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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jessica Meldrum
May 26, 2021
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., May 26, 2021 — Grand Rapids Ballet, Michigan’s only professional ballet company, today announces its 2021-22 Season, Moving Forward, featuring a return to live, in-person performances at DeVos Performance Hall and Peter Martin Wege Theater, among others.
The Moving Forward season offers something for everyone, featuring classical ballet favorites and contemporary creations. The complete season includes Grand Rapids Ballet’s outdoor “Summer Series,” “Off the Canvas,” “The Nutcracker,” “Cinderella,” “Jumpstart 2022,” and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” with “Serenade.”
“My vision for the 21-22 Season aims to showcase a wide variety of ballets that appeal to any number of people, even if you’ve never seen ballet before,” said James Sofranko, artistic director at Grand Rapids Ballet. “We have definitely missed the live connection with the audience and are looking forward to being back in a live performance space. It’s what we do best, and it’s what we’ve trained to do.”
The season begins with two outdoor performances taking place in August. The first program will take place downtown at Studio Park, on Aug. 14, and the second features a return to Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park on Aug. 31.
Grand Rapids’ favorite holiday seasonal tradition, “The Nutcracker,” returns to DeVos Performance Hall with dancers performing before beautiful sets imagined by Chris Van Allsburg, designed by Eugene Lee. Dancers adorn the stage to Val Caniparoli’s choreography for the beloved annual tradition with live accompaniment from the Grand Rapids Symphony to Tchaikovsky’s magical score.
2022 also marks an important milestone as Grand Rapids Ballet celebrates 50 years of lifting the human spirit through the art of dance. Our 50th Anniversary spans two seasons, kicking off in February 2022 with family-favorite “Cinderella,” choreographed by Ben Stevensen, accompanied by the Grand Rapids Symphony. The classic fairytale journeys alongside Cinderella as her dreams are turned to reality by her Fairy Godmother before she dances the night away with her Prince at a dazzling ball.
Company dancers also are accompanied by Grand Rapids Ballet School’s students transforming into fairies, butterflies, and mystical characters in Shakespeare’s comedic tale, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” During this performance, Grand Rapids Ballet will pay homage to George Balanchine, performing the timeless, classical work, “Serenade,” with music by Tchaikovsky, known as his first ballet made in America.
Grand Rapids Ballet’s Junior Company, under the direction of Attila Mosolygo, will perform “Aladdin,” as our talented young dancers share the story of an impoverished boy, living in Agrabah, who falls in love with the beautiful Princess Jasmine.
Tickets and Season subscriptions will be available to the public later this summer. 2021-22 Season Subscription renewals will open to current subscribers on June 7. Additional program details and performance dates and times can be found at grballet.com/2122season.
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About Grand Rapids Ballet:
Grand Rapids Ballet, Michigan’s only professional ballet company, celebrating its 50th Anniversary in 2022, is committed to lifting the human spirit through the art of dance under the leadership of James Sofranko as artistic director, Glenn Del Vecchio as executive director, and Attila Mosolygo as director of Grand Rapids Ballet School and its Junior Company. Grand Rapids Ballet continues a rich history marked by steady growth, a commitment to excellence, and strong community support.
Author: Jessica Meldrum
Photo by Isaac Aoki
A conversation with Marketing Director Michael Erickson
Next up in conversation with the nine choreographers of Jumpstart 2020 is trainee Sophia Stefanopoulos. You can read her full bio here.
Q: Hi, Sophia. Tell us about your piece for Jumpstart 2020. What’s the title?
A. My piece is entitled Chroma.
Q: What inspired you?
A: Whether you’re looking at art in a museum, noting people’s fashion as they walk past you, or seeing what’s outside your window, the colors of every day things we see can provoke thoughts. Simple but beautiful colors can connect qualities with matching tones. Red for passion, yellow for happiness, blue for sadness, etc. Everyone has their own interpretation and association of colors with specific qualities that can make them feel a certain way. I wanted to explore that concept in a neoclassic ballet piece where the girls resemble colors and let that influence the way each one moves. Although they have unique sets of characteristics, they can all work together in harmony, just like a work of art.
Q: How does this message translate into your choreography?
A: Choreographically, all the Jerome Robbins, George Balanchine, and Gerald Arpino pieces I’ve learned and performed have influenced me in the creative process. They are artists that have always inspired me as a dancer and especially have as a choreographer for this piece.
Q: Tell us about your musical selections.
A: I have two pieces: Three Romances Without Words Op. 17: No. 2 Allegro Molto, composed by Saint Saëns, and Sonata for Cello and Piano in A Major, FWV 8: IV Allegro Poco Mosso, composed by Franck. Both pieces are played by Julian Steckel and Paul Rivinius.
Q: Is your piece contemporary or classical?
A: I would call this neo-classical (which refers to the 20th-century style of classical ballet exemplified by the works of George Balanchine).
Q: So, you’re choreographing this piece on your fellow dancers. Is that a satisfying process?
A: I’ve loved bringing my piece to life! Seeing the progress through every rehearsal was so exciting and gratifying, but it also challenged me to keep going and creating. I really enjoyed working with each of the girls in my piece. Just as they are learning the choreography from me, I’ve been learning from them as well.
Jumpstart is our annual showcase of emerging talent featuring the dancers of Grand Rapids Ballet as both choreographers and dancers. Artistic Director James Sofranko provides this platform for them to explore their artistic vision and bring their inspiration to life by creating short works for the people of West Michigan while gaining valuable experience as choreographers.
Jumpstart 2020 is March 6-8 at Peter Martin Wege Theatre. For tickets, visit our website, Ticketmaster, or call 616.454.4771 x10 today.
Photo by Isaac Aoki
A conversation with Marketing Director Michael Erickson
Over the next couple of weeks, I’m going to sit down with as many of the choreographers of Jumpstart 2020 as I can. Mind you, there are nine—yes, nine!—this year, so I’ll do my best. The show is March 6-8 at Peter Martin Wege Theatre and tickets are available here.
Jumpstart is our annual showcase of emerging talent featuring the dancers of Grand Rapids Ballet as both choreographers and dancers. Artistic Director James Sofranko provides this platform for them to explore their artistic vision and bring their inspiration to life by creating short works for the people of West Michigan while gaining valuable experience as choreographers.
First up is James “Jimmy” Cunningham who joined the Company in 2019. You can read his full bio here.
Q: Thanks for your time, Jimmy. Tell us about your piece for Jumpstart 2020. What’s the title?
A. Of course. My piece is entitled Butterfly Walking.
Q: What inspired you?
A: Initially, I stumbled across a motivational podcast as I was scrolling through my social media feed. The message centered on not fearing change when that very change may give you the potential to become something better than what you currently are. The podcast used a lot of metaphors to make its point, but there was one about a butterfly which really resonated with me: Don’t be the butterfly that merely walks. Butterflies have big beautiful wings and they are meant to fly!
Q: How does this message translate into your choreography?
A: Well, first, I knew I didn’t want to create something literal and have the dancers flying around the stage like actual butterflies (laughs); I wanted something deeper. So I took the ideas of flight, fear and hesitation, and change and growth; threw in different kinds of relationships; and I took it to the studio. Hopefully, the audience will find the end result poetic and moving. I do.
Q: Obviously, music plays a big part in the creation of any work. What about yours?
A: My piece has four different sections featuring the beautiful music of three female cellists/composers: Julia Kent, Zoë Keating, and Hildur Guðnadóttir. (Listen to their beautiful music on Spotify below.)
Q: Anything about the set, lighting, and costume design on which you’d like to elaborate?
A: I made a sketch for the costume design and was lucky enough to work directly with our amazing costume shop manager, Ron Altman, to make my vision come to life. As for any set design, I plan to keep it simple by utilizing the black curtain and white backdrop that exists at Peter Martin Wege Theatre. Hopefully, I can get the dancers to emerge from the light in an interesting, dramatic way, but that’s still a thought in progress.
Q: Is your piece contemporary or classical?
A: Classical lines and coordination with a contemporary freedom, and some quirky shapes. I like to build the use of momentum into my choreography. With classical ballet everything can sometimes seem calculated, manufactured, refined, and delicate. I find there is a special kind of poetry in the movement when you give into the force of it or add momentum. The recovery tells a different story and makes the dance exciting to watch. To me it can appear more human and evoke or emulate emotion.
Q: So, you’re choreographing this piece on your fellow dancers. Is that a satisfying process?
A: The dancers have been great to work with — so open to my ever-changing ideas. They ask questions and provide constant inspiration with their thoughts and their natural coordination. I appreciate their patience, too; I know from being on the other side that it’s hard when the plan changes or suddenly the choreographer changes your favorite step. I also tend to create in a cut-and-paste kind of way. My creativity isn’t consistently linear. They are on board with me and for that I am so grateful. Thank you!
Jumpstart 2020 is March 6-8 at Peter Martin Wege Theatre. For tickets, visit our website, Ticketmaster, or call 616.454.4771 x10 today.
DANCE EDUCATION
