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Meet the Jumpstart 2020 Choreographers: Sophia Stefanopoulos

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. 

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Meet the Jumpstart 2020 Choreographers: James Cunningham

grand rapids ballet jumpstart 2020

grand rapids ballet jumpstart 2020

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. 

 

 

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Meet Helen Daigle

Helen Daigle: Staging Cold Virtues for a West Michigan Audience

A Q&A with Grand Rapids Ballet’s Marketing Director, Michael Erickson

grand rapids ballet firebird cold virtues

Helen Daigle photo by Bailee Columber

Our powerful production of Yuri Possokhov’s Firebird is just a part of of what promises to be an exceptional presentation of dance. The show also includes a world premiere from our resident choreographer, Penny Saunders, entitled Again; Artistic Director James Sofranko’s Mozart Symphony for the first time on the Peter Martin Wege Theatre stage; and Adam Hougland’s Cold Virtues. Adam is the Principle Choreographer for Louisville Ballet and Resident Choreographer for Cincinnati Ballet. He is also Artist in Residence at The Meadows School of the Arts at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas.

grand rapids ballet firebird cold virtues dance

Terez Dean with the full company of Smuin Ballet performing Adam Hougland’s Cold Virtues. ©Keith Sutter

Adam’s a very busy man, to say the least, and was unavailable to come to Grand Rapids until a week before opening night — this is often the case with in-demand choreographers due to previous commitments and grueling schedules. It’s also true that, regardless of their availability, many choreographers don’t restage their own work and often prefer to bring in someone with that specific skill set. That’s where Helen Daigle comes in.

After 20 seasons with Louisville Ballet, Helen retired and transitioned to the Company’s artistic staff as ballet mistress. One of her myriad responsibilities there includes working with other companies to stage productions from its extensive repertoire. And we were lucky to have her spend time in our studios perfecting Adam’s Cold Virtues on our dancers. Let’s learn more about her and her process, shall we?

Q:  Welcome to Grand Rapids Ballet, Helen. Tell our readers a little about yourself.

A:  Thank you. Sure, I started dancing at the age of seven and received my early training from Baton Rouge Ballet Theater before attending Joffrey Ballet School and The School of American Ballet in New York. My professional career started at 18 with Feld Ballets/NY and Ballet Hisapanico before joining Louisville Ballet.

Photo by Bailee Columber

Q:  Have you worked with Grand Rapids Ballet before? If not, what are you finding most surprising about the Company and its dancers?

A:  I have not had the pleasure of working here before, and it is a pleasure. The dancers are lovely and very quick to take in the material I am throwing at them every day.

Q:  So, you’re here staging Cold Virtues for our production, Firebird, opening October 18. Tell us about this rather deliciously dark work – what does it mean to you and what will the audience take away from it? Is there a “story?”

A:  This was the first Ballet Adam created new on Louisville Ballet and it truly holds a special place in my heart. It is a somewhat dark work both in lighting and mood and while it does have a narrative, I feel it is more of a journey both for the dancers and audience. Certainly the two featured women are altered by their experiences during the piece, and I think the audience will be, too.

grand rapids ballet firebird cold virtues

Photo by Bailee Columber

Q:  How do you approach the acting component. I mean, it’s one thing to teach steps, but how do you work with the dancers to pull out the emotion?

A:  I talk a lot about the energy or intent of a step. Dancers act with their whole bodies so if they feel the intent of each step then the emotion will be imbued in every step they dance.

Q:  What’s the best piece of dance advice you’ve received and from whom?

A:  John Magnus, with whom I studied at The Joffrey Ballet School, said to me: “Never bring the outside world into ballet, but always take ballet into the outside world.” I took it to mean I had permission to let everything go when I stepped into a studio and only dance and, in turn, I could dance my way through the rest of my life and that was OK, too. It’s a lovely thought, isn’t it?

Q:  It really is. We could all benefit from dancing through life a bit more, couldn’t we? Speaking of dancing through life, what’s next for you?

A:  Louisville Ballet has a triple bill October 18-19, so I start work with the stager for George Balanchine’s Serenade first thing on Monday.

For even more information on Helen’s time here, listen to her recent appearance with Artistic Director James Sofranko on WGVU Morning Show with Shelley Irwin.   

See Helen’s efforts when Cold Virtues runs as part of Firebird October 18-20 at Peter Martin Wege Theatre. For tickets, call 616.454.4771 x10 or visit grballet.com today! 

 

 

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Meet Anne Mueller

midsummer nights dream grand rapids ballet michigan dance anne mueller

Staging A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a dream come true for Anne Mueller

A Q&A with Grand Rapids Ballet’s Marketing Director, Michael Erickson

anne mueller midsummer nights dream grand rapids ballet michigan dance

Photo by Bailee Columber

A ballet company’s rehearsal schedule is complex and layered; at any given time, the dancers may be working on as many as four or five different productions. That’s why it’s not at all surprising to see Anne Mueller in Studio A staging the final production of our moving 2019-20 season, associate artistic director of  the National Ballet of Canada Christopher Stowell’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, which will not open until April 24, 2020.

So, when I saw this multi-faceted and amazingly accomplished dance professional taking a rare (and short) lunch break, it seemed as good a time as any to sit down for a lightening-round Q&A to get to know her a little better.

Q: First, welcome to West Michigan. We’re so happy you’re here.

A:  Thank you. I’m loving Grand Rapids and Grand Rapids Ballet; the vibe is wonderful in both the city and the studios, which makes my job an absolute pleasure.

Anne Mueller staging Stowell;s A Midsummer Nights Dream; photo by Damion Van Slyke

Q:  Speaking of Grand Rapids Ballet, what sets a company like ours apart from others with which you’ve worked.

A:  Well, every company has a unique culture, of course, but what I’m loving here is the generosity and openness the dancers have in their work process.  They seem excited to receive and apply information, which makes the staging process fun and effective.  They are taking on their characters beautifully, which is so important in a story ballet, especially one with a fairly complex plot.

Q:  Enough about us. Tell us more about yourself.

A:  <laughs> Sure. I live in Boise, Idaho with my husband, Lars, and dog, August.  I work for Ballet Idaho as Artistic Associate, which is a fancy way of saying I spend a lot of time in the studio with the company dancers teaching class, running rehearsals, staging ballets, assisting visiting choreographers and stagers, and supporting the work of our artistic director, Garrett Anderson.  Before my current job, I was co-artistic director of The Portland Ballet, was managing director for a theatre company, and held several positions on the artistic staff of Oregon Ballet Theatre (OBT), where I also danced for 15 years.  At OBT, I worked for many years with Christopher Stowell who was artistic director there from 2003 to 2012.  Christopher brought an amazing repertoire of ballets to OBT and also choreographed a number of original works.  He and I enjoyed working together a great deal on new works, so I frequently danced in his ballets and sometimes assisted him as his choreographic assistant. I was also a co-founder of Trey McIntyre Project and danced for the company during the summers of 2005 to 2007.  I’ve staged ballets for McIntyre, Stowell, and Nicolo Fonte and have worked recently with the National Ballet of Canada as an assistant to choreographer Guillaume Côté and as a guest rehearsal assistant on The Second Detail and on Karen Kain’s Swan Lake.  

Yuka Oba-Muschiana and Steven Houser in Stowell’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream; photo by Bailee Columber

Q:  You mention the term “staging” which you’re doing for our production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Can you tell our readers what that means exactly?

A:  Of course. In terms of my work here now, I’m responsible for teaching the dancers in certain roles all of the steps that they’ll do as they portray these roles; this includes musical, spacing, and qualitative information, as well as elements of storytelling and character.  I’m tasked with re-creating the choreography in a way that’s as true to the choreographer’s intent as possible.  Sometimes small adjustments can be made to make things “fit” better with the current cast of dancers, but these changes are generally small tweaks rather than major changes.

Q:  How interesting! So in addition to teaching the actual dance steps, you’re also an acting coach. Which makes me wonder: What do you enjoy most about dance personally and professionally?

A:  At this point in my career — being almost ten years past my performing career — what I love most is connecting with dancers artistically and passing on information to them that I’ve gained throughout my journeys in dance.  I love to help them find ways to do things better and to improve. I find it very satisfying.

Q:  That’s a perfect segue to my next question: What’s the best piece of dance advice you’ve received and from whom?

A:   I’ve received a ton of great advice from many brilliant teachers and coaches through the years, but one that sticks out was, coincidentally, from Christopher Stowell. Early in my time with him, he was coaching me on Balanchine’s Duo Concertant which is one of my favorite roles; he observed I really felt my dancing in my legs rather than my upper body.  When he told me this, it shifted my thinking dramatically; in the years that followed, I enjoyed a whole new and different way of exploring movement, and it helped me grow considerably as an artist.

See Anne’s efforts when A Midsummer Night’s Dream runs April 24-26 and May 1-3 at Peter Martin Wege Theatre. For tickets, call 616.454.4771 x10 or visit grballet.com today!

 

 

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Meet Brian Enos Choreographer of Alice in Wonderland

alice in wonderland grand rapids ballet

alice in wonderland grand rapids ballet

By company dancer Connie Flachs

Brian Enos stands in the front of the studio, dressed head to toe in black. His focused gaze is directed on the three girls learning Alice, waltzing across the center of the room.

“Good, good,” he declares softly. Approaching one of them, he asks her to stretch her leg farther in the arabesque pique and turn her pirouette more quickly. He demonstrates with fluid agility and she follows his lead, moving farther and with more dynamic range after incorporating these corrections.

Enos himself is a study in contrasts. Soft-spoken but direct. Kind but demanding. Even his succinctly styled mohawk hair is the opposite of what one would expect from a ballet choreographer. In essence, this makes him the perfect choice to choreograph Grand Rapids Ballet’s production of the classic story Alice in Wonderland, returning May 3-5 and 10-11, 2019, after it’s triumphant 2017 premiere.

Enos’ choreographic style draws on classical ballet technique, but the steps you will see on stage are a far cry from Swan Lake. The Mad Hatter and March Hare tango, the Cheshire Cat slinks jazzily across the floor, the White Rabbit spins neurotically with ferocious abandon. The score arranged by Brendan Vincent keeps with this fresh and modern feel. The story is taken out of the Victorian age and into a more abstract, timeless place. While the production has elements of the Disney version and is assuredly family-friendly, the ballet is modernized and complex.

Enos began his conception of the production by reading the original Lewis Carroll story. Despite the story’s original reception as “sheer nonsense,” Carroll’s puzzling world has persevered over time, appealing to both children and adults alike. Enos determined the ballet would follow the book more closely than the movie, incorporating some of the darker elements of the story and keeping with his sensibilities as a person.

Originally from San Francisco, Brian began studying ballet at 16. After his training at the Maria Vegh Ballet Centre and Houston Ballet Academy, he joined Houston Ballet at 18. He went on to dance for the acclaimed Hubbard Street Dance Chicago for eight years, before retiring from the stage in 2010. He is currently the artistic director of The Big Muddy Dance Company in St. Louis, Missouri.

Don’t be late for this very important date! Get your tickets to Alice in Wonderland today.

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Meet Ellida Wangel from Val Caniparoli’s Ibsen’s House

extremely close grand rapids ballet michigan
extremely close grand rapids ballet michigan

Connie Flachs as Ellida Wangel in Val Caniparoli’s Ibsen’s House. Photo by James Sofranko.

By company dancer Connie Flachs

We continue our series of introductions to the famously strong female characters of playwright Henrik Ibsen that appear in Val Caniparoli’s Ibsen’s House in Extremely Close April 12-14 at Peter Martin Wege Theatre.

Here we are introduced to Ellida Wangel from his 1888 five-act play, Lady from the Sea.

Lady From The Sea diverges slightly from Ibsen’s general attachment to realism, including some folklore and fantasy. Indeed, the story is based on the same tale Hans Christian Anderson derived The Little Mermaid from. The text explores craving and desire and the battle between ego and self in reconciling what one has with what one wants. Unlike many of the women we will meet who leave their husbands, turn away from convention, or regret their lifelong devotion to society’s norms, the free spirit of Ellida eventually chooses to remain with her kind and honest husband, Dr. Wangel.

You are greeted at the Wangel residence with streaming rays of sun and the warm air of summer. You’ve rarely visited in the past: There isn’t much to do here in this small town but admire the flowers that dot the hills.

“We are so glad you’ve come!” Dr. Wangel greets you, welcoming and earnest as always. “Ellida (played by company dancer Connie Flachs) has really been in a terrible state as of late. I hope an old friend can bring my wife back to high spirits. She’ll be right along, she’s just nearly finished her daily bathing.”

Sure enough, a few minutes pass and Ellida wanders up the hill, her hair drying in the breeze, still damp from her ritual swim in the inlet.

You’ve always been a bit jealous of Ellida. Most call her strange, wild even, especially in this provincial area. Yet, you envy the aura of mystery she carries with her and her freedom of spirit.

“Ellida, my dear. It’s lovely to see you, and on such a beautiful day!”

“Lovely. Nothing has seemed lovely to me for a while now.” Her eyes drift over the garden gate, out to the ocean.

You’re a bit taken aback, but the Doctor had warned you she’d been suffering as of late.

“What has been bothering you?” You ask tentatively.

“I am tormented. Oh, my dear friend, it’s terrible! There is so little to keep me busy here in this stifling town. I long for the sea and for that strange, American sailor (played by company dancer Matt Wenckowski) I met long ago. Do you remember how I spoke of him? I told you of our romance right after it occurred. A passion like I had never know, flowing and crashing like the waves of the ocean.”

“But why does it torment you so? I see it as romantic, the young love of two free spirits-”

“You do not understand.” Ellida says, standing and pacing the garden restlessly. “I have no desire to think of this man. I want him out of my mind. I have a wonderful, devoted husband here and duties to his girls. But the obsession infests me, worms its way inside not just my brain but my body.”

“What can you possibly mean by that? Ellida, you’ve always been known to speak of things more intensely than most, but no memory can alter one’s physical being!”

“My son. My son that I lost so quickly. The son of Dr. Wangel and myself. He had… He had…” She swallows hard, composing herself. “He had the stranger’s eyes.”

You feel any envy of Ellida’s mystique receding, leaving with the tide. Instead, a true picture of her torment emerges, just like the boat cutting through the fog on the horizon.

“It’s him!” Ellida screams, noticing the boat. “The sailor is on that ship, I’m sure of it.”

“What—what will you do?” You ask, at a loss.

“I must speak to Dr. Wangel at once. I must talk with the stranger free from any obligations. I know I want to stay here. All of my logic tells me I should. Staying is convenient, sensible, right. But my body has a terrible attraction towards the sea… And I cannot choose freely between the two if I am anchored still to the doctor.”

She exits in a frenzy. You are left to sit with your own struggle between reason and feeling. Because of course, Ellida is mad. That sailor could not have given his eyes to her son. And she would be crazy to throw away the security of her life on this island to be with a man she knows only from memory. But, more deeply, below the logical rationalizing of your brain, you feel how she yearns for freedom to speak with this stranger. Ellida, when you were close to her in your youth, was never one to avoid the ocean on the days when the water was choppy. She would test the water for herself. Here, in her safe, secure life, she has been landlocked. The Doctor must unmoor her if he can ever hope for her to float back to choose a life on dry land.

For tickets to Extremely Close, call 616.454.4771 x10 or tap or click here.

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Meet Mrs. Alving from Val Caniparoli’s Ibsen’s House

grand rapids ballet extremely close michigan
grand rapids ballet extremely close michigan

Alexandra Meister-Upleger as Mrs. Alving in Val Caniparoli’s Ibsen’s House; photo by James Sofranko

By company dancer Connie Flachs

We continue our series of introductions to the famously strong female characters of playwright Henrik Ibsen that appear in Val Caniparoli’s Ibsen’s House in Extremely Close April 12-14 at Peter Martin Wege Theatre.

Next, we meet Mrs. Helen Alving from the 1881 three-act play Ghosts which premiered in Chicago, Illinois.

Like many of Ibsen’s plays, Ghosts was the subject of great controversy, especially because of its inclusion of sensitive topics including religion, venereal disease, and infidelity. While Nora in A Doll’s House deals with breaking the standing moral code, Ghosts illuminates the tragic consequences of conforming.

You’ve journeyed a long way out of town to call upon Mrs. Alving (played by company dancer Alexandra Meister-Upleger), and nothing about her home lends a sense of ease after your extended travels. There is a chill in the air and the cold rain soaks through your overcoat as you hurry down the path to the front door.

You’re welcomed in by Regina—the young maid Mrs. Alving has always treated as a member of her own family. As you warm your hands by the fire, Mrs. Alving arrives, her image wearier than your memory of her: The lines around her mouth are deeply creased and a droop interferes with the proud posture of her youth. She is the portrait of a woman who has spent years holding herself together.

She places a book in your hand: It is not a text you would ever be caught reading.

“I admire your curiosity and thirst for information, Mrs. Alving, but really, I couldn’t possibly read a piece of literature that deals with—”

“Now, I know that Pastor Manders would never approve,” she interjects, “But I’ve found all sorts of information in this tome that I resonate with…”

She carries on talking about the radical novel, but you find yourself distracted by the smile dancing on her lips as she refers to Pastor Manders. It was rumored they were quite fond of each other and that she fled to him for refuge from her tumultuous marriage to the Captain, who is now deceased. But prior to his death, their son, Oswald (played by company dancer Isaac Aoki), was born and she and the Captain moved out here and the rumors were quelled.

“Oh! Oswald is doing beautifully!” She proclaims with a positivity that seems out of place in this dreary estate. “You should see the latest painting he’s been working on; it’s just wonder—”

She seems to have lost her voice, as well as her cheery air; Oswald is an artist who is now suffering due to the sins of his father.

“I have to tell you,” she whispers hoarsely. “All is not well. Oswald is contaminated. He’s been so tired, listless, since he’s returned home from abroad. He can’t work on his art. His joy for life has been infected. His doctor told him there is no chance of recovery. I tried so hard to save him, to keep him away from the influence of his degenerate father. I spent my life covering up my husbands’ infidelities and loose affairs. I had heard the talk of—was Nora her name?—the vile rumors about that woman who left her family. People would have spoken of me that way! I had to maintain order, uphold the law of my marriage, protect my son and our family’s reputation.”

“You chose nobility,” you offer, attempting to assuage her obvious distress.

“I chose cowardice,” Mrs. Alving refutes. “And for what? Devotion to duty did not result in devotion from my Captain.  Now, Oswald has the sickness.  This is my last chance to be brave.  I must choose whether to hold my son to the duty of life or to help him towards freedom.”

A silence falls between the two of you. Is she hinting at the unspeakable?  You’re not quite sure you understand her. You don’t know what to say.

“And now, I must ask you to take your leave. Regina will escort you back to town. Oswald, come say goodbye to our guest!”

Regina and Oswald appear at the staircase. For a moment, standing in the gloomy shadows of the hallway, their resemblance is striking. Regina steps out of the darkness with your jacket; she seems eager for you to leave.

“Goodbye Mrs. Alving, Oswald,” you nod to the mother and son who stand on the stoop, waving to you. You take one last look at the eerie estate, and when you turn back for a final wave the two have vanished.

For tickets to Extremely Close, call 616.454.4771 x10 or tap or click here.

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Meet Nora Helmer from Val Caniparoli’s Ibsen’s House

extremely close grand rapids ballet michigan

Yuka Oba in rehearsal as Nora Helmer in Val Caniparoli’s Ibsen’s House; photo by James Sofranko

By company dancer Connie Flachs

Now that we’ve met the author, Henrik Ibsen, let’s meet his famously strong female characters that appear in Val Caniparoli’s Ibsen’s House in Extremely Close April 12-14 at Peter Martin Wege Theatre.

First up is Nora Helmer (played by company dancer Yuka Oba) from his 1879 three-act play, A Doll’s House, which premiered at the Royal Theatre in Copenhagen, Denmark on December 21.

The play is significant for the way it deals with the fate of a married woman, who at the time in Norway lacked reasonable opportunities for self-fulfillment in a male-dominated world. It aroused a great sensation at the time, and caused a “storm of outraged controversy” that went beyond the theater to the world newspapers and society.[Wikipedia]

Nora invites you into her immaculate sitting room, not too expensively furnished, but neat and orderly. She appears on first glance as the ideal nineteenth-century wife: dainty and saccharine-sweet like the macaroons she offers you. However, as you chat longer, you notice something is amiss. The doll-like existence she lives doesn’t fully suit her; her husband, Torvald (played by company dancer Nathan Young), treats her delicately, as though she is a child, without any agency. He draws attention repeatedly to her beauty and talks endlessly about their happiness. Stealing bites of macaroon as he looks away seems to be the only way she exercises her own power.

As her husband leaves the room, Nora leans in closely in confidence. Her previous smiles have vanished and a fire burns behind her eyes. She confesses she has recently taken out a secret loan to help pay for her husband’s medical treatment. At this point in history, women can’t partake in such financial endeavors so she cunningly forged a signature and she’s dealing with the fallout of it: blackmail.

“Something glorious is about to happen,” she whispers. Her husband is about to learn she has been performing “tricks” with other men in an attempt to pay off the debt ensued for his health. She believes he will sacrifice his reputation to protect her. You nod slowly, not wanting to mar her optimism, but leave with a queasy feeling about the matter.

No word comes from Nora over the next few weeks until a neighbor asks if you’ve heard of the Helmer’s scandal. “She just left,” your gossiping neighbor whisper-yells. “Walked out on him and the children. Can you even begin to fathom….?”

But you can. You have seen the fire in her eyes, you know of her defiance. Her husband failed her expectations, sacrificing his devotion and integrity to the woman he has married for the public theater of happiness and dignity. She was done playing the role of the doll. As the scene ends with the slam of a door, you wonder if you will see her again, free in the wild world outside the doll’s house.

For tickets to Extremely Close, call 616.454.4771 x10 or tap or click here.

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A Closer Look at Wild Sweet Love

wild sweet love michigan ballet grand rapids balletYuka Oba in George Balanchine’s Allegro Brilliante, photo by Isaac Aoki
wild sweet love michigan ballet grand rapids ballet

Yuka Oba in George Balanchine’s Allegro Brilliante, photo by Isaac Aoki

A Closer Look at Wild Sweet Love

by Jade Butler

For his inaugural Grand Rapids Ballet rep (short for repertory: a production in which a company presents several different works in one show), new artistic director James Sofranko thoughtfully selected vastly different masterpieces. Three will be Grand Rapids premieres: Allegro Brilliante by modern master George Balanchine; Ghost Light by our choreographer-in-residence and Princess Grace Award winner, Penny Saunders; and Wild Sweet Love by internationally acclaimed choreographer Trey McIntrye; and a fourth will be a world premiere work choreographed by Sofranko himself. This tour de force is a fantastic way to showcase our versatile, multi-faceted dancers and to open our exciting new season with fresh perspective.

Allegro Brilliante

Allegro Brilliante is a classic “lights and tights” ballet centered around a principal couple, supported by four corps couples. The ballet is set to Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No.3 (listen to it here), originally created from a unique composition intended to be part of Tchaikovsky’s 6th symphony. Choreographed in 1956, Allegro Brilliante is still performed regularly by New York City Ballet and other ballet companies worldwide. The demanding choreography paired with a quick tempo is a classic Balanchine trademark everyone has come to love. You can truly “see the music [and] hear the dance” with this brilliant work; it is a thrilling and delightful addition to this diverse mixed bill.

Ghost Light

Penny Saunders’ Ghost Light is an alluringly haunting work inspired by the singular light that is often left on stage when unoccupied. Popular superstition holds that it is put out to appease any possible cohabiting spirits in the theater, hence the term “ghost light.” Similar notions are the light provide opportunities for ghosts in the theater to perform onstage. The ghost light in this work magically draws the dancers out of the shadows with masterful light design by Scott Bolman. This is the fifth work by Saunders to be added to our repertoire.

Wild Sweet Love

Trey McIntrye‘s Wild Sweet Love is set to hit songs by popular artists such as Queen, Lou Reed, The Partridge Family, and Roberta Flack, with Mendelssohn’s Wedding March thrown in for good measure. Originally created at Sacramento Ballet in 2007, Grand Rapids Ballet is the third company to add Wild Sweet Love into its repertoire. Delightfully quirky and athletic, Wild Sweet Love measures up to be just as brilliant as Allegro Brilliante and just as captivating as Ghost Light.

“Like Balanchine, McIntyre builds an excitingly modern dance upon a very classic foundation. Wild Sweet Love is both wild and sweet. And very, very good.”

—The Sacramento Bee

Get Your Tickets!

This is the perfect show to kick-off our exciting new 2018-19 season—the first under the artistic direction of James Sofranko. It has something for everyone and will showcase your favorite dancers (and introduce you to some new ones, too).

Single tickets don’t go on sale to the public on Monday, June 18 (mark your calendars), but you can purchase season subscriptions now. To do so, call our box office manager, Kelly, at 616.454.4771, x10, email her, or visit our website today.

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MOVEMEDIA: Diversity I—Meet the Choreographers

Diversity Grand Rapids Ballet Michigan

MOVEMEDIA: Diversity I

February 9-11, 2018  |  Peter Martin Wege Theatre

Diversity is a hot topic right now—and for very good reasons. As the world becomes more inclusive, it’s important that these changes are reflected and celebrated by the arts and culture around us.

That’s why the next two installments of our contemporary dance series, MOVEMEDIA, will focus on the topic of diversity in its many different forms and interpretations.

The brainchild of creative director, Michael Auer, MOVEMEDIA: Diversity brings together choreographers from all over the globe and from every facet of society to create very personal world-premiere works on the issues of diversity which speak to them most. Hear more from Michael below, along with company dancers Yuka Oba and Ednis Gomez, on why the time was right to tackle this topic through the beauty of dance.  Thank you, Feel Like You Belong, for the video.

“We felt that the time was right to address the issue of diversity. We wanted to provide a platform for choreographers to express their view of what diversity means to them.”  —Michael Auer, Grand Rapids Ballet Creative Director

The first installment of MOVEMEDIA: Diversity will take place February 9-11 and Peter Martin Wege Theatre. This show will include three individual pieces in one spectacular performance. Let’s meet the choreographers and learn a little more about their works.

JENNIFER ARCHIBALD

Diversity Grand Rapids Ballet Michigan

Jennifer is the founder and Artistic Director of the Arch Dance Company and Program Director of ArchCore40 Dance Intensives.  She is a graduate of The Alvin Ailey School and the Maggie Flanigan Acting Conservatory where she studied the Meisner Technique.   Archibald has choreographed for the Atlanta Ballet, Ailey II, Cincinnati Ballet, Ballet Memphis, Kansas City Ballet, Tulsa Ballet II, Ballet Nashville; and worked commercially for Tommy Hilfiger, NIKE and MAC Cosmetics as well as chart-listed singers and actors. She was recently appointed as the first female Resident Choreographer in Cincinnati Ballet’s 40-year history. In 2018, she will be creating new works for Cincinnati Ballet, Tulsa Ballet, Grand Rapids Ballet, Amy Seiwert’s Imagery, Ballet Nashville and Stockholm’s Balletakademien next season.

Archibald’s works have been performed at venues including New York’s City Center, Lincoln Center, The Kennedy Center, Aaron Davis Hall, Jacob’s Pillow Inside|Out Stage and Central Park’s Summerstage Mainstage. Jennifer was awarded a Choreographic Fellow for Ailey’s New Directions Choreography Labunder the direction of Robert Battle.  She is 2015′s Choreographic Winnings recipient by the Joffrey Ballet. She also choreographed “Seven”, a biographical work about Olympian Jackie Joyner-Kersee, commissioned by St. Louis based MADCODance Company.  Her new work “Delilah” is currently touring Scandinavia. Arch Dance Company’s “Chasing Shadows” will be remounted for Dallas Black Dance Theater for their 2018/19 season. Jennifer is currently an Acting Lecturer at the Yale School of Drama.

In 2015, she was appointed as Guest Faculty Lecturer to develop the Hip Hop dance curriculum at Columbia/Barnard College. Jennifer is also a guest artist at several universities including Fordham/Ailey, Purchase College, Princeton, Virginia Commonwealth University, University of South Florida, Goucher College, Columbia College Chicago, and Bates College. In 2017, she premiered new works for Miami New World School of the Arts, South Carolina’s Governor’s School of the Arts, Ailey Fordham, Boston Conservatory, and Point Park. Internationally, she has taught master classes in Brazil, Bermuda, Canada, Italy, Slovenia, Sweden, France, Russia, Mexico, China, and Ecuador.

Her piece is entitled Vapor and in her own words:

Each of us interprets and negotiates the world around us through the lens of our own identity, culture, and experience. Today’s diversity should speak to individuality, for it is the individual that makes up the grassroots foundation of a society. People should be encouraged to recognize, explore, and cultivate their individual qualities. This work is designed to process a greater sense of self-awareness needed to succeed in our diverse and complex society; cultivating movement that explores on-going physical negotiation amongst the dancers. We must train ourselves in acceptance every day. Through acceptance the dancers will open up an infinite inner space. I like to enter the rehearsal space guided by the words of Nelson Mandela: ‘It is for us to adapt our understanding of a common humanity; to learn of the richness of how human life is diverse; to recognize the presence of disability in our human midst as an enrichment of our diversity.’

Jennifer working in the studio with dancers (from left to right) Isaac Aoki, Mari Beer, Ednis Gomez, and Claire Ashcraft.

NORBERT DE LA CRUZ III

Diversity Grand Rapids Ballet

Born in the Philippines, Norbert is a NYC and LA-based freelance contemporary dance choreographer and educator.  Since receiving his BFA from the Juilliard School in 2010, he has been commissioned by Aspen Santa Fe Ballet, Tulsa Ballet II, Barak Ballet, Hubbard Street II, James Sewell Ballet, Attack Theatre, Ballet X, and Grand Rapids Ballet.  De La Cruz has been awarded fellowships from the Jerome Robbins NEW foundation, the Princess Grace Awards – USA, The Jerome Foundation, The Wolf Trap Foundation, and the Commissioning Choreographers Campaign.  

He has been selected for professional development programs such as the NY Choreographic institute (an affiliate of the NYCB), the National Choreographers Initiative (Irvine, CA), Hubbard Street’s National Choreographic Competition (Chicago), Joffrey Academy of Dance Winning Works (Chicago), Alvin Ailey New Directions Choreography Lab (NY).

His work has been presented by the Joyce Theatre (NY), Wolf Trap (VA), Ailey CitiGroup Theatre (NY), Martha Knoebel Dance Theatre (CA), Peter Jay Sharp Theatre (NY), Blanch Touhill Performing Arts Center (MO), Aspen District Theatre (CO), Lensic Performing Arts Center (NM), Wallis Annenberg (CA), Kelly Strayhorn Theatre (PA), the Broadway Playhouse (IL), Irvine Barclay Theatre (CA), and McCallum Theatre (CA). In teaching and choreography, his credentials include The Juilliard School Summer, Ailey/Fordham University, Princeton University Ballet, University of Hartford Dance Division, The University of Richmond Department of Theatre and Dance, SUNY Purchase Conservatory of Dance, Marymount Manhattan College, NJ Performing Arts Center, Los Angeles County High School for the Arts, Ramon C. Cortines Visual and Performing Arts High School, Windward School for the Arts, Westside Dance Project, Hawkins School for the Arts, Charles Maple Youth Conservatory, and No.OneArthouse. He conducts seasonal workshops and projects in both New York City and Los Angeles. 

Additional honorable mentions include the Asian Arts Alliance Jadin Wong Award, McCallum Theatre Choreography Festival, and Dance Magazines Top 25 to watch in 2016.  Working as a freelancer, Norbert is currently pursuing his MFA in dance at Hollins University Graduate Program. 

Norbert’s work is entitled The Return of Balance:

In this piece, I want to explore diversity by destabilizing the relational aspects of heteronormative pairings. Set to a cinematic, ambient, and emotionally charged score, the energy and content of the dance is a result of a collective creative studio process. I hope to interrogate the arising tensions of our relationships, its proximity effects, and the balance and/or symmetry that is desired and physicalized between those bodies. The 14-minute contemporary work hopes to reflect on heteronormative codes.

Norbert has videos of his piece on Instagram you can check out here.

LOUGHLAN PRIOR

Diversity Grand Rapids Ballet Michigan

Loughlan is an Aussie/Kiwi choreographer and performer based in New Zealand’s capital city, Wellington. He is the choreographer in residence at the Royal New Zealand Ballet, and the creative director of Prior Visual, a project based  film collective.

A graduate of the New Zealand School of Dance, his choreographic work began as early as his first school years where he received the Warrandyte Youth Arts Award. He joined the Royal New Zealand Ballet in 2010, and in 2015 was awarded the prestigious Harry Haythorne Choreographic Award by the Ballet Foundation of New Zealand.

In 2016 Loughlan received the Tup Lang Choreographic Award from Creative New Zealand for his work as a unique artistic voice and was made choreographer in residence in 2018, under the directorship of Patricia Barker. He is invested in producing theatre, film and multi-media projects with his work currently receiving premieres in New Zealand, Canada, Denmark, Hong Kong and the United States.

His ballets have been described by the New Zealand Herald as ‘dance that uses extreme geometries, innovative partnering, elegance and refinement’. His works for the Royal New Zealand Ballet include Diminished Illusions, EVE, The Long and the Short of it, LARK, Ideale and Between-Us. In 2018 he created a short film for the Royal New Zealand Ballet and Te Papa (New Zealand’s National Museum) to launch the new National Gallery Toi Art Collection.

Prior maintains a strong bond with the New Zealand School of Dance where he has been invited to create three works for student casts – Verse, FirstLight and Curious Alchemy. FirstLight made it’s premiere in 2014 at the closing gala of the Asian Grand Prix in Hong Kong, while Curious Alchemy premiered in 2017 at Toronto’s Assemblée Internationale, and later at the School’s 50th Anniversary Celebration programme.

Loughlan’s piece is entitled They/Them and explores the topic of gender neutrality:

Gender expression and the debate to use gender neutral language is an ongoing and multilayered issue. Our social landscape, as it has developed over thousands of years, is fixated on binary paradigms and exists under an outdated ideology. Tradition dictates the portrayal of gender and gender identity in ballet dancers as almost always exclusive to male and female partnerships and strict gender-specific roles. This work aims to present gender identity as a fluid construct highlighting the importance of the individual as a neutral entity undefined by gender or physical form. Are traditional gender constructs holding us back, and would adopting a gender fluid, non-binary ideology help to decrease trans issues and gender inequality? Are we more than the sum of our parts? 

Diversity Grand Rapids Ballet Michigan

Gender neutral costumes for They/Them by William Fitzgerald. From left to right: Cassidy Isaacson, Mari Beer, Sidney Scully, Matt Wenckowski, Nigel Tau, Isaac Aoki, Yuka Oba, and Ednis Gomez.

“I want them to walk away with something. A thought, an emotion, a topic–and I want to have choreographers rethink what it is that they’re creating. I want the audience to be touched somehow.” —Michael Auer, Grand Rapids Ballet Creative Director

This will be a thought-provoking show that will have you talking for days. Be a part of the discussion and get your tickets today! Call 616.454.4771 x17 and speak to Kelly our box office manager or visit grballet.com/diversity.

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