Playing a Part

Working on a character role is something that I find incredibly challenging and welcoming at the same time. It produces different obstacles when performing a role. You not only have to execute the steps properly but also understand who your character is and the way that they would perform the choreography. On the other hand, dancing a character role gives you guidance in how the steps should be done because the work is often initiated by the role you are playing. Your direction is truly derived from within.

Dancing the role of the Nurse in Steven McMahon’s Romeo and Juliet was truly a gift. I was given the foundation of who my character was and the choreography by Steven, but was given the freedom to develop her and her relationship with each of the women playing Juliet. It was one of the first times on stage that I really felt like I was performing a character role that I continuously could grow and feed. Being in control of the evolution of my character from the beginning of the ballet to its tragic end created a new experience each time I stepped foot onto the stage.

The role of Cupid in Trey McIntyre’s The Naughty Boy is another character role that I find intriguing. Cupid is a mischievous, somewhat androgynous character who likes to take part in a little friendly meddling in the relationships of four different couples. The character is an interesting duality of both masculine and feminine qualities, not a far cry from my strengths as a dancer. The part is technically very difficult but is made easier with the fact that the style of the choreography and the character coincide with one another. I was fortunate to be involved in the creation of this part when it premiered in 2004 and had the opportunity to perform it here in Memphis and at the Joyce Theater in New York in 2007. I am very excited to have the opportunity to revisit this work at a different point in my life and career. Like all things that we do in dance, character role or not, it is our life experiences as human beings that so strongly define who we are as artists.

Pictured practicing The Little Prince at First Congo during one of Ballet Memphis' Open Rehearsals.