Cincinnati Béallet World Premier: The Sammy Project

Choreographer: Darrell Grand Moultrie

May 7 – 8  Aronoff

As I have done in the past, I attended a rehearsal for the Cincinnati Ballet’s upcoming production. I arrived at the Central Parkway location about 10 minutes early and sat in the lobby listening to the music for the production of In The Upper Room, which is choreographed by Twyla Tharp and set to music by Philip Glass. At around ten minutes until the hour, I walked upstairs to watch from the balcony. I do not think that I was up there for any more than 3 minutes when Darrell saw me and motioned that he was coming upstairs. When he came up, I extended my hand which was met with a hug. I was told that he was a really gracious person and this was a wonderful first impression. I was already really impressed that he took the time to come upstairs and excited that I was then invited to then come downstairs to watch from the floor. Front and center to watch my favorite dancers!

Before, during and after the rehearsal, Darrell explained the thought process and what was going on through out and how it will look during the actual performances. Unfortunately, duty calls and I have passengers to get in and out of New York City where Mr. Moultrie came in from, but I got a great vision of what I will be missing.

With songs like “ The Candy Man“, “Lady Is The Tramp” and “For Once In My Life”, the quirky and fun personality of Sammy Davis Jr. is beautifully remembered. Broadway, television and film star, singer and dancer, Mr. Sammy Davis Jr. was an artist to be admired. Enter Mr. Marshall L. Davis, Jr. (not related).

Marshall L Davis Jr. Dance Solo

Marshall, who came to Cincinnati with Darrell from New York City, dances with Dawn Kelly in a duet as well as in an almost solo (part viewable in the link above) showcasing his tap dancing as a tribute to the late Sammy Davis Jr.. Amazingly enough, I was just looking up some video on Youtube and found one that has Sammy Davis Jr. tap dancing while singing about the fact that no one tap dances anymore because it’s all about the choreography! So, do you think he would be pleased that a choreographer has staged a production around him with someone in it who is indeed tap dancing?

Watching the dancers yesterday reminds me that they are not only amazing artists but strong athletes. If you do not believe me, you have even more of a reason to come this weekend. This type of modern ballet is more than arabesque and pliés. I could actually see in front of me the pilates moves I so wish I was in shape enough to do. On stage, they are professional and trained making it look effortless. Off stage, you see the breathing of someone who just worked really hard. I am not saying that productions like the Nutcracker are not physically demanding as well although more systematic and controlled. Not only this but they are incredible actors.

I enjoyed watching the mix of serious detail and thought mixed with bits of improv and “freaking out” showing the fun side of the man of honor. Solo’s mixed with partners, groups of dancers intertwining together, The Sammy Project is sure to be well worth the trip. I thank the dancers and Mr. Moultrie for allowing me to have this opportunity. Have fun, break a leg and make Mr. Davis, Jr. proud!

Dear Cincinnati Ballet,

Things change and people change. Although my love for the ballet and for my dancing friends has not faltered, it seems that we have gone our separate ways. It’s a shame that after only one month of different schedules things have turned out the way they have though. I wish you all the best you deserve.

Thank you for the friendships that I made and good luck in all you do. Your dancers are amazing people and athletes, both graceful and strong in spirit and body and will do wonderfully in anything they want to do. Don’t forget this.

I thank Terry for an amazing opportunity to meet these people and write for the ballet as much as I could. Hopefully, I was able to touch someones life and spread the word of this art to many people. Thank you!

To the dancers that befriended me, your strength, courage and beauty are noticed both on the floor and off and I miss you all. Our lives are so totally different and I lived part of mine vicariously through you, something I am so grateful for. Anything you want to do is possible. Keep up the good work and enjoy life!

Sincerely,

Christina at Will Fly For Food Blog

Hello World. I am so excited to say that I let my paranoia get the best of me. A simple misunderstanding that was easily corrected and unfortunately the work of evil computers. Gotta love em when they work. I went to a rehearsal today and loved every minute of it!

It’s a been a while since I have been able to let you know what’s going on with the Cincinnati Ballet, at least here on the blog, since I have gone back to work at the airline life has been crazy.

As the ballet prepares for the last show of the season showcasing another emerging choreographer, this last show of the season is guaranteed to be a treat.

The Sammy Project runs  Friday May 7th through Saturday the 8th with performance at 8:00pm each night and a matinee on Saturday the 8th at 2:00pm.

The Sammy Project, choreographed by Twyla Tharp and Darrell Grand Moultrie, begins the night with ~Simply Sammy.

Photo by Ben Sisto

*Moultrie’s world premiere The Sammy Project! is set to the music of long-time favorite Sammy Davis, Jr. will draw you into the fascinating world of ache and hope that defined the life of this famous entertainer.

Next, you will be pleased to be energized by ~The Upper Room.

*Twyla Tharp’s In the Upper Room, Cincinnati Ballet’s third acquisition from the choreographer, is considered one of her most brilliant works. A combination of explosive dance and athletics, In the Upper Room consistently draws enthusiastic standing ovations. Norma Kamali’s striking costumes of bold stripes, tank tops, sneakers and even red pointe shoes, plus a pulsating score by Philip Glass, propel the work’s intensity to create sheer exuberance in motion.

You can watch video taken during parts of rehearsals set to Sammie Davis Jr’s Candy Man, starring Cervilio Miguel Amador working with Darrell Grand Moultrie at the ballets website.

*words written in blue are from the ballet’s website and were written by Kathy Valin.

2010/11 SEASON:

NEW WORKS
September 9–19, 2010
Cincinnati Ballet Center

SLEEPING BEAUTY
October 22–24, 2010
Cincinnati Music Hall

THE NUTCRACKER, presented by Frisch’s
December 16–26, 2010
The Aronoff Center for the Arts

A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM
February 11–13, 2011
The Aronoff Center for the Arts

FIREBIRD
March 18–19, 2011
The Aronoff Center for the Arts

CINCINNATI BALLET + OVER THE RHINE (Nationally touring band)
April 29–30, 2011
The Aronoff Center for the Arts

To all of my friends at the ballet, I hope that the past weekend went well. I unfortunately was sent to Toronto and am writing you from Buffalo, New York. I missed this months performance of Mozart’s Requiem and you know how excited I was to see it. I am very thankful that I at least got to see a rehearsal and then again was able to attend Ballet and Beer.

What I really missed was the set. I was looking forward to seeing the design that Marion Williams and Adam Hougland came up with. From the drawings that I did get to see, it looked amazing.

Were you able to attend last weekends production of Mozart’s Requiem? Please let me know what you thought and anything that I can pass along. I am forced to live through you this time so don’t let me down. The downfalls of going back to work but it had to be done.

Yesterday, I was finally able to get back to watch a  rehearsal of the Cincinnati Ballet. The visit was not like usual though. New to the Cincinnati Ballet as resident choreographer Adam Hougland and I had the pleasure of finally meeting him. After attending Ballet and Beer tonight (Thursday March 18th,2010), I discovered that Adam is not completely new to the Cincinnati Ballet, having choreographed other New Works pieces. He is new as a resident choreographer. Welcome!

When I first entered the upstairs portion of the theater like rehearsal room, I was cheerfully greeted by others there to see the rehearsal. The one person that I did not recognize was Mr. David Herriman, who is one of the sponsors of the choreography for Mozart’s Requiem. Without hesitation, he reached out to shake my hand and then we were ready to watch the rehearsal.

While Adam placed the dancers in lines to begin, which at this point is a full rehearsal and not individual scenes like I’ve watched in the past, Devon Carney used red tape to mark spots on the floor. Although I knew what he was doing and why, it wasn’t until later that I saw just how important the markings were. As usual, some of the dancers were more excited than others which just shows me that it really is just like any other job.

What I didn’t expect to see were all of the dancers simply sitting in folding chairs in a row as if they were watching me. If only they were looking up. Then the music starts and slowly they come to life. The ballet ends the same way except for the fact that they are sitting on suitcases, not chairs. What does this mean? I’ll tell you that on March 26th.

One of the first scenes  danced by Sarah Hairston and Selahattin Erkan Zack Grubbs (sorry Zack), is a very dark, almost strange part. I cannot honestly tell you what is going on just yet but I can feel Sarah’s  anger and despair through her dancing. The emotion in her movements and facial expressions is gripping and real.The rest of the first act continues in this way although I am not sure quite as intense. Still, it is beautiful and honest in it’s own way.

Each year, the ballet’s spring season brings the more contemporary pieces to life. It’s a different side of the ballet world where the dancers can have fun and the public can see the pure strength and depth of these professional dancers. It shows the raw athleticism; power of a gymnast with grace and flexibility only a true artist can possess.

In another scene, Kristi Capps dances a part that showed me the unbelievable amount of trust that the dancers have in each other. Part of hers is a solo dance and part relies on some of the male dancers who lift her into the air while she twist her body as if moving through the sea. I later learned it’s actually called the Dolphin Lift. Go figure.

During a short break, I had the opportunity to speak with Victoria Morgan and Mr.  Herriman, who called the first act “Very Intense”. Such a kind man to interact with, he seemed genuinely impressed and  excited by what we had just witnessed to which I must agree. Victoria, who is the Artistic Director & CEO of the ballet, first introduced Mr. Herriman to Adam and the dancers. Of course we all applauded him for his generosity. Then, she introduced me as the one who blogs for them and gets the word out, to which they all greatly applauded as well. I was shocked to say the least and have to wonder what shade of red my face turned. I cannot thank this group enough for the joy that they have brought to my life.

While the first act is dark  and really deep with the intensity of the music from Mozart’s Requiem, showing different lives and the inevitable fear of going into the unknown, the second act is lighter with an idea of hope. Even the stage will turn from dark to light. Mozart’s music has a more luminescent playful feel to it as well. The stage props are turned upside down to signify change. Or, is it right side up?

Adam choreographs more typical ballet moves into the second act although the arms remain more stiff than you would usually see in a ballet.  Mr. Hougland tells me that the reason behind the dancer’s arm positions is to show the “tension and anticipation of the emotional journey”.

The end of the performance leaves us no longer discouraged and pained by the unknown as the dancers portray a light at the end of the tunnel with Adam Hougland at the helm. Nice job.

When I asked Adam what his inspiration was, he told me that he would picture different things that reminded him of certain dancers that he has come to know so well. There is a more indepth interview with Mr. Hougland on the Ballet’s website, cballet.org. This years New Works production Mozart’s Requiem is a ballet like nothing I have ever seen before. There is no Princess or her fairy godmother, no parties for the Prince and certainly no dolls. Pure inspiration that came from a talented choreographer based on music written by one our most famous musical geniuses.

I cannot wait until opening night [March 26th 8:00pm] to see if the performance once put together feels the same as the rehearsal, naked and unadorned by backdrop yet never lacking in passion.

Cincinnati Ballet’s World Premier of

Mozart’s Requiem

March 26th, 27th, 2010

Mozart’s Requiem (Requiem Mass in D Minor) was composed during the last year of his life. His last compositions is also considered one of his most respected and well known, including not only orchestra but vocal in form of choir and vocal soloist.

The choir, Xavier University Concert Choir.

The soloists,  Lisa Ericksen (soprano soloist), Maria Ventura (alto soloist), Cameo Humes (tenor soloist), Thomas W. Sherwood (bass soloist).

Now, who is choreographing such a great undertaking of a master’s work? Resident choreographer, Adam Hougland of course.

Mr. Hougland, who graduated from The Julliard School and went on to dance with The Limon Dance Company, Toronto Dance Theatre, The Lar Lubvitch Dance Company before starting his career as a choreographer.

Adam quotes the Requiem score as having a “dark, mysterious, song bird quality” that he “fell in love with” after listening to it. One of the dancers tells me that she is excited to be dancing in this ballet even with the dark theme. I wasn’t sure what made it dark until I watched the video on the ballet’s website, where Adam says the ballet is “…as much about death as it is making the most out of the moments you have here on Earth”.

Sounds beautiful to me.

The stage, which has been collaborated with Marion Williams, costume and scenic designer based in New York working in theatre, opera and dance, is modern and unique to anything that I have ever seen in the ballet world. Ms. Williams has worked with Adam Hougland four times in Louisville and he says that he worked well with her on this ballet as well. Pictures of the stage show scaffolding and models of people and chairs, which may explain the use of suitcases during rehearsals. Mr. Hougland describes the ballet as different scenes in different lives that may not make sense at first yet mesh well at the end.

If you really think about it, aren’t all of our lives intertwined in some way. I meet people everyday that through some other person or place or thing, have something in common with myself.

Luckily, I only have two weeks left to wait and see what appears to be an amazing opportunity to see such a well known choreographer come to our Cincinnati Ballet.

Ballet & Beer Thursday March 18th at 5:00pm

Performances,  March 26th and 27th 8:00 pm

March 27th 2:00 pm matinee

Perhaps you’ve thought about the ballet or may be you even enjoy a show once or twice. What’s holding you back?  How much do you know about our ballet and the dancers?

There are so many ways to get involved with the Cincinnati Ballet!

I’ve already told you about Ballet and Beer (I think the spots fill up as soon as registration opens), and you can easily find the dates for the upcoming production by visiting this site or cballet.org. And yet there’s more!

When the upcoming season is starting, be sure to purchase that season’s subscription. Or, show your support by  donating* to the Cincinnati Ballet allowing not only the beautiful art of ballet to continue but the educational outreach programs that are run enriching this great city even more.                   (*See site for donation amounts and benefits)

After each evening’s performance the Cincinnati ballet holds a party just for subscribers. Except for  New Works, after party’s will be held at the Aronoff. Enjoy hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar while mingling the dancers and getting to know them personally.

The new 2010/2011 season will be announced on March 14th. One great new addition to the season, which was announced first by Victoria Morgan during opening night for Cinderella, is a performance of Sleeping Beauty danced with the Cincinnati Symphony at Music Hall October 22-24!

Don’t miss out on your subscription and all it’s benefits!

Tonight I had the pleasure of seeing the Cincinnati Ballet’s production of Cinderella, made that much more intense by the privilege of having the live orchestra thanks to patron’s support.

The rich velvet curtain opened to a scene of Cinderella scrubbing the floor, the step-mother and the father working at a spinning wheel while the wicked step-sisters, danced gloriously by two of the ballet’s male dancers, embroidering a silk scarf. A comedic fight breaks loose over the scarf that is eventually torn in half by the step-mother to make both girls happy.

Tonight, the lead role of Cinderella was danced by Janessa Touchet. Throughout the entire ballet performance, I was memorized by Ms. Touchet’s hand and arms. While this may sound strange to some, the entire body is used expressively in dance and the arms in ballet most definitely. Janessa played a most exquisites role with her perfected art that has blossomed and embrassed over the years. An amazing confidence as a dancer, a special treat for the rest of us.

The quirky step-mother danced by another favorite, Kelly Yankle, was perfectly cast and held a wonderful balance of protective mother and producer of laughs. Speaking of laughs, the step-sisters, danced by Stephen Jacobson and Selahattin Erkan could have easily stolen the show. What fun they had in these parts! On more than one occasion the audience laughed with glee at the antics these two conspired usually against each other.

The father, danced by Devon Carney, Associate Artistic Director for the Cincinnati Ballet, is the part that I mentioned before I have never had the privilege of seeing. In this version, based off of Charles Perrault’s 19th century tale and using the beautiful music of Sergei Prokofiev, I enjoyed watching the attempts of the father to rescue his daughter from the step-family even though he is too weak in nerve to stand up to this woman he married and her own selfish wicked daughters.

The tale goes on by showing Cinderella’s own good natured heart as she offers to feed what she believes is a beggar, who turns out to be her fairy godmother, danced by the ever so lovely Sarah Hairston.

One of my most favorite parts in any ballet, which was performed in the third act tonight, is when the male role, the Price danced ever so powerfully and convincing by Olgucan Borova, lifts the female through the air with such grace and ease it looks like no work at all. Involving years of practice and technical genius if you ask me, I never fail to have chills run across my arms and the breath escape my lungs.

If you have not made plans to see the ballet this weekend, you must check it out and enjoy this lovely story for yourself.

I just checked out the blog of an acquaintance and was so pleased to see her post about the Cincinnati Ballet’s upcoming performance of Cinderella. Yeah!

I am so excited, I cannot wait until Friday!

Thanks Kate and please check out Kate’s Random Musings for well put words.