Camino Real

Dance Voyages

May 15, 2017 by 4dancers

Alessa dancing Esmerelda — **Esmeralda and Kilroy’s Pas. Photo by Charlie McCullers**

by Alessa Ashley Rogers

Looking forward, looking back.

On October 7, 2014, 27 dancers waited expectantly in Atlanta Ballet’s sun-dappled studio 1. What we knew: Our resident choreographer, Helen Pickett. And the play, Tennessee Williams’ Camino Real which we had been expected to read.

What we didn’t know was how Helen would transform an obscure, largely unsuccessful play into a full-length world premiere ballet with original costumes, sets and score which would be critically acclaimed for its “sheer magic.”

Flash forward 30-some months later and Camino Real is being re-staged at Atlanta Ballet for the second time. Many things are different in our world of the studio and in the larger world. A new president has taken office. At Atlanta Ballet, change is heavy on our minds as thirteen dancers prepare to depart the company at the end of this season. [Read more…]

Atlanta Ballet to Finish Season with “Camino Real”

May 6, 2017 by Rachel Hellwig

Atlanta Ballet’s “Camino Real.” (2015) Photo by Kim Kenney. Courtesy of Atlanta Ballet.

by Rachel Hellwig

Atlanta Ballet’s original production of Camino Real will return to the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre from May 12-14. Created on the company in 2015 by choreographer in residence Helen Pickett, the work incorporates dance, spoken text, and Atlanta Ballet Orchestra’s live performance of a score by Peter Salem.

Inspired by Tennessee Williams’ 1953 play of the same name, the ballet follows the journey of the fictional former boxing champion Kilroy as he encounters love, desperation, and an eclectic mix of literary and historical characters in Camino Real, a surreal town controlled by a cruel hotelier named Gutman.

Atlanta Ballet’s “Camino Real.” Photo by Charlie McCullers. Courtesy of Atlanta Ballet.

“Kilroy is a strong, humble, and loving character,” says Alexandre Barros, who is taking on the role. “He becomes everyone’s hope for a better life. From the very beginning, however, he is hated by Gutman, who wants the Camino Real to stay the same – hopeless and obedient. Kilroy has this alacrity in his heart and always wants the best for others, which Gutman completely despises.”

Barros says he loves what Pickett did with the ballet: “The play is very complicated to understand and yet Helen found a way to narrate the story so beautifully.”

Tara Lee will conclude her 21-season career with the company in the role of Esmeralda, a character derived from Victor Hugo’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame. “She’s a gypsy, trapped in the Camino like everyone else, but recognizes freedom when she meets Kilroy,” Lee says. “To me, she represents truth. In Helen’s production, reality is constantly shifting for the characters. A tragic scene can suddenly turn a switch and become a Vaudeville-like dance extravaganza. Beauty and poetry live beside ugliness and hopelessness. The audience decides which world they want to see.”

From Atlanta Ballet’s website: “Recommended for ages 12 and up.”

Tickets start at $25. Purchase here.

Saying Goodbye To Atlanta Ballet’s John McFall

May 20, 2016 by 4dancers

John McFall with dancers — **John McFall and dancers from Atlanta Ballet. Photo by Brian Wallenberg.**

Dear John,

You are stepping down as Artistic Director of Atlanta Ballet this month after 21 years. How to describe what your tenure accomplished? How to distill such a career?

I could talk about the numbers. How the budget has nearly tripled since 1994 or the 1200 students enrolled in the school. I could talk about how Atlanta Ballet has transformed in your two decades from a regional dance troupe to a world-class institution. About the exciting collaborations- Big Boi from Outkast, the Indigo Girls. Or about the world premieres- Twyla Tharp’s first full length ballet, Helen Pickett’s Camino Real. I could talk about the tour to China, the opening of a beautiful new building, your own choreography including the record-breaking Nutcracker. I could talk about the cutting-edge choreographers like Ohad Naharin, Alexander Ekman and Jorma Elo that you convinced out of a sheer doggedness and passion for your dancers to come to a city in the Southeast and bring their work to us.

These things are astounding, valid and commendable. But you know all these things already.

And this letter isn’t about what you’ve done for Atlanta Ballet. It’s what you’ve done for me and your dancers. So I’d rather talk about the joy. [Read more…]

Atlanta Ballet Welcomes Gennadi Nedvigin, Announces 2016-2017 Season

April 21, 2016 by Rachel Hellwig

Yuan Yuan Tan in Yuri Possokhov’s "Firebird". Photo by Erik Tomasson, courtesy of San Francisco Ballet. — Yuan Yuan Tan in Yuri Possokhov’s “Firebird”. Photo by Erik Tomasson, courtesy of San Francisco Ballet.

By Rachel Hellwig

“I’ve wondered…what I will do after I stop dancing? Be a florist?” joked San Francisco Ballet principal dancer Gennadi Nedvigin in a media Q&A on Wednesday. “I could have performed for two or three more years,” said the soon-to-retire 39-year-old who will become Atlanta Ballet’s next artistic director in August. “But being offered this position took priority. I wanted to focus on one thing.”

“My aesthetic has been formed by the diverse range of choreographers and dancers I’ve worked with and by the diverse range of pieces I’ve performed in my career. Different styles of dance and choreography are like different languages,” he said. “The more languages you know, the better.” Drawing further upon the language parallel, the Bolshoi-trained Nedvigin related that he’s experienced the challenge of being immersed in new language environments before—first when he moved from his native Russia to dance with Le Jeune Ballet de France in France, and then again when he came to the United States to join San Francisco Ballet in 1997. “It’s like being dipped in water and forced to swim—twice,” he said.

Nedvigin will be “dipped in water” again as he transitions from dancer to director. Though this will be his debut in such a role, he has worked with Atlanta Ballet before when he staged Yuri Possokhov’s Classical Symphony on the company in 2014. “I was drawn to the sense of community among Atlanta Ballet’s dancers,” he said. “And I was proud of their performance.”

Gennadi Nedvigin (center). "Classical Symphony" rehearsal with Atlanta Ballet. Photo courtesy of Atlanta Ballet. — Gennadi Nedvigin (center). “Classical Symphony” rehearsal with Atlanta Ballet. Photo courtesy of Atlanta Ballet.

Nedvigin announced that Atlanta Ballet’s 2016-2017 season will include works the company has performed before, such as John McFall’s Nutcracker, David Bintley’s Carmina Burana, and Helen Pickett’s Camino Real, as well as mixed repertory performances he personally selected. “I’ve carefully chosen these programs. They will hint at the direction I will take the company,” he said. He also emphasized that the company will perform “classical, neoclassical, and contemporary works”– bringing to mind the “many languages” analogy again.

Among the mixed repertory programs, Gennadi’s Choice will feature his staging of selections from Paquita, the Atlanta premiere of Liam Scarlett’s Vespertine, and a world premiere by Gemma Bond. Firebird will include Yuri Possokhov’s Firebird, George Balanchine’s Allegro Brillante, and Jiří Kylián’s Petite Mort.

What other changes might Nedvigin bring to Atlanta Ballet? He indicated that he’s open to the idea of a ranking system for the currently unranked company. “Ranking exists whether it’s announced or not,” he said. “Ranking helps give dancers recognition and it doesn’t prevent lower-ranked dancers from performing lead roles.” Another possibility he’s looking into is touring. However, he acknowledges that changes will take time and that it will be at least a few years before he begins to attain his vision for the company. One thing that won’t significantly change for the present is the roster of Atlanta Ballet’s dancers. All had their contracts renewed, though some have opted not to return in the fall.

Nedvigin will conclude his 19-year performing career with San Francisco Ballet in May as Lensky in John Cranko’s Onegin. He will succeed John McFall who retires in June after 23 years as artistic director of Atlanta Ballet. Nedvigin will be just the fourth artistic director in the history of the 87-year-old company. “It’s an honor to be joining Atlanta Ballet,” he said. “These are exciting times.”

Atlanta Ballet in Helen Pickett's "Camino Real". Photo by Charlie McCullers. — Atlanta Ballet in Helen Pickett’s “Camino Real”. Photo by Charlie McCullers.

Atlanta Ballet’s 2016-2017 Season

ATLANTA BALLET’S NUTCRACKER

December 9 – 24, 2016 | The Fox Theatre

Live with the Atlanta Ballet Orchestra

Encore Presentation of David Bintley’s CARMINA BURANA

February 3 – 11, 2017 | Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre

Live with the Atlanta Ballet Orchestra

One Hour Family Ballet – TITLE TO BE ANNOUNCED

February 11 & 12, 2017 | Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre

Recommended for families and younger audiences.

GENNADI’s CHOICE (Mixed Repertory)

March 17 – 19, 2017 | Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre

Selections from Paquita choreographed by Marius Petipa and staged by Gennadi Nedvigin, the Atlanta premiere of Vespertine by Liam Scarlett, and a world premiere by Gemma Bond.

FIREBIRD (Mixed Repertory)

April 14 – 16, 2017 | Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre

Firebird by Yuri Possokhov, Allegro Brillante by George Balanchine, and Petite Mort by Jiří Kylián.

Encore Presentation of Helen Pickett’s Tennessee Williams-Inspired CAMINO REAL

May 12 – 14, 2017 | Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre

Choreography by Helen Pickett

Music & Sound Design by Peter Salem

Live with the Atlanta Ballet Orchestra

Atlanta Ballet’s 2016-2017 Season

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