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Atlanta Ballet to Finish Season with “MAYhem: Kissed”

May 19, 2016 by Rachel Hellwig

Atlanta Ballet in "Classical Symphony." Photo by Kim Kenney.
Atlanta Ballet in “Classical Symphony.” Photo by Kim Kenney.

By Rachel Hellwig

Atlanta Ballet wraps up its 2015-2016 season this weekend with MAYhem: Kissed at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre from May 20-22. The mixed-repertory program will feature the world premiere of Andrea Miller‘s Push, Gustavo Ramírez Sansano’s El Beso, and Yuri Possokhov‘s Classical Symphony.

MAYhem: Kissed is Atlanta Ballet’s final performance under John McFall, who has led the company as artistic director since 1994. “As far as my heart, my soul, my mind, I’m always going to have a connection to Atlanta Ballet,” he told The Atlanta Journal Constitution last September.

Push by Andrea Miller “takes the different facets of human relationships and fits them in to a tapestry of movement,” says Atlanta Ballet dancer Devon Joslin.

“Andrea had us all go through these different improv exercises in order to develop each specific emotion in our dancing,” she explains. “It was a simple task, but she has this way of digging things out of you that you didn’t think you had to offer. I have a solo that’s about the shame you feel when you open yourself up to someone wholeheartedly and they don’t reciprocate. I’m not the most confident person in the world so those feelings of shame and embarrassment came more naturally. Push is emotional. It’s human. It conveys things that every person in the audience has felt or will feel at some point in his or her life.”

Atlanta Ballet in "Classical Symphony." Photo by Kim Kenney.
Atlanta Ballet in “Classical Symphony.” Photo by Kim Kenney.

Gustavo Ramírez Sansano’s El Beso, set to Spanish Zarzuela music, was created in 2014 for New York City’s Ballet Hispanico.“This work explores the various kinds of kisses you can have in your life: friendship, family, passion, and social kisses,” says Atlanta Ballet’s Rachel Van Buskirk. “It’s extremely fast and detailed. The movement is so musical that it makes dancing it instinctual. My favorite part is the friendship trio I dance with fellow company members Jackie Nash and Heath Gill. It’s a blast to share this with your close friends. No acting required!”

“El Beso is, in large part, an autobiographical account of the choreographer’s early life and family–and I love that aspect of it,” adds John Welker, who’s danced with Atlanta Ballet for the past 21 seasons. “There’s also a playfulness in the music and movement that’s easy to feel. I enjoy the challenge of making this quick and dense choreography appear easy and articulate. Not an easy task.”

Atlanta Ballet in "Classical Symphony." Photo by Kim Kenney.
Atlanta Ballet in “Classical Symphony.” Photo by Kim Kenney.

Classical Symphony, an encore performance from last year, was created for San Francisco Ballet in 2010 by the company’s choreographer in residence, Yuri Possokhov. The work received praise from Alastair Macaulay of The New York Times for the “sheer exuberance of its often unorthodox ballet virtuosity.”

Accompanied live by the Atlanta Ballet Orchestra, Classical Symphony is performed to Sergei Prokofiev’s “Classical” Symphony No. 1, which debuted in 1918. “It seemed to me that if Haydn had lived into this era, he would have kept his own style while absorbing things from what was new in music,” the composer wrote.”That’s the kind of symphony I wanted to write: a symphony in the Classical style.” (He also later reused the symphony’s third movement in his iconic ballet score for Romeo and Juliet.)

“Classical Symphony is the challenge of the technique, classicism, and stamina of a traditional full-length ballet condensed into roughly a 16-minute piece,” says Jackie Nash. “It also incorporates fun modern flourishes and playful dynamics.”

In Classical Symphony, Nash will revisit a role she danced last May. “In 2015, this was the first principal part I performed, so there were some nerves that came along with the process,” she explains. “But this time around I have really liked getting to relax into the role a bit more. I also love getting to dance with Christian Clark. His skills as a partner are so refined and effortless and it allows me to really indulge in the steps. I feel I am in such good hands–literally.”

Classical Symphony is also notable in that it first brought Gennadi Nedvigin, Atlanta Ballet’s incoming artistic director, to the company when he staged the work on them in 2014. “I was drawn to the sense of community among Atlanta Ballet’s dancers,” he said in April. “And I was proud of their performance.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJcfDaSgLC8


Tickets start at $25. Purchase here or call call 404-892-3303.

“Runtime is approximately 2 hours, including 2 intermissions.

*Please note that one of the pieces on this program uses strobe lighting.”  (from Atlanta Ballet’s website)


 

Filed Under: 4dancers Tagged With: Andrea Miller, atlanta ballet, Atlanta Ballet Orchestra, Ballet, christian clark, Classical Symphony, Devon Joslin, El Beso, gustavo ramirez sansano, Heath Gill, Jackie Nash, john mcfall, MAYhem: Kissed, Preview, Prokofiev, Push, Rachel Van Buskirk, yuri possokhov

Spoiler Alert: The Original Endings Of Ballet’s Great Love Stories

February 14, 2016 by Rachel Hellwig

by Rachel Hellwig

So, you think you know how all of your favorite romantic ballets end? Think again! The original finales might surprise you…

Giselle

Spoiler alert: Albrecht gets back together with Bathilde—with the (post-mortem) blessing of Giselle! Though most modern versions conclude with Albrecht alone in the forest, Pacific Northwest Ballet’s 2011 staging by Peter Boal includes the original ending. As The New York Times described it, “Albrecht [is] tenderly consoled and reclaimed at dawn by Bathilde, whom Giselle, now a spirit returning to her grave, has urged him to marry with her last gestures.”

Created with "waiting backstage" by Deb. Licensed under CC Attribution 2.0 Generic. [Changes to image: cropped; filters, background, and text added] Lyrics quoted on image from "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together", artist Taylor Swift.
Created with “waiting backstage” by Deb. Licensed under CC Attribution 2.0 Generic. [Changes to image: cropped; filters, background, and text added] Lyrics quoted on image from “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together“, artist Taylor Swift.

Swan Lake

Spoiler alert: Siegfried and Odette still die. However, they don’t drown themselves in the lake. And their original personalities were more flawed than those of the gallant Prince and Swan Queen of today. The Ballet Bag explains:

“[It] was very different from the Swan Lake we now know: Odette, daughter of a good fairy, is being pursued by her “wicked witch stepmother”. Her grandfather keeps her and companions safe at a lake by night, allowing them to fly about as swans by day. Odette wears a magical crown which protects her from the witch. Siegfried falls for her but betrays her at a ball. Odette refuses to forgive him, so he snatches her crown in desperation. The lovers are now at the mercy of the witch and the waters of the lake engulf them.”

Created with "CincinnatiBallet-SwanLake2009-Dancers-KristiCapps-AnthonyKrutzkamp-Photog-PeterMueller" by KCBalletMedia. Licensed under CC Attribution 2.0 Generic. [Changes to image: cropped; filters, background, and text added]
Created with “CincinnatiBallet-SwanLake2009-Dancers-KristiCapps-AnthonyKrutzkamp-Photog-PeterMueller” by KCBalletMedia. Licensed under CC Attribution 2.0 Generic. [Changes to image: cropped; filters, background, and text added]

Romeo and Juliet

And they lived happily ever after…

Spoiler alert: This was indeed the ending that composer Sergei Prokofiev intended! “Living people can dance, the dead cannot”, he argued. But officials in 1930s Soviet Russia weren’t keen on the idea of changing Shakespeare’s story (a.k.a. Prokofiev had to follow orders). It wasn’t until 2008 that choreographer Mark Morris staged a version with the original happy ending. It’s safe to say, of course, that Prokofiev’s revision has yet to upstage The Bard’s conclusion to this famous tale of woe.

 Created with "swKCB0514_ 1685" by KCBalletMedia. Licensed under CC Attribution 2.0 Generic. [Changes to image: cropped; filters, background, and text added] Lyrics quoted on image from "Love Story", artist Taylor Swift.
Created with “swKCB0514_ 1685” by KCBalletMedia. Licensed under CC Attribution 2.0 Generic. [Changes to image: cropped; filters, background, and text added] Lyrics quoted on image from “Love Story“, artist Taylor Swift.

Filed Under: 4dancers Tagged With: Ballet, Ballet History, Bathilde, dance, Dance History, giselle, history, odette, Original Ending, pacific northwest ballet, Prokofiev, romeo and juliet, siegfried, swan lake, Valentine's Day

Savoring The Score Of Joffrey’s Romeo & Juliet

April 25, 2014 by 4dancers

Romeo & Juliet Rehearsal - Christine Rocas and Rory Hohenstein - Photo by Herbert Migdoll
Romeo & Juliet Rehearsal – Christine Rocas and Rory Hohenstein – Photo by Herbert Migdoll

The Joffrey is taking on Romeo & Juliet this season, which has an amazing score by Sergei Prokofiev. We asked conductor Scott Speck some questions about the music, and he shares some wonderful insights with us here.

Can you share some background information about the composer and the development of this score?

​One of the great thrills of working in the field of ballet is the opportunity to perform the score to Romeo and Juliet by Sergei Prokofiev. I am grateful to the Joffrey’s Artistic Director, Ashley Wheater, for programming it. All the musicians of the Chicago Philharmonic feel the same way.

Prokofiev was a Russian composer — or more accurately, for much of his life, a Soviet composer. But his work bears very little resemblance to that of his revered countrymen, Tchaikovsky or Stravinsky. Prokofiev had a musical style that was entirely his own. Generally speaking, he could be considered part of the Neoclassical movement — paying tribute to the great Baroque and classical masters with a familiar tonal language and forms such as the “Gavotte”, but with a modern take ​that could never be mistaken for anything but twentieth-century. But Igor Stravinsky was also a neoclassicist for part of his career, and there is no confusing the two composers. Prokofiev’s style is very melodic — there is hardly a moment that can’t be sung. He got his start in ballet early, moving to Paris and composing for a very young Balanchine and the Ballets Russes. (In fact, Prodigal Son, which the Joffrey Ballet performs in September, was one of his first in the genre.) If he did imitate the great Russian ballet composers in any way, it was in his pacing. The music drives the action in the play admirably, with gorgeous melodies for each major character and theme in the story.

What are some of the particular challenges when it comes to conducting the music of Prokofiev for this ballet?

​The biggest challenge is the sheer virtuosity of the writing — the difficulty of the score itself.  Being a great pianist, Prokofiev infused his scores with devilish technical challenges that would be much easier to play on the piano than on the various instruments of the orchestra.​ It takes a truly great orchestra to do justice to the intricacies of his music. Luckily we have the Chicago Philharmonic!

Are there any specific instruments that feature prominently here, and what does that add to the overall feel and mood of the score? [Read more…]

Filed Under: Music & Dance Tagged With: ballet music, joffrey, joffrey ballet, music for dance, Prokofiev, romeo and juliet, scott speck, Sergei Prokofiev

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