Dance Advantage » Dance Companies

The Nutcracker: Unwrapped

Nichelle (admin) — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 18:25:59 +0000

Hand-torn snow. 7,000 lbs of it.

Houston Ballet’s current version of The Nutcracker, choreographed by Ben Stevenson, premiered in 1987. And ever since, what falls from above in the Land of Snow is what designer, Desmond Heeley always wanted: Crepe paper, because of the way it looks, reflects the light and most importantly, because of the way it falls. Hand-torn because its densely textured surface makes it impossible to cut layers of paper without sticking and clumping.

For the first few years, volunteers from the Houston Ballet Guild and the HB staff donated several days in the weeks before The Nutcracker opened to sit and tear paper into snowflakes, but over the years a new method was developed using spools and special blades. Now a crew of four can tear several layers at once more efficiently over a period of 2 weeks.

About 200 pounds of snow fall during each snow scene, after which (during intermission) the snow is swept up and placed in special boxes to be cleaned. The used snow is carefully sifted and cleaned to be used again in another show. About 30 minutes before curtain on each performance day, the snow bags are refilled with either new or newly cleaned snow that will majestically fall to the stage, to the delight of the Houston Ballet audience.

The Nutcracker Sugar Plum Fairy tutus and Soldier costumes in wardrobe storage.

Repair. Rebuild. Remake. Repaint.

Snow isn’t the only thing that’s reused and recycled in The Nutcracker, which is produced season after season for more performances than other ballet in the Houston Ballet repertoire.

According to HB’s Production Director, Tom Boyd, who has been part of its production team from the start, there have been the expected subtle changes in choreography over the years. But everything else has remained very close to what was originally conceived by Stevenson and Heeley. Even costume fabrics and trims, which literally endure the wear and tear of hundreds of performances, are replaced only with the best possible match to the original design.

Dressing the Cast

When asked which Nutcracker costume is her personal favorite, it seems an easy answer for Houston Ballet’s Wardrobe Manager, Laura Lynch. “The Snow Queen,” she pronounces. “Love that tiara.”

One-hundred and thirty costumes appear in a single Nutcracker performance. But if you break it down to the individual clothing pieces, like collars, petticoats, and more, that the wardrobe department maintains, there are over 650 items, not including tights, facial hair or wigs.

Because The Nutcracker is performed every year, the show’s costumes hang in the back wardrobe room at Wortham Theater Center all year long so that Wardrobe may continually restore and rebuild as necessary in the costume shop at Houston Ballet’s new Center for Dance (the largest professional dance company facility of its kind constructed in the United States).

Sugar Plum's costume tagged by Wardrobe and ready to go. Photo: Casey Ayala/Art Institute of Houston North

The Wardrobe department uses a dancer’s most current measurements to rebuild costumes and depends upon the fitting process to determine if Nutcracker costumes must be rebuilt or altered. Costumes are generally not re-fit on dancers who have performed the role previously, so it may surprise those visiting Wardrobe during Nutcracker preparation that seemingly there’s not much going on with the show. However, the department is always working on other productions as well. This season, you’d see costumes for the one-night-only Jubilee of Dance, photo shoots, Cinderella (opening in February), and academy performances.

How does Wardrobe keep track of all the measurements, alterations, and other costume details?

“LOTS OF ORGANIZATION,” exclaims Lynch. “We use an extensive inventory system to keep track of which costumes belong together. We also have a numbering system in all costumes to assist in charting who wears which costume.”

If you’re producing your own Nutcracker this year, Ms. Lynch has some tips: “Stay on top of keeping things clean. Spot cleaning and hand washing are very important and if left to wait will certainly damage the costumes.” She recommends you have a system in place and “stay the course.”

Making Theatrical Magic

In the second act of HB’s The Nutcracker, flying chef-angels zip across stage. Tom Boyd recalls the origins of this unique feature: “The idea came from the fact that Act 2 is the Land of the Sweets and the designer, Desmond Heeley, was quite interested in answering the question, that a child might ask, ‘Where do all the sweets come from?’ So, Desmond decided there should be bakers and cooks and some of them would be flying. And, if you look at the chandeliers you will see flying cooks on either side. Ben liked the idea so much, he decided to expand the concept with dancers flying to open the Act.”

According to Tom, the dancers rehearse the basic positions and timing in the studio as part of the regular rehearsals for many weeks prior to moving into the Wortham. When the flying rig apparatus has been installed in the theater, the dancers are called to be fit in their harnesses and work with a flight coach until they feel comfortable being in the harness and off the ground. Then, they rehearse the flying sequence to piano music with all the flyers, the flight coach, the stagehands (each flyer requires 3 each), stage managers, and artistic staff needed during the actual show. Throughout the entire run of The Nutcracker, the flying sequence is also rehearsed onstage during Intermission for the comfort and safety of the dancers and crew alike.

The Nutcracker set design by Desmond Heeley.

Though flying takes a great deal of coordination, it is the extremely complicated transition from the Battle Scene to the Snow Scene that Boyd describes as the most technically challenging. “The house scenery has to move off and fly out, with the enormous tree, and in its place is revealed the Land of Snow. This transition involves the entire stage crew, with 7 people pulling lines on the fly-rail, and 11 people moving scenery off-stage. Both stage managers are involved in calling cues, timing the moves to the music and the entire company of dancers are either running offstage, running onstage, or quick-changing costumes to be onstage.” All in a matter of seconds.

What are the essentials for staying organized and keeping The Nutcracker running smoothly?

“It helps to have very good archived records of how the show hangs, what is involved from scene to scene, how many people are required to do what,” says Boyd, “but, the most important element of all is to have highly skilled, dedicated, experienced people putting it all together. And, we are fortunate to have an outstanding production staff, stage crew, and wardrobe staff who all know that we have a duty to present this amazing company of brilliant dancers with the highest production value possible, whether it’s The Nutcracker or any other performance.”

So you want to be a…

During the 1980′s Boyd made the leap from dancing to managing productions and scenic design. If you’re planning to make a similar leap, Boyd says to pay attention to all that is going on around you. “Our audience sees only the tip of the iceberg when attending a performance, but as members of an arts organization we have the opportunity to understand and be involved with the entire infrastructure,” he explains.

“Find out what the other departments do, how they contribute to the final product. Any single performance and audience experience is the result of hundreds of people doing so many different things. Not only could you encounter interesting career options, you have an opportunity to capitalize on the experience you already have.”

Similarly, Laura Lynch, says the path to becoming Wardrobe Manager for a large ballet company requires experience. Lots of it, working in all aspects of Wardrobe. “I have a theater degree and have been working professionally in costuming for 27 years,” divulges Lynch. “I’ve done everything from stitching, patterning, cutting, dying, crafting, painting, shop supervising, freelance design, traveling with Broadway productions to community theater. To rise to the top hard work, good work ethic and a passion for what you do are necessary.”

In addition to supervising in HB’s wardrobe and costume shop, she has also designed costumes. If you’re a dancer with a passion for ballet fashion, Lynch says, “Research! Everything, from fashion to theater.” She explains that exploring museums and art history are two great ways to research and learn, and that paintings offer an enormous wealth of fashions throughout history. “Get involved and keep learning new skills,” Lynch encourages.

Of course, what Nutcracker feature would be complete without a few stories from those who’ve seen it all?

I couldn’t help but ask Boyd about something a little mouse told me: That HB used to stage an elaborate “Nutty” Nutcracker for audiences at the close of the run.

“The Nutty Nutcracker was a tradition for a number of years,” explains Boyd. “It was a way to close out a very long season of The Nutcracker performances, and to let the dancers and audience have some fun within a very traditional framework.”

“I think my fondest memory was when Drosselmeyer brought out his trunk of dancing dolls to entertain the children, and pulled out Lauren Anderson dressed as Tina Turner doing her signature song, ‘Proud Mary’,” he recalls. “That one was so popular, she made several cameo appearances in subsequent shows, even when it made no sense, just for the fun of it.”

Last year on Dance Advantage, corps member Madison Morris, shared her favorite wardrobe malfunctions involving rats. Lynch recalls a year when one of the rats’ ears came unglued and was barely hanging on to the head. “Lots of flopping about… luckily the rat was done for that show and we were able to re-glue for the next show.”

Boyd says so many things happen behind the scenes, most if not all unseen by the audience, that it’s hard to pick one thing that he can look back on and laugh at. “The ones I remember weren’t funny when they happened, and unfortunately, they really aren’t funny in retrospect. Oh, I guess they are just a little bit. But, each little hiccup in the otherwise smooth running of a show, is a reminder that there is an enormous level of detail that needs to be constantly monitored in a show like this and one can never, ever take it for granted or think you can phone it in.”

He does relay one instance of flying gone wrong: “The flying cooks are supposed to meet at center and hold hands until they are flown off to their respective sides of the stage,” he says. ” Well in this performance, the stagehand in charge of traveling the flyers to their marks went so far past his mark that instead of stopping at center stage, the dancer from stage left went past the one from stage right, and they spun around each other getting their flying cables hopelessly entangled. So, they were just stuck together center-stage, 15 feet above the floor, staring at each other.”

Oh no, what then?

“When the stage manager realized they were not going to untangle themselves, he instructed both sets of crew operating the flying rig to travel the flyers off stage right until they were in the wings.” To a round of cheers from the audience, of course.

Featuring breathtaking scenery and costumes by Tony Award-winning designer Desmond Heeley, Houston Ballet’s The Nutcracker is ideal for introducing children to the power and beauty of classical dance, and a delightful way for the entire family to ring in the holiday season. Thirty-three performances run November 25 – December 27, 2011 in the Brown Theater at Wortham Theater Center in downtown Houston. For tickets call 1-800-828-ARTS, or visit www.houstonballet.org.

More of The Nutcracker Behind-the Scenes:

Houston Ballet’s The Nutcracker By the Numbers

CultureMap goes Art & About and wants to know…

Team Sugar or Team Snow?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ermOlzjFAZE

Nancy Wozny, aka Culture Sis, aka dancehunter, and Joel Luks, aka Culture Bro, go behind the scenes at the Houston Ballet to learn why Ben Stevenson’s version has been a hit for 24 years.

© Nichelle Strzepek for Dance Advantage, 2011. | Permalink | Category: Ballet/Pointe, Beyond the Bubble, Blog, Costumes Etc., Dance Companies, Dance Styles, Featured, Interviews, News and Events, Performing | Who's talking about this article?

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Talking Fusion, SYTYCD, and Futures with Dwight Rhoden

Nichelle (admin) — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 13:24:52 +0000

Did you know, dear Reader, that in addition to Dance Advantage I write about dance happening in Houston? If you follow me on Twitter or perhaps Facebook, you may.

This Friday, October 14 Houston’s Society for the Performing Arts will present Complexions Contemporary Ballet, the 17-year-old company founded by former Ailey dancers Desmond Richardson and Dwight Rhoden.

You may also know their work from So You Think You Can Dance:

I previewed the event for Dance Source Houston. The interview with Dwight Rhoden below… ahem, rocks! And I wanted to share it with you. Enjoy!

Rise. Photo by Jae Man Joo.

Complexions Contemporary Ballet Ready to Rock Houston

What does a dance company have in common with U2, one of rock music’s biggest acts?

With a big smile on his face, Dwight Rhoden quips, “I think dancers are rockstars”.

Rhoden’s New York City company, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, is about to rock… and roll through Houston on October 14 with a program that includes musical accompaniment big and bold enough to blow off the Wortham’s roof: The Rolling Stones, Roy Buchanan, “The Hallelujah Chorus,” and, of course, U2. The evening will close with Rise, a work set entirely to tunes from the Irish rock band’s catalog.

Rhoden gets no argument here about the exceptional qualities of dancers. However, as I see it, the troupe he founded with dancer Desmond Richardson in 1994 is like U2 in other ways, too. Both have accessibility and wide appeal, traits which some in their respective fields dismiss as if it were harder to be obscure. Both groups resist being bound by or excluded from the circles of commercial and “high” art. Both even have a frontman (in Complexions’ case, Richardson) who can command a stage like few others.

Now in his 40’s, Richardson is retiring as a touring dancer at the conclusion of this season. Still at the top of his game, he’s been Dwight Rhoden’s muse since their days in the Ailey company. On Saturday, Richardson will perform CLICK, a solo choreographed by Rhoden about a man at a crossroads just before everything “clicks” into place.

Below, Rhoden sets the stage for this new work, gives his spin on So You Think You Can Dance, and illustrates why Complexions exemplifies the times.

Dance Source Houston: Tell us about CLICK and its significance in light of this being Desmond’s last year to tour.

Dwight Rhoden: Desmond is a dance legend and a national treasure. His artistry is on a continuous quest to find more. He has danced and I’ve created just about every type of work one can imagine for him. At this time in his journey I felt the dance icon, Desmond should play with the music icon, The Rolling Stones. The significance of CLICK for him is he’s playing a character that is a bit of a clown and has many contrasting qualities. Like Desmond, it’s all about fun now.

DSH: Rise looks like a lot of fun. Was there ever any doubt that movement could compete with the anthemic sounds, lyrics, and familiarity of U2′s music?

DR: My inspiration for Rise was the anthemic qualities of the music. I never once had any reservations about creating to it. U2′s music rocks and it dances to me. I had a visual movement vibe in my head every time I listened to their music.

DSH: You’ve choreographed over 80 ballets for Complexions, not to mention works set on other companies. You must occasionally stumble into familiar territory during your artistic process. What do you do when you find that you’re repeating yourself?

DR: I have developed a signature style to my work over the years but I always try and look for new possibilities and a fresh take on things. However, when I feel I need to stretch more, I look to my dancers to help influence the work, as well as using basic tools of the craft of choreography and composition.

DSH: Your company dancers come from many different countries. How does this fusion of languages and diverse cultural backgrounds affect the rehearsal process?

DR: It’s always fun to watch the dancers at first as they communicate and try to understand each other with various accents. Our Associate Artistic Director,

Jae Man Joo runs rehearsal with his thick Korean accent, meanwhile the dancers are speaking Spanish, Italian, Russian, French. That diversity lends itself to a very interesting creative process. Everyone has such a different back-story, as well as cultural differences that can only bring dimension to what is being created. I’ve been around the world but feel I’ve learned so much from my dancers.

DSH: The work you do is also a fusion. Though billed as a contemporary ballet company you blend many dance forms. Is this the future of dance?

DR: I think it has to be the future. We have to keep pushing the form and continue to make dance relevant to the time we live in. The classics will always be around. They are still beautiful, necessary and are a part of our history that is the basis for how we stretch the form.

Artists have always made work that reflects the world around them. Desmond and I feel we’ve taken it a step further with the creation of a company like Complexions. We celebrate the differences that make us individually interesting, putting them all together and thereby creating that hybrid that is like our world today.

DSH: Speaking of cultural relevance, you’ve choreographed and appeared on So You Think You Can Dance for three seasons. What will those familiar only with your work on that show find different about your work for Complexions?

DR: I think audiences will find a greater level of diversity in the choreography, music, as well as being able to see an idea be developed a lot further. There is a depth that can be developed with more time. On SYTYCD you usually have only 1-2 minutes. And choreographing for the camera is very different than creating for a live audience.

DSH: I imagine that you sometimes encounter those who know your work on the show but are surprised to learn you have a 17-year-old dance company. Critics of SYTYCD see a failure on the part of producers and guest artists to leverage the popularity of the show for support of dance elsewhere. How do you respond to the naysayers?

DR: In my opinion SYTYCD….

READ ON at Dance Source Houston!!

© Nichelle Strzepek for Dance Advantage, 2011. | Permalink | Category: Beyond the Bubble, Blog, Dance Companies, Dance Styles, Dancethropology, Featured, Interviews, Modern/Contemporary, News and Events | Who's talking about this article?

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OK Go and Pilobolus Assure Us ALL IS NOT LOST

Nichelle (admin) — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 13:21:32 +0000

Keeping the art of the music video alive for the YouTube generation, the band OK Go has kept us wondering what they’ve got up their sleeves since trenching on treadmills for their Here We Go Again video in 2006.

Even before the explosion of that video, though, the group used clever choreography in the visual accompaniment for their songs and made it clear they were unafraid to jump into the groove themselves.

They’ve teamed up most recently with professional dance troupe, Pilobolus and Google, debuting an experiment last month that mixes old-school camera trickery with newfangled technology.

“Different shots are rendered in different browser windows that move, re-size and re-align throughout the piece. With HTML5’s canvas technology, these videos are drawn in perfect timing with the music.” It also allows you to embed a message of your choosing (like mine, captured in the image at right) into the music video – that is, if you’re using Google Chrome as your browser. [Read more about the collaboration at The Official Google Blog]

Try it out yourself by visiting www.allisnotlo.st. It’s definitely worth the free Google Chrome download, especially if you’re one of the many still browsing with Internet Explorer… you know who you are.

The video turns the work of Busby Berkeley on its head as the dancers and band members, shot from below, move in and out of kaleidoscopic shapes over a transparent floor. You can see it without the Chrome enhancements via YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ur-y7oOto14

In fact, you may have seen the collaboration performed live on the August 10th episode of America’s Got Talent. It’s not the first time the groups have recreated the visual magic for a live audience. OK Go and Pilobolus performed it during Pilobolus’ latest stint at New York’s Joyce Theater.

Itamar Kubovy, the executive director of Pilobolus, told the NY Times, “The band has an almost childlike wonder, and I think that’s a value of ours, as well.”

A great quality to have!

How can you inject a little childlike wonder into your next choreography, routine, or production?

© Nichelle Strzepek for Dance Advantage, 2011. | Permalink | Category: Beyond the Bubble, Blog, Dance Companies, Dance Media, Dancethropology, Film/Video, Fun & Games, News and Events, Online | Who's talking about this article?

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Rebecca King on Learning As a Professional

Guest Contributors — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 13:35:06 +0000

I’ve been bugging Rebecca King, a Top Dance blogger at Tendus Under a Palm Tree and a company member at Miami City Ballet, to guest here at DA. Now that she has a little time at the close of her season, I’m pleased to introduce Rebecca as she discusses some of the “a-ha! moments” in her transition from student to company dancer and development as a young professional.

The lessons I have learned in my five years of company life.

As a student you are provided with all the tools you require to grow as a dancer; you are given corrections, encouraged to work hard, and occasionally given a kick in the pants when a teacher deems it appropriate. When you enter a company, there is no longer someone who will help you every step of the way. Being in a company is the real deal. This is what you have dreamt of and what you have worked hard to achieve. But are you done learning? Have you gotten to that place where you can just sit back, relax, and cash your paychecks? Ask any professional dancer, regardless of their rank or fame, and they will tell you the answer to the latter question is a resounding “no”.

So what do you do? You must understand that your success is now up to you. You need to find ways to encourage yourself, keep a positive attitude, work well with the dancers around you, and put in extra time. You are in the real world now. You may be a teenager who just moved away from home, but you are expected to conduct yourself as an adult. Company life is an adjustment, which the artistic staff expects. But they hired you because they believe that you can develop a work ethic that will enable you to thrive as a professional. So you must prove to them that you can.

Working In The Back

When you first begin working with a company, chances are you may not be in the first cast of every ballet. (...)

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Chloe Arnold’s ‘My Life, My Diary, My Dance’

Tristan Bruns — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 13:40:00 +0000

Chloe Arnold is confident in her life’s journey, as is evident in her one woman show, “My Life, My Diary, My Dance,” that debuted in New York City on February 11^th at ‘The Club’ at La MaMa. The stage was devoid of scenery, except for three musicians and a blonde, wooden floor. (You can see for yourself in the video at the bottom of the page.) Through entries of Chloe’s ‘diary’ we come to understand the relationships and circumstances that developed her into the powerhouse performer that she is today. While the style and flow of the evening was uniquely Chloe Arnold, she makes it very clear that this show is not just about her. Through a first-hand account of her performance and from my one-on-one correspondence with Chloe, I aim to prove just that.

Through home videos and spoken word accounts, we come to understand Chloe’s dance lineage completely. At 10 years old she began working with Savion Glover. She studied under him for several years and would develop friendships that would continue to shape her dancing. One of these friends, Bakaari Wilder, introduced her to the cast of Bring In Da’Noise, Bring In Da’Funk, a production that many consider the pinnacle event in contemporary tap. Chloe credits the spontaneous jam sessions that would break out backstage of the production as her initiation into the tap community as well as her trial by fire.

It is through her experiences growing up as an adopted, African-American female coupled with the talent that she surrounded herself with that forged the dancer and entrepreneur that she is today. Her attack is ferocious, and it is her fearlessness that aids in her rapid growth as a performer. In tap dance terminology, Chloe has a deep pocket.

What do you mean, deep pocket?

By pocket, I refer to a wealth of stored movements, rhythms, and styles.

Are you familiar with your favorite dancers’ signature moves? That’s their pocket. For those of you who are just beginning to explore choreography and improvisation, you may find yourself going back to certain movements or rhythms repeatedly. That’s your pocket. This memory technique gives your choreography and improvisation a flavor that is unique to your personal experiences. Developing the pocket is essential for anybody who is seriously considering a career in tap dance and/or cares to participate in the tap community and communicate effectively.

Early Influences

The lights dim as Chloe recalls the musical influences of her youth. She is no longer the strong, confident performer. She has become more introverted. Her shoulders slump a little bit. Her voice tightens and becomes whinier. Her entire attitude is (...)

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Terpsichorus: Discussing Entity — Wayne McGregor/Random Dance

Nichelle (admin) — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 15:30:51 +0000

Click the button to find out more about the idea behind Terpsichorus

Welcome to our first Terpsichorus discussion!

If you haven’t yet watched the film, don’t panic! You can still download and watch the film at the locations below. Feel free to come back and add your thoughts, questions, or comments after you do. The discussion will remain open indefinitely (I may close comments eventually but not for a while!).

Look out below

I’ve posted some flash responses offered during preliminary email discussion between Steve, Robin, and myself (Nichelle). These are just to stir some conversation. You can comment on any of our comments!

Also, you’ll find some viewing prompts. These are open questions that you can choose to answer or not. If you find you’re at a loss for words, these may be good starting points.

Note: I am roughly considering Part I, anything that occurs before the big set change, and of course, Part II anything after it.

An extended list of viewing prompts, should you want to watch with it in front of you, is available here.

Spread the word

Don’t forget to invite and share with friends. If you’re on Twitter or Facebook, use the sharing buttons above (on the site). Include the #terpsichorus hashtag on Twitter, if you would! If you follow our pages on Facebook you can tag us with @Dance Advantage or @You Dance Funny in a status update and let use know you’re watching.

Steve on Twitter | Nichelle on Twitter | Robin on Twitter

You Dance Funny on Facebook | Dance Advantage on Facebook

The Movement

“Aesthetically, I find the vocabulary beautiful in its awkwardness… Occasionally something resonated on a human/emotional level but mostly I watched with interest from visual moment to moment.” – Nichelle

“I’m finding the movements get repetitive, they are much the same tempo throughout without any particular highs or lows. There is a bit in the early men’s section where one guy sort of crab walks backwards, partially supported by another guy, that i thought was awesome.” – Robin

“I found the patterned, more structured moments to be more pleasing to watch, a theme that was sort of echoed in the geometric shapes cast on the floor.” – Steve

“I felt like there were three main “modes” he was operating within the choreography. Don’t know if it’s true for his other work too? One, is fast, forceful, and angular. Two is very sinewy and sleek. Three is what I’m dubbing “the pterodactyl” – hyperexteded spine, inward rotation, bird-like. The mood, music, lighting, set, etc. had a lot of variety and it was interesting how he used these “modes” throughout all of those changes.” – Nichelle

List 3 adjectives describing McGregor’s movement vocabulary (or body of movements).

How would you describe the shift in mood, movement, and emotion that occurs with the change in costume, lighting, and music in Part II?

The Music, Sets, Costumes, & Lighting

“I don’t enjoy the music!… I do think the dancers execute the movement brilliantly and they are all very beautiful but really, i am just not liking it.” – Robin

“I will say that MacGregor’s work is intense and he has a genius ability to visualize (and actualize!) incredibly innovative sets and choreography.” – Steve(...)

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© Nichelle Strzepek for Dance Advantage, 2011. | Permalink | Category: Ballet/Pointe, Beyond the Bubble, Blog, Dance Companies, Dance Media, Dance Styles, Dancethropology, Featured, Film/Video, Modern/Contemporary, News and Events | Who's talking about this article?

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40 Years of Pilobolus Dance: Origins, Partnering, Programming

Nichelle (admin) — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 14:20:03 +0000

I recently contributed a guest review of Pilobolus: The Human Alphabet at one of my favorite blogs, Picture Books and Pirouettes.

If you want to know more about the blog and its author Kerry Aradhya, simply visit PB&P. You can also see Kerry’s guest article here at Dance Advantage – a year-in-review of dance-related picture books for 2010.

In conjunction with the review, I thought it might be fun to dig a little into Pilobolus history as well as my experiences with their work. A quaint little post on the company actually already exists way back in the Dance Advantage archives but this seemed a good time for an update.

Pilobolus Dance Theatre

In 1971 Alison Chase chose a small group of students from her beginning modern dance class to represent Dartmouth College at a symposium for modern dance in New York City. Original members of the collective that would become Pilobolus included Moses Pendleton, Jonathan Wolken, and Steve Johnson. They were later joined by Robby Barnett, Michael Tracy, and Lee Harris when Johnson graduated and went on to pursue a medical career and soon after Alison Chase and Martha Clarke became the first female members of Pilobolus.

Pilobolus first performed as the opening act for a Frank Zappa concert at the University of Massachusetts – Amherst. Though on the fringe of modern dance, the company gained recognition and acclaim for their unique collaborative approach to choreography, innovative and often acrobatic weight-sharing techniques, and humor.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eO8GK0DE6ZM

Pseudopodia (1973) Choreographed by Jonathan Wolken. A tumbling tumbleweed solo set to an all-percussion score. Performed here by Pilobolus dancer Jun Kuribayashi.

If, over the last 40 years, you’ve been fortunate enough to see them live as I have, you probably understand the worldwide appeal of Pilobolus. The company’s artistic directors and dancers have managed to create “a profoundly serious artistic enterprise that has successfully reached out to a popular audience.”

They’ve inspired and paved the way for other dance companies, including the offshoot, MOMIX (founded by Pendleton and Chase), and continue as innovative leaders, expanding their artistic, educational, and commercial programs, initiatives, and collaborations.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55FoeUztSLw

LANTERNA MAGICA (2008) is a full company work choreographed by co-Artistic Director Michael Tracy. This work immerses us in the luminous spirit of the natural world and uses ritual and mythology to create a mysterious and irresistible sensual celebration of the supernatural.

Pilobolus Institute

As the educational arm of the organization The Pilobolus Institute conducts community workshops, lecture demonstrations, master classes, and performances for non-dancers, trained students, and professionals alike.

From the website: “Workshops given by the Pilobolus Institute are not training in dance but rather in methods of effective group creativity that use physical expression as their medium. We begin by eliminating preconceptions of what dance should be. We watch what is unique about every body that moves, and in doing so discover infinite forms of what is beautiful and possible.”

You can read about The Pilobolus Institute’s recent work at a school in New Haven, Connecticut at the Pilobolus Blog. See this group of boys from Betsy Ross Arts Magnet School perform their work in the video below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UGDpHXGOuQ

Pilobolus Partnering

Most who watch Pilobolus perform are struck by their unique and seemingly impossible feats of partnering and weight-sharing, moments where two or more dancers balance or distribute their weight between one another. Pilobolus is known for creating both still and moving body structures which are constructed with base principles of balance and counterbalance.

During my post-college teaching career, I was twice able to take a master class with former Pilobolus dancer, Mark Santillano, now a long-time faculty member at Mercyhurst College. His Pilobolus-style partnering class began with some basic get-to-know-your-partner counterbalance exercises. It’s quite possible you’ve played with these concepts before:

Grasping the forearm of your partner (just above the wrist), begin with your bodies face to face and standing close together. (...)

Continue reading "40 Years of Pilobolus Dance: Origins, Partnering, Programming"

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The Nutcracker At It’s Corps With Apprentice, Madison Morris

Nichelle (admin) — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 14:15:31 +0000

Like most ballet companies, Houston Ballet has a long-standing Nutcracker tradition. And so, the production and its elements are woven into the fabric of the company culture. When new members enter the community, I imagine them as threads, being absorbed into the warp and woof.

Madison Morris; Photo by AMitava Sarkar

For a company apprentice like Madison Morris, already a part of the wider Houston dance community before entering the Houston Ballet Academy as a youth, Ben Stevenson’s production of The Nutcracker must feel truly etched in the consciousness.

Though born in Charlotte, NC, Madison moved to Dallas with her family just after her first birthday. In any other locale, one might be considered a native in this case but, this is Texas. So, quoting what is possibly the state’s most popular fridge magnet, Madison mentions, “I wasn’t born in Texas, but I got here as fast as I could!”

At four, she and her family moved to Houston where her mother enrolled her at Woodlands Civic Ballet. “For seven years, I trained as both a ballerina and a competitive gymnast. In February 2005, I auditioned and was accepted into Houston Ballet’s Summer Intensive Program as a Level 3/Level 4 dancer. After three full years training in Houston Ballet Academy and two years in Houston Ballet II (HBII), I am now enjoying dancing professionally with Houston Ballet,” she explains.

The Corps Experience

While each dancer performs many roles throughout the Nutcracker run, each learns even more than they will perform. Madison has been charged with knowing eleven corps de ballet roles for this production. She will perform eight of them throughout the season’s 34 shows.

Madison took time-out from her busy schedule to answer a few of my questions about what it’s like to perform in the corps during this busy holiday season. She reveals both the hard work and dedication required of apprentices and the corps and an insider’s view of the sometimes action-packed events going on behind the scenes at Nutcracker performances.

Dance Advatage: Describe the preparation and rehearsal process for The Nutcracker.

Madison Morris: In October, while rehearsing for other current or future productions, it’s typical to be called to different Nutcracker rehearsals as well. We begin to learn, or freshen our memories, on our assigned parts. From this point forward , we strive to perfect our execution of the choreography. Then, in early November, Nutcracker rehearsals kick into full swing. In addition to dancing, learning a piece commonly involves reviewing recorded performances from previous years.

Madison Morris; Photo by Jim Caldwell

DA: What is your approach to staying healthy during this time?

MM: The same arsenal of common sense I attempt to employ year round. I eat a well-balanced diet and take vitamins to fuel my body. Also, Vitamin C, Fish Oil and B-12 to boost my immune system, as needed. The moment I feel a sore throat begin, I have learned taking a Mushroom Complex supplement wards it off.

Hydration helps me through hectic training times, too. In addition to water, I drink coconut water. It is more natural than a sports drink, low in calories, and it is loaded with Vitamin C, electrolytes, and potassium. It even beats bananas! My two favorite flavors are mango and pink guava.

I keep water or coconut water on hand at all times and I make sure to eat protein. I don’t always have time for a meal, so snacks are really important. I enjoy pumpkin seeds, cocoa almonds, cashews, and trail mixes. I also love fresh and dried fruits.

DA: You’ll have lots of dual performance days during the run. What do you do in between a matinee and evening show?

MM: I look forward to resting and refueling myself between shows. I usually pack a dinner or go back home to grab a bite to eat. Occasionally, a group of us venture out for a coffee or quick bite.

DA: Which roles are you cast in for this season’s Nutcracker?

MM: Mirliton, Columbine Doll, Flower, Snowflake, Ginger Legs, and three different mothers in the party scene.

DA: Is it a challenge sometimes to remember what you are doing, and when? Are there any tricks to keeping it all straight?

MM: Yes, it can prove challenging to keep the roles separate in your mind. One year, throughout the run of shows, I performed two different snowflake spots, which were on completely opposite ends of the stage at one moment, and then directly beside each other the next.

I think it is far easier to separate choreography in your mind, and body, if they are on opposite sides of the stage, because your body can recognize the parts as distinctly different. At one point in the snowflakes dance there is a ripple effect down the “snowbank” of dancers. The year I performed these two snowflakes spots, I either moved on count one or count two. Since they were directly next to each other spatially and in timing, I always had to make sure to focus on that section to ensure my muscle memory would not lapse into the other part.

One thing I find helpful for keeping multiple parts straight is to simply write out the different roles on paper.

DA: Which is your favorite role to dance?

MM: I love the music and choreography of Houston Ballet’s Waltz of the Flowers. The movements feel very natural and are a joy to dance as you flow with the music and attempt to consume the stage. The flowing choreography, with the corps de ballet dressed in yellow and green romantic tutus, subtly reminds me of a garden full of the “Yellow Rose of Texas.” This year, I am also looking forward to performing as the Columbine Doll in Act I and as a Mirliton in Act II.

The Rat Stanley Project -- Click the photo to learn more about or participate in this fun photo initiative by Houston Ballet

DA: Is it difficult to give a fresh performance each time?

MM: I find taking it one show at a time and remembering that each audience deserves a great performance motivates me to keep it lively. Though the choreography and music are unchanged from show to show, the one fresh factor remains the viewers. An audience’s enthusiasm can fill the theatre and fuel the dancers with energy.

DA: Okay, every ballet dancer I know has one: What’s your funny Nutcracker story?

MM: My funniest Nutcracker memory involves rushing to fill an empty spot last year in the battle scene in which the girls portray rats and boys act as toy soldiers.

Not cast as a rat for this particular show, I was preparing for and focusing on my role in flowers. When the rats left the basement dressing room to join the battle scene, there was one rat costume still hanging unused. Out of those of us available, who instantly realized there was a rat “missing in action,” I was the only one in pointe shoes who might have had a prayer of making it in time to go on stage.

Immediately, HBII teamwork saved the day. While I tore the flowers headpiece off my head, one friend grabbed the rat tail harness, another got the body suit, and still another secured the helmet/mask. As my friends helped me dress in record time, another HBII deduced I needed to fill the #6 rat spot, which I had never done before. I, literally, ran down the Wortham (Center) basement halls, up the stairs, and around the back of the stage to join the other rats as they entered the scene.

Once on stage, I was clueless on the specifics of rat #6 throughout the battle. Thankfully, somehow my toy soldier with whom I was to “fight” was notified of the sudden substitute filling his rat partner’s costume. He was able to drag me through the scene. The funniest moment, for me, occurred near the end of the battle. As the scene drew to a close the rat king died, and I started to let out slight sighs of relief. Then, suddenly I wondered if rat #6 was to help carry the king safely off stage?!? It would not do to have a dead rat king laying on stage during the snowflake scene.

Needless to say, relief flooded me once I arrived back in the dressing room. As it turned out, the missing rat was actually in the building, but forgot she was assigned this performance.

Great story, Madison!

What’s YOUR Nutcracker story?

While you’re thinking, enjoy this excerpt from Houston Ballet’s The Nutcracker battle scene:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElnkSBaxFAI

© Nichelle Strzepek for Dance Advantage, 2010. | Permalink | Category: Ballet/Pointe, Beyond the Bubble, Blog, Dance Companies, Dance Styles, Dancing, Health and Wellness, Interviews | Who's talking about this article?

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New Continents — From Royal Ballet School To Boston Ballet

Nichelle (admin) — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 14:58:50 +0000

©Johan Persson

Duncan Lyle, fresh out of the Royal Ballet School has been offered a contract with Boston Ballet. In 2009 the young Australian was awarded a prize for Choreographic Development by the NJL Foundation and has performed Liam Scarlett’s Toccata at the Assemblée Internationale in Toronto, and in the RBS Matinee, an annual Covent Garden presentation that marks the shift of graduating student to performing artist. Before his training in London, he was a young ballet student in Victoria, Australia’s Camberwell District Ballet School (now the Russian Choreographic Academy).

Graciously sharing helpful tips for auditioning and jumps with Dance Advantage readers, Duncan took a moment to talk with me about his transition from student to professional.

Dance Advantage: You were young when you began begging your mom for ballet classes and eight years old when she finally relented. Do you recall what you liked most about training in ballet?

Duncan Lyle: I honestly can’t remember. I think it’s always just felt right. The ballet studio is always a place I have felt comfortable and felt like I belonged.

Duncan in Coppelia; ©Margaret Kokrhelj

DA: You began with respected instructors in a pretty rigorous program, dancing after school for a couple of hours, four days a week. Was there ever a time you contemplated quitting or pursuing a less demanding track?

DL: Yes. I once took six months off from ballet when I was 14. My school commitments were growing and it was becoming seriously difficult to juggle everything. It reaffirmed for me, however, that ballet was my one love and out of everything what I should have been doing.

DA: Allegro dancing comes naturally to you but I am sure you have had instruction that has helped you develop that talent. Any advice you could pass along to a student hoping to improve their agility in beats or jumps?

DL: I think the best advice I could give is two things: develop the height of your jump by doing very slow static allegro and; always work every movement, no matter how quick, to the fullest. Always fully stretch your legs and feet in the air and think about the movements you are making in the air. Be very precise with your movements in the air and gradually they will become clean and crisp.

DA: At age 17, when most teens here in the U.S. are contemplating the move to college, you traveled continents away from your home in Australia to London to study at the Royal Ballet School. What was most difficult about the transition?

DL: I think the hardest thing about moving away was just the unknown. I had no idea what my new life was going to be like and I think that was the scariest thing. Once I was actually in London, of course I missed my family, friends and Melbourne but it wasn’t as hard as I thought it was going to be. I made great friends with almost everybody in my year who provided a wonderful support network.

DA: I know it might be hard to imagine, but what what kind of career do you think you’d be interested in if you did not dance?

DL: I would definitely pursue a career in music. I have been composing and arranging music since I was fourteen and it’s something I really love. I would apply for a university course in music and see where it would take me.

DA: Tell us a bit about the audition process that leads graduates of the RBS to employment.

DL: Firstly, we submitted a list to our director of the companies that we wanted to join and audition for. Our director then helped us by suggesting other companies that might suit us and removing companies that wouldn’t. From then on it was up to us to arrange our auditions, whether they be open or private, book our flights and make our way to our auditions. Every audition I participated in was just a ballet class watched by the director with a panel of ballet staff. Candidates get eliminated at certain points throughout the class so that the panel can see the people they are interested in better. I was lucky enough to make it through all of my classes without being cut. You then mostly find out the result of the audition on the day but of course this varies from company to company. If they’re definitely not interested in you then you’ll know that on the day, but if they might be interested in you then you may have to wait to find out.

In Liam Scarlett's Toccata with Nicole Cato

DA: Do you find auditioning stressful? What is most challenging for you?

DL: I think the only aspect of auditioning I find really stressful is the travelling to the destination! It’s very hard trying to book a flight that will get you to your destination in enough time to get to the studio and warm-up! Plus I hate airports! I’m pretty good under stressful circumstances like auditions or appraisals.

DA: What advice or tips for auditioning you could you give to students or young professionals like yourself?

DL: I think most importantly, stay calm and confident. If you’re overly nervous, you won’t be able to show the people that matter what you’re capable of. Presentation!! Remember that what most directors are looking for are dancers and not just technicians so perform everything in the class! And I believe that a lot of directors are looking for a clean canvas that they can work with and adapt to suit their company so make sure your technique doesn’t get affected.

DA: You’ve been to the U.S. before, and I’m sure you’ve been doing some reading up on Boston. What excites you most about dancing in America?

DL: I think what I’m most looking forward to in the U.S. is the positive atmosphere and the fact that there’s so many exciting things. Everything is happening there and I’m very excited to be a part of that.

We are excited to follow your career, Duncan, and welcome you to a new continent! May you have many thrilling adventures in Boston and beyond.

For more on Duncan, his background and training visit Ballet News and Oberon’s Grove and Blast Magazine.

How do YOU feel about auditioning? Do you get nervous?

What do you enjoy about training in ballet?

Do you like to travel? How far would you go to study dance?

© Nichelle Strzepek for Dance Advantage, 2010. | Permalink | Category: Ballet/Pointe, Beyond the Bubble, Blog, Career, Dance Companies, Dance Styles, Dancethropology, Dancing | Who's talking about this article?

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Art Is Kids Play

Nichelle (admin) — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 18:26:32 +0000

“Aaannd… Hippy. Drippy. Laser show.”

To a dance outsider this phrase might make as much sense as “tombé, pas de bourrée,” but the former is surely less likely to be heard during a dance rehearsal. Yet nomenclature isn’t the only thing that is unconventional about Kids Play, an arts program for at-risk youth founded by former Doug Elkins dancer and Hope Stone Dance company director, Jane Weiner.

Since 2001, Kids Play has served a medley of arts experiences to Houston youth aged 6-18. For nine-month sessions (the length of the school calendar) the ensemble of children and teens meets twice a week to learn dance, theater, music, yoga and photography at Hope Center. The primary studio space and base of operations for Kids Play also hosts adult and professional dance classes and is the stomping grounds of Hope Stone Dance. During my visit, the Kids Play Ensemble are in rehearsal mode, preparing for their culminating Spring production. The theme this year is “Skool of Rock” which is why The Who’s Teenage Wasteland builds to a clamor as Weiner’s “hippy, drippy, laser show” descriptor triggers the correct movement response in a group of 8-12 year-olds.

Kids Play is not exclusively a training ground for young artists. The students receive technical instruction but as a means to support their exploration of the form. “Mostly I teach moving and the exhilaration that comes with that,” Weiner explains as we discuss her role as dance instructor within the program. Similarly, Weiner’s faculty, Chris Howard and Jason Jackson (music), Gayla Miller, Rick Olvera and Jenni Rotter (theater), Roberta Cortes (dance), Leticia London (photography) and Lidieth Valesco (yoga), are artists guiding youth through investigative encounters and, in keeping with Weiner’s mission, encourage this community of kids toward personal ownership of and expression through art. “We know that the kids are in many ways their own teachers, and to over-teach, take the fun out of it, create the neurosis of “wrong” is not what we are after,” Weiner expounds.

This approach most certainly stems from Weiner’s experiences as a “late-starter” in dance. Like many women, she dabbled in dance as a young child and was influenced by a full year of ballet under Sally Stephenson, a teacher “more concerned about teaching than recitals.” However, Weiner focused on track and gymnastics before returning to dance at Bowling Green University in Ohio at age 19. “I so often heard I started too late, or I had no technique,” she recalls. Though it was painful to hear, Weiner says she was, in most cases, deaf to the assertions. Perhaps she was too determined or too hopelessly addicted to movement to imbibe such negativity but, upon reflection she adds, “I wonder how any teacher can honestly look in a crystal ball and decide who is gonna make it and who is not going to be a dancer? A terrible use of power.”

Nearly all of the Kids Play kids, over 75 of them, are recipients of $90,000 worth of scholarship for the program. Easy access to drugs, internet, lack of phone and computer regulation and other challenges facing children and the teachers and parents entrusted with their care make all youth “at-risk” in Weiner’s eyes. And so, her programs at Hope Center are open to any child on a first come, first served basis. Many Kids Play participants are recruited, however, from local organizations such as Archway Academy and Chinquapin (schools for troubled and disadvantaged youth), Baylor Pediatric AIDS Initiative, Baylor International Adoption Center, and group homes like Casa de Esperanza. “We love the mix of cultures and socio-economic levels,” Weiner says, but she prefers to keep the groups small so that her faculty can get to know the kids and families involved. As a result, some of the kids have returned to the program for three or four years which Weiner finds amazing. “The level of talent and commitment is strong,” she declares.

Nearing its tenth year in operation, Kids Play is an established after-school program. Weiner’s experience in bringing arts programming to youth goes back even further, still. Sixteen years ago, Weiner was a performer at the Bates Dance Festival when she began to hold afternoon classes for teens from neighboring Maine communities. She is the founder and spent ten years teaching in the Youth Arts Program which now offers music, dance, visual arts, and creative writing to children and teens for three weeks every summer.

Of these two initiatives, Weiner notes that there are similarities and differences. Both programs recognize that all children are artists and rely on adult artists to advance and affirm this principle. However, Weiner felt limited by the three-week summer program. She wanted to take Kids Play to the next level. “I wanted a place that kids grew hope, because they could return each year. The school-year’s worth of time allows a depth in the understanding these young artists begin to experience, as well as a sense of community within the class. The students come from many different schools and after school programs, so it is wonderful to watch them grow to form a strong group through the year.”

With the proven success of Kids Play, Weiner is now expanding her mission and influence to new locations. First up is New Orleans with Kids Play NOLA premiering its program this summer in 2010. When asked if she felt the Kids Play model could work in any environment, Weiner maintains ,”The key is the right person to guide and lead it. Dana Reed, who is heading up the NOLA project is fierce. Organized. Passionate. This has to be in place because it is such a full, full, full-time job. I wish it ended at 5 p.m. but it doesn’t, and the person in charge has to accept this.” She also admits that it is a challenge sometimes to not get over-involved. “I saw beautiful children that are wards of the state. Broken children. Personalities snapped in two due to the abuse they have sustained at such an early age. My heart has been broken so many times when I see these children, and I hope and pray that my small class reminds them they are something; they are loved; they do matter.”

Weiner points out that the personal rewards as a facilitator are huge. “I work with art and art is magic. I get to see miracles almost every class, and laughter, and self esteem and friendships, and budding personalities as the art goes inside these kids and makes them feel good about themselves. I see leaders emerge and at the end of the class a feeling of PROUD come over the kids that you can’t qualify or quantify on paper, but is so present.”

For anyone wanting to begin a non-profit arts program for kids in their own community, Weiner confirms there are some essential ingredients for success. Among these, having a model or template is a good start and energy is a must. She recommends beginning small, seeking out good advisers, great master teachers, and parents that realize that this opportunity is a gift. Weiner reminds that it also takes the proverbial village. “The community behind Hope Center is fantastic and, I know, a major reason we are a huge success.”

♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦

Hope Stone Inc.’s Kid’s Play Ensemble and boys band YouthSound will premiere Kid’s Play: Skool of Rock on May 8, 2010, at the Barnevelder Movement Complex (2201 Preston, Houston, TX), at 2 p.m. & 7 p.m.

The young artists will also line the area around the Allen Parkway Dandelion Fountain, performing a structured improv score to honor mother earth through music and dance at 5 p.m. tomorrow on Earth Day, April 22.

Read testimonials about the Kids Play program from ensemble members, themselves, at the Kids Play Blog.

Read more on Jane Weiner, her company, and her activism in this 2006 Dance Magazine article by Nancy Wozny

Kids Play in Action

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpRonBwSls0

© Nichelle Strzepek for Dance Advantage, 2010. | Permalink | Category: Beyond the Bubble, Blog, Dance Companies, Dancethropology | Who's talking about this article?

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Film Review: Dancing Across Borders

Nichelle (admin) — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 23:06:52 +0000

Could a young man of 16 who does not speak any English, who has never seen western ballet let alone trained in it, be ready to study at the School of American Ballet with only a few months of preparation? Could he be ready to perform with one of America’s top ballet companies only six years after his introduction to the ballet barre?

Ready or not, this is exactly what Sokvannara Sar accomplished, with more than a little help from a few tireless supporters. The wholly unique circumstances of his still-unfolding life illustrates the universal hope, struggle, and sacrifice of all dancers.

Singled out in Cambodia, where he was a poor boy with a hunger for his homeland’s traditional Khmer dance, Sar’s strenuous metamorphosis as he is whisked into American culture and the world of ballet is documented in the new film Dancing Across Borders. Known as Sy (pronounced like ‘see’), the documentary’s subject overcomes nearly impossible odds. Yet, unlike many dance stories, Sy himself is not the dreamer. He did not choose ballet. In a way it chose him via longtime ballet devotee and philanthropist, Anne Bass.

Bass is in fact the director of this film, though like Sy this is a role she never really intended to play. Her entwinement in Sy’s development is so great, however, that it is perhaps only fitting that she be the one to tell his story. While visiting Cambodia with the World Movements Fund in 2000, Bass discovered Sy at a dance recital at Preah Khan temple. Enthralled with Sy’s presence and raw talent for performance, Bass made a naively bold move and invited Sy to come to America, where she would be the benefactor for his study in ballet at the prestigious SAB school. Not bargained for was the uphill battle of this endeavor. That classical Cambodian dance bears little technical resemblance to classical ballet, that Sy would require intense and grueling coaching by an unshakable and steadfast believer in his abilities (found in Olga Kostritzky) before SAB would accept him as teachable, that isolated by barriers of language and culture Sy’s exuberant personality would wane for a while, and that he would remain uncertain of his future in ballet even beyond the film’s frame, were unexpected challenges.

Dancing Across Borders isn’t without some clunky moments of exposition and may dwell too long on achievements that mean little to anyone unfamiliar with ballet. However, Bass earns respect as a first-time filmmaker in taking on this open-ended narrative. Able to shape the documentary herself, she might have painted a triumphal picture of the American dream personified and, I suppose, some may still interpret it this way. Amazingly, however, Bass resists a Cinderella telling and provides, with ample footage of Sy’s progress, an unflinching glance into the rigorous training and hard-won rewards of ballet. She also does not shy away from Sy’s inner conflict as a young man trying to reconcile two worlds, two cultures, and find his place within each. She underlines this at one point in the film with Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now,” poignant as ever in the language of the Khmer people. Ultimately Bass’s ability to place Sy’s heroism and the strength of the Cambodian people at the heart of the story effectively conveys that hope is boundless.

Shakespeare’s line, “Be not afraid of greatness: some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them,” comes to mind when considering Sy. His achievements are a reflection of those who believed in him, and like a beam of light hitting this mirror, his trajectory was altered when Anne Bass recognized his inborn greatness, a combination of qualities shared by all true dancers: a buoyant spirit and irrepressible courage. That’s why Dancing Across Borders, the depiction of Sy’s journey across the frontier of ballet is a tale for and about dancers everywhere.

New York’s Quad Theatre has extended its screening of Dancing Across Borders through April 15. Additional screenings will take place throughout April and May in cities throughout the U.S. Details can be found on the Dancing Across Borders website.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=halAV0q8-4k

Discussion Questions

Dancing Across Borders is scheduled for release on Amazon.

Click here to preorder

This documentary provides some interesting food for conversation on ballet and culture. Teachers, dancers and parents, whether you see the film or not, here are some questions and exercises for reflection…

What unique qualities must a person have to succeed as professional dancer? Are these qualities different for ballet versus other dance forms?

Performers are often said to have “it.” What is “it” and must you be born with this quality?

What are the risks and sacrifices of a career in ballet? What are the rewards?

Is it ever too late to begin a professional career in ballet?

Imagine what ballet looks like to someone who has never seen it before. Can you describe or write about what this person might see, hear, and feel?

Describe a time when you felt out of place and and homesick. What, if anything, helped you to overcome these feelings?

Intense one-on-one training, receiving instruction and speaking through interpreters, learning an entirely foreign and difficult movement discipline… Physically and emotionally, the first few months of Sy’s training must have been almost torturous. Why do you suppose he never gave up?

How important is it to have people in your life who believe in you? Is it more important than belief in yourself?

© Nichelle Strzepek for Dance Advantage, 2010. | Permalink | Category: Beyond the Bubble, Blog, Career, Dance Companies, Dance Library, Dance Media, Dancethropology, Dancing | Who's talking about this article?

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Unifying Women and Mothers Through Dance

Guest Contributors — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 12:20:44 +0000

The following guest post is from a loyal reader, Camille. I asked her to write this account for Dance Advantage because I appreciated her passionate support of dance and its role in community. I knew also that she was employed as a dance teacher in Scotland, doing a job very much the same yet also very different from that of many dance instructors. She will tell you more about this work in her own words but I feel it speaks to the affect dance and movement can have on the soul and on a group of people. Occasionally, I like to step away from the technical, instructional, business, and material side of dance to remind myself and those reading of the unifying and universal power of dance. As Camille will reiterate, I hope this reminder will encourage those of us who hold keys to find their own unique ways of unlocking this potential in dance.

As I walk to work with my son Soren, the sky is very dark, though it’s only just before six in the evening. I’m glad I have this time to spend with him and that while I work he is nearby in a room, where childcare is provided, just down the hall from where I teach. It’s cold, like many Scottish nights, and I’m glad we’ll be indoors soon. The warmth I feel at work is doubled by the many beautiful and dedicated women I work with. Tonight I am greeted by Karen Gordon, a group member and professional photographer who does volunteer work with the women in the group (you can see her great work of the women and children dancing below). I then bring Soren to the childcare and see Saba. She preforms with the women and is dropping off her son at the creche as well. He has just arrived from Africa and Saba is very happy that they are together now. We hug and I meet and hug her son. He is beautiful and practices his English with the caregivers in the childcare. It is the perfect way to start my evening.

About mIN

Photo by Karen Gordon

I am a dancer, and teach dance at the Maryhill Integration Network (mIN). It is an organization for families (primarily women and their children) who have relocated to Glasgow due to dangers and unrest in their own countries. War, political unrest, violence towards women, and religious persecution are just a few of the reasons refugees are forced or choose to leave their homes and seek another. Their families are in danger, they fear for their lives, and they want a safer life for their children and for themselves. The women and children come to the network to make friends, participate in artistic collaborations, cook, share stories and, most importantly, integrate into their new homes. In many ways this job is a dream come true. Not only am I teaching dance and doing what I love but I can also bring my children and be a part of something even greater than (dare i say) dance: the cause for women, freedom and humanity.

Movement and dance are main ingredients for moving mIN forward as a community voice and performance group. I’ve had the opportunity to work with the women for the 16 Days of action for violence against women campaign and share my choreography with the city, as well as teach weekly classes with the children.

Leading with Love

Remzije (Rema) center

The leading woman behind this network Remzije Sheriffe is someone that I respect more than my words are able to express and I sat down to interview her to give readers some insight into her beginnings, hopes, struggles and triumphs as a artistic facilitator and coordinator for mIN. I also hope that her effort will encourage other organizations to provide such positive environments for women and children as well as unite cultures through dance.

We meet just before work and, because Remzije was a journalist in Kosova before coming to Glasgow, I’m a bit nervous, though I know this isn’t necessary given her unconditional love for all who take part in the organization.

Language of the Body

After arriving in Glasgow, Rema (as friends and coworkers call Remzije) began a project called Kelpian Castle which involved the performance of Kosavoan and Glaswegian stories, combined and enacted by children for their community. This was volunteer work yet very telling of where her life and career would unfold. From the beginning of her stay in Glasgow she knew the importance of integration and had a keen sense for how to do it. Language barriers are usually a struggle when a new refugee arrives at the network. Rema knew that, through dance and movement, those involved could make friends and support each other despite their difficulty to communicate with spoken word. She understands greatly the power of movement and body language.

Photo by Karen Gordon

When Rema began her work with the Maryhill Integration Network she was well prepared to take it to new heights because of her volunteer work and her strong public relations as a journalist. Performances have multiplied as the women involved learn the beauty of sharing their life experiences on stage through poetry, contemporary dance, music, and theatre. Dancing and its choreographed lifting, supporting and embracing – I’ve found these very themes translate into real life as deep friendships are made.

Work as a Calling

Photo by Karen Gordon

Rema faces the challenges that come head on. How the women will all arrive at rehearsals, dress rehearsals and performances, where there children will be during all of this, involving the children who are ready to perform, getting funding, costumes, choreographers (like Natasha Gilmore, deserving of her own post for sure), musicians, publicity…. this list goes on. During all of this she is also working with practical matters of English class, helping with forms, and encouraging those around her to have a public voice and feel of worth in their new surroundings. It’s lovely to see how her practical work parallels her artistic endeavors and that the women involved experience integration happening at many levels. Rema has great women to help but these are the demands of her job. She views her work as a calling in life.

On Women and Mothers and Dancing

Through all of this, Rema knows that family is first. This allows for mothers to feel the safety of coming and knowing that they are understood. This allows me, a dancer and a mother, to work there. This is why I love my job. All of it!

The editor asks: Where are the keyholes in your community and how will you use dance to unlock them?

© Guest Contributors for Dance Advantage, 2010. | Permalink | Category: Beyond the Bubble, Blog, Dance Companies, Interviews | Who's talking about this article?

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Profile of an American Icon: A Few Words With Paul Taylor

Nichelle (admin) — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 12:20:16 +0000

An Unignorable Hunch

Paul Taylor is one of the most prominent and influential choreographers of our time. Yet, in the late 1940′s he seemed to be on a different path. He was studying painting and swimming on scholarship at Syracuse University when amidst a series of seemingly unrelated dance experiences he was struck by a revelation or, as he describes it in his autobiography Private Domain a “flash of recognition… an unignorable hunch” that he was to become a dancer. Not long after he began training within the newly formed dance department at Julliard and won a scholarship to the American Dance Festival where his athletic build and powerful presence captured the attentions of Martha Graham, José Limon, and other modern dance founders. He was already making his own choreography by the time he was invited to join Graham’s company in 1955.

Taylor performed in the work of a number of dance pioneers in these early years, including Merce Cunningham and George Balanchine. He did so while continuing to choreograph for his own company a number of avant-garde works that sometimes confounded audiences. In 1962, the same year he left Graham’s company, he created his first popular success Aureole.

Photo by Tom Caravaglia

Photo by Tom Caravaglia

“The amazing inventiveness, that peculiar quality of dynamic imagination which infused even his earliest choreographic attempts, continues absolutely unabated. There is still an awe-inspiring naturalness to his choreography, a sense of every step being in the right place at the right time to the right music, that is simply God-given.” — Clive Barnes, Dance Magazine 1994

An Unequivocal Talent

In a 1989 New York Times article, Anna Kisselgoff states “There are four Paul Taylors. One choreographs dark pieces, another creates light comic works, a third favors homemade rituals and the last seems to invent pure-dance pieces inspired by music.” She goes on to acknowledge that this is an oversimplified analysis of Taylor’s rich body of work, a hallmark of which is the bleeding of these ostensible contradictions into one another. Taylor’s choreography ranges from revolutionary to romantic, comical to controversial, robust to penetrating, spontaneous to shrewd, often within the same dance.

Photo by Lois Greenfield

Carol Walker, retired Dean of the Conservatory of Dance at Purchase College calls Paul Taylor

“an American icon and one of the most prolific and stunning choreographers of the past 60 years. He was a dancer who captivated audiences in his performances with the Martha Graham Dance Company and in his own work. He is an author of two books and an Emmy winner for his choreography Speaking In Tongues. Dancemaker, Matthew Diamond’s award winning, Oscar nominated feature-length film about Mr. Taylor was hailed by Time as ‘the best dance documentary ever’. An artist and a man who has been devoted to making dances not only for his company but for major ballet companies as well, his work has awakened in many a love for dance that few choreographers’ inspire.”

Celebrating 80

Paul Taylor will be 80 years old this July yet a celebration of this milestone begins this week with Paul Taylor Dance Company’s return to New York City Center [link] which features performances of enduring favorites as well as two premieres. On March 15, the day after the company closes its season at City Center, Mr. Taylor will be honored with a Nelson A. Rockefeller Award at the Purchase College School of the Arts Gala. To celebrate Mr. Taylor’s work at the gala, members of the Purchase Dance Corps will perform excerpts of two of his works.

A Few Words With Paul Taylor

Photo by Maxine Hicks

I have been captivated by Paul Taylor’s choreography since my first exposure to his work in college. Seeing Esplanade live was an exhilarating introduction to his movement and scenes from the insightful film Paul Taylor: Dancemaker made an enormous impression as I practiced the craft of choreography and prepared to enter the professional dance world. Therefore, I feel very honored that Mr. Taylor took the time to answer a few questions for Dance Advantage about his life and work in an email interview.

Dance Advantage: Your first experience with dance was through books. What did you read or see within the pages that so captured your attention that it changed the trajectory of your college study and your life?

Paul Taylor: Some of the first dance books I read during college that changed my aims were Martha Graham: Sixteen Dances in Photographs by Barbara Morgan, a book about the Diaghilev Ballet in Paris, Dancers, Buildings, and People in the Streets by Edwin Denby, and several books on dance history.

DA: Your dances have often been categorized as either dark and psychological or light and joyous.

PT: Most of my dances are a combination of both dark and light.

DA: Indeed, certainly this is a reflection of life and the human experience, but which is harder to make – the light or the dark?

PT: All of my dances have been both hard and easy to make.

DA: You have created over 130 works for your company since 1954. What is staggering about this is that you have made new work (sometimes multiple dances) every year for the past 55 years. What about the creative process continues to intrigue you and keeps you coming back again and again?

PT: It’s my life.

DA: Despite all this dance-making, you’ve said that you don’t think about dance much before you get into the studio.

PT: I lied.

DA: Is choreography a bit like sculpture, are you molding or carving the dance as you go?

PT: It is like sculpture or a painting but I usually have a general plan before rehearsals start.

DA: And what happens when you get stuck and aren’t sure how to proceed?

PT: I skip ahead then go back and try to solve the problem later or ask the dancers to improvise and use whatever steps that seems suitable.

DA: Many of my readers are young dance students who face the decision of attending college or heading straight to a performance career. The dancers you select tend to have gone through university or conservatory programs before coming to you. What do you think these dancers are “picking up” in college that makes them right for your company?

Photo by Lois Greenfield

PT: College is a good place for students to find out what they really want to do. They are exposed to a lot of things that they may not have experienced before. They may be inspired by attending a performance by a touring dance company or by seeing a dance film.

DA: In auditions one of the first things you have dancers do is walk. What do you learn from the exercise?

PT: Walks are like fingerprints – none of them are the same. An individual’s walk can reveal a lot about a person.

DA: What other attributes (aside from great skill and technical ability) are essential in the dancers you choose?

PT: Passion and commitment to one’s chosen profession. Company morale is as important as the dance steps, if not more so.

DA: The legacy of modern dance is that we try to avoid doing what our predecessors have done and push the art form in new directions. Many of your dancers have gone on to choreography. In what new directions do you see them trailblazing?

PT: A lot of my dancers have gone on to do interesting things and are trailblazers. Twyla Tharp was one of a pioneer in making dances that combined jazz, modern and ballet. Laura Dean created dances with a lot of repetition, choreographed to Phillip Glass, which was very innovative. Pina Bausch introduced a harsh theatricality in her work that had not been done before.

DA: You’ve seen so much, what (if anything) surprises you about the 21st century.

PT: I’m constantly surprised by the advancement of technology, especially the invention of computers and cell phones.

DA: You’ve received numerous awards and you will soon be honored again with a Nelson A. Rockefeller award at Purchase College School of the Arts. What does this award mean to you?

PT: One always likes to be appreciated and I’m especially grateful that my friend Carol Walker, who has had the Company perform at Purchase College many times, will be presenting me with this prestigious award.

“Purchase College is honored to present the Nelson A. Rockefeller Award to Paul Taylor at the School of the Arts Gala on March 15, 2009. Paul Taylor is selected for this prestigious award because of his lifetime of achievements as a dancer, a choreographer, an author, an artist and the epitome of a creative role model. We are honoring his prolific and powerful body of work, his engagement with other art forms, and the long time association that the Purchase College Conservatory of Dance has enjoyed with Mr. Taylor and his company.” — Carol K. Walker, Dean of Dance 1984 – 2007

Learn more by clicking the image above

Proceeds from the Purchase College School of the Arts Gala will create the first permanent endowment expressly for the School of the Arts. Reserve tickets

More Paul Taylor Links and Resources

Sunday Arts Profile — Thirteen.org: A profile of the company featuring archival performance footage of Paul Taylor

Paul Taylor & Patrick Corbin in Conversation: PTDC alum and choreographer, Corbin sits down with Paul Taylor

Return of Beloved Renegade: Recent NYTimes retrospective by Alastair Macaulay on PTDC’s return to City Center

Paul Taylor Dance Company Website: Articles, Dancer Profiles, Company History, and News

Special thanks to Paul Taylor, Carol K. Walker, Purchase College School of the Arts, and Karen Apablaza.

© Nichelle Strzepek for Dance Advantage, 2010. | Permalink | Category: Beyond the Bubble, Blog, Dance Companies, Dance Styles, History of Dance, Interviews, Modern/Contemporary, News and Events | Who's talking about this article?

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First of All — A Chat with Prix de Lausanne Winner Emanuel Amuchastegui

Nichelle (admin) — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 12:25:51 +0000

Anyone that has followed the careers of ballet dancers for the last 30 years recognizes that the annual Prix de Lausanne is a big deal. Since 1972 the international ballet competition has helped launch the careers of many of ballet’s brightest stars including Ethan Stiefel, Julie Kent, Leanne Benjamin, Carlos Acosta, Alessandra Ferri, Alina Cojocaru, and Christopher Wheeldon. Since its inception the goal of PDL has been to identify, promote and support young talent. Over 60 prestigious schools from around the world are associated with the event which accepts video entries from dancers aged 15-18 who are not yet professionals. From these applicants only a few are selected to convene during the snowy month of January in Laussanne, Switzerland to be judged during a dance class and stage performances of selected variations. Though all participants have the opportunity to audition and be seen by companies and school directors, the candidates are whittled down to a small group of finalists from which individuals are selected to receive scholarship for one of PDL’s partner schools or companies.

Receiving a record 226 applications from 36 countries, 2010 was a year of firsts for those involved in the Prix. Of the 81 chosen to travel to Lausanne, 43 young men were in the majority – something that has never before occurred in the competition’s history. Houston Ballet’s Ben Stevenson Academy sent three students. Liao Xiang was among the twenty finalists, Aaron Sharratt placed 5th, and for the first time the Academy had a first-prize winner in 18-year-old, Emanuel Amuchastegui.

Emanuel Amuchastegui; Photo by Jean Bernard Sieber

Amachastegui was fourteen when he began his training on scholarship with teacher Sandra Racedo at Villa Carlos Paz, Córdoba, Argentina. In 2006 he went to the big city, Buenos Aires, to join the Teatro Colón school and Julio Bocca‘s school. That same year he became part of Bocca’s Company and toured all over Europe and Argentina. Then in 2008 he arrived in Texas to study at Houston Ballet’s Academy, becoming part of the pre-professional company, Houston Ballet II, in 2009. At the Prix de Lausanne, he performed a classical variation from August Bournonville’s La Sylphide and a contemporary solo, Caliban, from Cathy Marston’s The Tempest. In addition to winning PDL’s top prize, Amuchasetgui also brought home the “Audience Favorite” award. In the wake of his win, Amachastegui was kind enough to answer a few questions about his experience at the prestigious competition, his training, and his life outside of dance.

Congratulations, Emanuel. I’m sure you are still riding a current of excitement since your win at Prix de Lausanne. Can you describe what it has been like for you?

It has been an incredible experience! I learned so much from all the teachers and also from the other competitors.

You were one of three PDL finalists from Houston Ballet’s Academy. Obviously they are doing something right. If you could choose only one attribute of the school that accounts for your success (and the success of your peers), what would it be?

I will say “passion” because that’s what all the teachers put every single day into classes and rehearsals. Also the students have to give every day in order to improve and get results.

Emanuel Amuchastegui; Photo by Jean Bernard Sieber

Were you nervous in the preparation for or during the competition?

Actually I wasn’t nervous at all. I was very comfortable. I think it’s because I wasn’t there to win, it was more like a window for me to show myself and to meet different teachers, experience different cultures and strengthen my technique.

It must have been incredibly rewarding to have your parents present in Switzerland. I read that you had not seen your father in over a year. How important has his support of your ballet career been?

He always supports me in everything, same as my mom. They both were there for me and respect the decisions I have made. I’m very glad because I know that there are some people that don’t have such support from family and it’s really important. It makes me happy knowing that they are there and that gives me the strength to keep pushing and follow my dreams.

It’s been said over and over what a gracious competitor you are. This, in addition to your performance, was likely a factor in your selection as Audience Favorite. What would you say to those who feel intensity in competition means having a ruthless attitude toward others?

I don’t know.. that’s a hard question. I think I am always myself, that’s the way I’m am and I think that always brings the best out. I never felt competitive with the other dancers, overall it was very nice energy at the Prix. Maybe the answer is to be yourself and learn from others and from your own errors.

Emanuel Amuchastegui; Photo by Jean Bernard Sieber

You are known, among other things, for your ballon in jumping. This was evident in the classical variation you performed in competition. You seem to have a natural talent for achieving “hang-time” in a jump, but we all know even natural abilities must be refined. Has there been an image or instruction given to you along the way that made a big difference in your jumps?

Well, I never knew that I could jump that much! [laughs] My teachers were always there and they just know what to say or what to do in order for me to give 100% every rehearsal. But I think that when I dance with my heart, everything else disappears and I am able to do things I never thought I could.

Do you have a preference for either classical or contemporary?

The Bournonville style goes well with my body. I focus a lot more on my contemporary because it has always been my weakest style. Since it’s something I have to work hard at I always enjoy it and try to do my best. When I started ballet it was because the magic of dance (that moment when I’m on stage and it’s just me dancing, it’s magical). Dance makes me forget everything else and be in the moment. I try to express that to the audience and I think when I achieve that, when the audience receives all that I am feeling in that moment on stage, it is beautiful. The classical is easier for my body and I really love it too, but with the contemporary I can show myself.

During the probably very limited time you have when you are not studying at HB’s Ben Stevenson Academy or dancing with HBII, what do you enjoy doing?

I love cooking with my roommates! Watching a movie and having fun. Going out with my friends it’s something that on the weekend is always a goal. Also I spend a lot of time talking to my family and friends in Argentina.

What is next for you now that the competition has ended and you have emerged a prizewinner?

Well, I don’t know yet. But I know how hard I’ll work and how much passion I’ll put towards dance. Of course dancing abroad means missing my family, but dancing is what I love to do and they are all supportive of me and I’m the happiest person knowing that.

Prix de Lausanne broadcast much of its competition online this year, including a behind-the-scenes video blog. You can view Emanuel Amachastegui and other participants at prixdelausanne.tv. Houston Ballet’s blog also provided an insider’s peek at the competition via guest-writer, Shelly Power who serves as associate director of Houston Ballet’s Ben Stevenson Academy and was selected as one of nine judges for this year’s Prix. You can find her six-post series here and don’t miss her heartfelt final wrap-up of the competition.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pinHywOhK_E

Watch Amachastegui’s Classical Variation on YouTube: Part 5 – 0:12

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-ria__ooaM

Contemporary Variation on YouTube: Part 9 – 1:15

The timestamps for Houston Ballet Academy’s other finalists can be found here.

© Nichelle Strzepek for Dance Advantage, 2010. | Permalink | Category: Ballet/Pointe, Beyond the Bubble, Blog, Career, Dance Companies, Dance Styles, Dancethropology, Dancing, Interviews, News and Events, Performing | Who's talking about this article?

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Sweet Exchange with a Sugar Plum Fairy

Nichelle (admin) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 12:00:03 +0000

Ballet: In the Upper Room; Choreographer: Twyla Tharp; Dancer(s): Elise Judson, Emily Bowen & Artists of Houston Ballet; Photograph: Amitava Sarkar

Houston Ballet unveiled Ben Stevenson’s production of The Nutcracker over 20 years ago. Since then it has become an audience favorite in Houston and beyond. Scores of ballerinas have made their Act II appearance as the Sugar Plum Fairy. This year, corps de ballet member Elise Judson will have her opportunity to shine in the role.

A native of Sacramento, California, Elise joined Houston Ballet in November of 2007. The 20-year-old has been featured in Stanton Welch’s Falling, the first pas de deux in Antony Tudor’s The Leaves are Fading, and recently performed as a member Twyla Tharp’s “bomb squad,” the red-pointe-shoe clad dancers from In The Upper Room. She took a moment to chat with me about her upcoming performance in The Nutcracker.

Dance Advantage: Elise, you’ve danced the role of Clara with Houston Ballet but this is your first turn as the Sugar Plum Fairy. What do you find most exciting about dancing this role?

Ballet: The Nutcracker; Choreographer: Ben Stevenson; Dancer(s): Mireille Hassenboehler & Linnar Looris; Photograph: Amitava Sarkar

Elise Judson: It is every little girl’s dream as a dancer to perform as the Sugar Plum Fairy and I am so excited to take on this role. I love the technical challenge that it poses for me as a dancer. This will also be the first full length, classical pas de deux that I have performed on stage, which is another milestone for me in my career. There are so many new and exciting things to look forward to performing this role. I can’t wait!

DA: Like most ballet dancers, I’m sure your training provided many opportunities to perform The Nutcracker. Do you remember your first time dancing in this holiday staple?

EJ: The Nutcracker is the first ballet that I remember watching as a child, which makes it a meaningful ballet to me. It was also the first production I performed in as a child with a professional company. My first role was one of Mother Ginger’s Children in Act II at age seven with the Sacramento Ballet. Later in my training, I also got the chance to perform the Lead Flower Pas de Deux and the Snow Pas de Deux in my first two summer intensive programs here at Houston Ballet.

DA: Were those experiences influential in your pursuit of dance?

EJ: Performing at such a young age in a huge theater with professional dancers helped to start my love of performing, as well as making me more comfortable on stage early on in my training. Also, it was after participating in those two summer programs in Houston that I realized I wanted to pursue dance professionally.

Ballet: The Nutcracker; Choreographer: Ben Stevenson; Dancer(s): Tyann Clement; Photograph: Amitava Sarkar

DA: How does it feel, knowing that your performance could inspire the next generation of dancers?

EJ: Incredible and surreal! I never dreamed that I would get the opportunity to perform the role of the Sugar Plum Fairy so early in my career. I know how much The Nutcracker inspired me to pursue dancing, so to know that I could have the same effect on children in the audience is truly incredible.

DA: The are so many renderings of the holiday classic. Each company puts its own spin on the tale. What is special about this version of the ballet?

EJ: In this production, there is something magical and joyous for every age. Magic tricks, flying cooks, and snow fill the stage with excitement and wonder. There is also the beautiful music played by the Houston Ballet Orchestra, as well as the incredible sets that bring the show to life. Not to mention beautiful dancing in a wide range of styles by the members of the company. It is an incredible show.

DA: Your older sister Carolyn is a dancer with Texas Ballet Theater (the North Texas ballet company helmed by Ben Stevenson). Both companies perform this particular Nutcracker, have you both danced in this production?

EJ: Yes, we’ve actually performed most of the same roles! My sister trained at Houston Ballet’s academy as a teenager and performed in Houston Ballet’s Nutcracker, as well as now performing the same production at Texas Ballet Theater. It would be fun to get to dance in it together!

DA: Houston Ballet is celebrating its 40th birthday this year but you are celebrating an anniversary as well. You joined the company two years ago. Which experiences have inspired the most growth for you personally during this time?

EJ: It is amazing that it has already been two years since I joined the company. I have been very lucky to perform so much already in my career with Houston Ballet. I think I have grown the most when I’ve been involved with the creation of a new work. Being in this company, I am lucky to get to perform in several world premieres each season. Our artistic director Stanton Welch is great about letting the dancers develop our own characters and have input when he is creating new works. I think that it is this creative process that has helped me to know who I am as a dancer as well as push myself to find new styles and personalities in my dancing.

Ballet: The Nutcracker; Choreographer: Ben Stevenson; Dancer(s): Katharine Precourt & Linnar Looris; Photograph: Amitava Sarkar

DA: What are you most looking forward to in 2010?

EJ: I am most looking forward to working on and performing Stanton Welch’s new production of La Bayadere. Performing in new works is one of my favorite parts of being a dancer at Houston Ballet. La Bayadere is also a new production for me, in that I have never performed in the full length version of it. It is an extremely challenging production and I can’t wait to work on it.

DA: I’m sure you dreamed of dancing in a professional company long before it happened. If you could offer one piece of advice to young students with visions of Sugar Plum Fairies dancing in their heads, what would it be?

EJ: Love every minute of it. Ballet is a difficult, but very rewarding art form. Years of classes and rehearsals can be tedious and strenuous, but when you get the opportunity to take your bow on stage in front of an audience and hear their applause for you, there is nothing more rewarding. It is all worth it!

Houston Ballet will give 35 performances of The Nutcracker in the Brown Theater at Wortham Theater Center in downtown Houston. Tickets may be purchased by calling 713-227-2787 or logging on to www.houstonballet.org.

© Nichelle Strzepek for Dance Advantage, 2009. | Permalink | Category: Ballet/Pointe, Beyond the Bubble, Blog, Dance Companies, Dance Styles, Interviews, News and Events | Who's talking about this article?

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Dance Advantage » Dance Companies

The Nutcracker: Unwrapped

Hand-torn snow. 7,000 lbs of it.

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Making Theatrical Magic

So you want to be a…

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Complexions Contemporary Ballet Ready to Rock Houston

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How can you inject a little childlike wonder into your next choreography, routine, or production?

Rebecca King on Learning As a Professional

The lessons I have learned in my five years of company life.

Working In The Back

Chloe Arnold’s ‘My Life, My Diary, My Dance’

What do you mean, deep pocket?

Early Influences

Terpsichorus: Discussing Entity — Wayne McGregor/Random Dance

Welcome to our first Terpsichorus discussion!

Look out below

Spread the word

The Movement

The Music, Sets, Costumes, & Lighting

40 Years of Pilobolus Dance: Origins, Partnering, Programming

Pilobolus Dance Theatre

Pilobolus Institute

Pilobolus Partnering

The Nutcracker At It’s Corps With Apprentice, Madison Morris

The Corps Experience

What’s YOUR Nutcracker story?

New Continents — From Royal Ballet School To Boston Ballet

Art Is Kids Play

Kids Play in Action

Film Review: Dancing Across Borders

Discussion Questions

Unifying Women and Mothers Through Dance

About mIN

Leading with Love

Language of the Body

Work as a Calling

On Women and Mothers and Dancing

Profile of an American Icon: A Few Words With Paul Taylor

An Unignorable Hunch

An Unequivocal Talent

Celebrating 80

A Few Words With Paul Taylor

More Paul Taylor Links and Resources

First of All — A Chat with Prix de Lausanne Winner Emanuel Amuchastegui

Sweet Exchange with a Sugar Plum Fairy