Toccata

This high-spirited romp—a section from Talley Beatty’s longer work, Come and Get the Beauty of It Hot—evokes the energy of the city streets, illuminating his genius for using the jazz idiom to its fullest expressive and musical effect. Set to music by Grammy Award-winning Argentine composer Lalo Schifrin, the piece contains ensembles, duets, and trios that are danced in an almost declamatory manner as the dancers project their movements toward the audience and seldom toward each other.