Grand-Matre, interest in the ballet has been growing, with calls from across Canada and abroad for more details. London's Sunday Times, the New York Times, the BBC and other media from Europe and North America have all expressed interest in the new production, he said.

"We never expected anything like this," Grand-Matre said, adding that interest in The Fiddle and the Drum has been unlike anything else the company has seen in its history.

The acclaimed choreographer and artistic director said he wrote to Mitchell a year ago, asking her to consider collaborating on a production.

Mitchell "has always loved ballet and dance, and being involved in this way interested her a lot," he said.

However, participation comes at a price for the reclusive artist, who for years has lived away from the public eye.

"Whenever she comes out [into public], it's like suddenly everybody goes after her and she gets overwhelmed by it," Grand-Matre said.

Final preparations for The Fiddle and the Drum are underway, with a one-hour TV special also in the works. Mitchell's agent has said she will speak about the new ballet the week before the grand opening.

Mitchellwill also be inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame on Jan. 28.