"I composed The Dancing Bird in response to a need expressed by Francesca Vanasco for a number of original works for the unusual combination of flute, cello, bass and vibraphone that make up Alborada Latina, the chamber ensemble for Latin American Music," says Thad Wheeler. "The Dancing Bird was begun after I received a diagram of a Spanish Sevillanas from Basilio Georges. I used the 47 bar form as a framework for "Sevillanas Magicas," a Spanish sevillanas with an American accent. I hen went on to write "Bulerias," "Purple Night," and "Scherzo Merenque," integrating structural and developmental devices used by Beethoven with flamenco and Venezuelan rhythms and my own melodic and harmonic materials. The last piece composed for The Dancing Bird was "Glimmerglass." I wrote this piece while spending a great deal of time house-hunting in Cooperstown, New York in the late winter-early spring."