Book Club Inspires Ballet

By Jason Boog 

9780670033041L.jpgBook clubs have created many things, from friendship to book sales, but one book club actually inspired an entire dance program.

For her first full-length ballet, Promise, veteran Chicago dancer Winifred Haun wrote a piece inspired by John Steinbeck’s novel, “East of Eden.” According to a Flavorwire interview, the idea was born in a book club. Unfortunately, the actual text won’t appear in the upcoming show.

Here’s more from the interview: “I first got the idea when I read ‘East of Eden’ in 2003 as part of a mother’s book club. The book just filled me. I can’t think of another way to describe it … I would love to use the text from the book in this but the Steinbeck literary agent, who is actually a lawyer, has been in touch with me about this and it would be very expensive for me to use some of the language in the book. We’re still kind of in negotiation about it and perhaps one day I will.”