My Experience with Connections:Kids

Joining Ballet Memphis this year as a trainee has given me so many opportunities to learn and grow. I was surprised and gratified to learn that those opportunities don't occur only in the ballet studio. Coming from Chicago, I received something of a crash course in understanding Memphis' neighborhoods, people and social dynamics through Connections:Kids.

I think it's safe to say that all of the members of Connections:Kids cast were a little dubious about traveling to some of Memphis' more unsavory neighborhoods to perform at community centers for inner-city children. We weren't sure how they would react to a group of obviously physically fit, fairly privileged teenagers and young adults telling them how to be healthy and what to eat.

Personally, I worried that the message our program was meant to communicate, about the benefits of proper nutrition and frequent exercise, would be a tough sell. i was worried that the kids wouldn't find anything to identify with in our performance or would be turned off by how different we seemed to be.

However, I was pleasantly surprised from the get-go by how enthusiastic our audiences were. From the start, the kids were fully engaged in our performance. The "oohs" and "aahs" were contagious as they watched Marcelino lift a girl above his head in a full-press lift. The kids were even more amazed by Bryn's multiple fouettes en pointe, and the fact that she wore her nose ring along with her tutu and pointe shoes was a source of amusement as well.

They clamoured to be part of our breakout groups after the show, where we taught them snippets of the choreography we had just performed. They kept coming back for more hugs, and they loved to show us their own dance moves. We even had a group of girls perform a fully formed routine that they had choreographed themselves, complete with counts and vocal accompaniment.

Connections:Kids may have been designed as a teaching tool for kids in underserved Memphis communities, but it taught our dancers something as well. I wasn't the only cast member less than thrilled to drive to neighborhoods in Memphis that prompt the warning "lock your doors and take all of your valuables inside with you." But at every single performance, we were greeted with appreciation and genuine excitement. Regardless of our perceived socioeconomic differences, the kids truly made the effort to connect to us as dancers and to the work we performed.

We had one performance in a center where a child had been shot and killed in the community a few days prior, and our audience was dramatically reduced because most of the children were attending the boy's funeral. Despite the somber circumstances, the center's director went on about how grateful he was that we had brought our art to share with his kids. I couldn't help but gain a little perspective from this experience.

What we do as dancers can't change the realities of everyday life. Many kids in Memphis will be lucky if their families have enough money to buy fresh fruits and vegetables every week, and the only exercise they might get will be in a gym or schoolyard. Some can't afford a ballet lesson, let alone a pair of pointe shoes. I know it sounds corny and maybe even self-congratulatory to say that sometimes the most we can do is inspire them.

But I have to say that with the kids I met during Connections:Kids, the inspiration was a two-way street. They greeted us with open hearts, full of affection, energy and eagerness to learn, and as a performer, you can't ask for a better audience than that.

-- Elizabeth Mensah

My Memphis Story

It's the week of Thanksgiving, and as always, it's a time to reflect on the things in our lives that we may take for granted any other week of the year. This year, I can't help but be grateful that I'm in Memphis. It's been at the front of my mind during my commute to work each morning as I've passed the beautiful trees dressed in the vibrant colors this season has brought. I think it has been an exceptionally lovely autumn and has made me appreciate the beauty of my hometown more than usual.

This city is special to me and I am blessed to call it my home. Not many dancers are as fortunate as I am to have been born in a city with such a fabulous ballet company. When my parents enrolled me at Ballet Memphis (then Memphis Concert Ballet) as a 5-year-old, I'm sure they had no idea that their choice of ballet schools would basically design the course of my life. I loved growing up in the school and all the opportunities that came along with being a Ballet Memphis student. I remember watching and admiring the professional dancers.

As a Junior Company member, I got to dance with the company in many of their mainstage productions. I'm sure had I not loved every second of those experiences, I wouldn't have chosen to become a professional dancer. As a junior at White Station High School, I knew that I wanted to dance professionally, but not just with any company. I wanted to be a part of the company I had grown up adoring. I remember discussing with my parents that I could try it for a year and if it wasn't for me, I could always go to college and choose a different path. That first trial year as a 17-year-old apprentice was followed by six additional years that seemed to fly by.

I spent 2008-2009 with The Trey McIntyre Project, but following that year, I came home to Memphis to heal a shin fracture. After taking a year off from ballet completely, I returned to Ballet Memphis and felt more at home than ever. The two years away from this company, made it so evident to me where my heart wanted to be. I am so deeply connected to this city and this ballet company. I feel that they both have greatly formed important parts of my identity.

Now, as I'm in the middle of my ninth season with the company, I love running into people that I went to high school with or other girls that I grew up with in the Junior Company who have since gone in different directions. Just this morning, while having brunch at Brother Juniper's, I ran into an old friend, reminding me that Memphis is just a very big small town. I love that I have a history here with family and friends. I've always thought it a great privilege to dance for people I know and who know me. With Nutcracker just a couple of weeks away, I'm remembering my Saturday evening show last year, where so many of my friends and family were at the Orpheum to see me perform as the Sugar Plum Fairy. I think I had nearly 70 people in the audience! It was a magical night, but I always feel a bond with our Memphis audience because I've been performing here for so long now.

I am so thankful to call Memphis home. And I'm equally grateful to have found such a wonderful home with Ballet Memphis. What better time to ponder all of this than during Thanksgiving. I hope everyone enjoys the holiday this week and will take a few moments to think about all the wonderful things our city has to offer, especially Ballet Memphis. See you all at Nutcracker.

-- Virginia Pilgrim

Nutcracker in Today's Society

Recently, a large headline in The Commercial Appeal jumped out at me:

NEW RESEARCH FINDS PEACE BREAKING OUT IN THE WORLD

Honestly, how many times has any headline news been so wonderful? It reminded me of one of the reasons why we might see far more dismaying items about humanity than we do hopeful ones. I recently saw a study showing that human beings are more drawn to sorrow than happiness. We look for sadness, or for fear and anger. This may be because for so many thousands of years we had to protect our caves and our grains and our children from marauders of some kind. But, if the trends the research cited in this recent article continue, we may soon find that we are, as a species, choosing hope over cynicism, creativity over destruction, and love over the violence and discord our fears can engender.

I truly believe that when you choose to attend something beautiful, excellent and idealistic, as you do when you buy a Ballet Memphis Nutcracker ticket, you are coming down on the side of peace, hope and optimism. If there ever was a story that celebrates the capacity of our innocent childlike nature to triumph, to imagine a beautiful world where dreams come true, it is in this ballet. The world of giving, of sharing, starts at the beginning of the story when Clara is given her party dress, and it goes on until the curtain descends. A lovely party is given for friends and family. Gifts are passed out to all the children. A fallen rose is passed on to a shy teenage girl. Gingerbread cookies are available to each departing guest. And when the Nutcracker is broken, he is given care by Herr Drosselmeyer's bandaging him, and of course, by even more of Clara's love.

And when Clara is given a struggle to overcome in the Battle Scene, she does so, and then journeys to a more perfect world, where all await to dance their particular culture’s dance in gratitude for the young child’s bravery, and celebrating her affection for her Nutcracker. Weapons have been cast aside in favor of dancing, frankly. If that isn’t looking forward to better, more peaceful times, what is?

In this wonderful time of the year when many people of many faiths gather their loved ones together, Ballet Memphis is honored that you chose our Nutcracker as a place to experience these moments of hope, of peace, of delight, of real human beauty. We would love for you to gather with us elsewhere as well, in the rest of our professional company’s performances this season, in our nurturing Ballet Memphis School and our excellent STOTT PILATES® classes, in support of our reach into the community with our Stax mentoring, Youth Villages work, Dance Avenue programs in the public schools, and our childhood obesity dance program with community centers.

When you leave this theatre, we hope you will return throughout the year to the feelings you brought here and left with, when you stopped to choose what is hopeful about human beings giving joyfully to one another, so that the peace of this season will continue to grow and spread in our lives and throughout the world.

-- Dorothy Gunther Pugh

Nutcracker: Through the Years

Being a part of Ballet Memphis’s production of Nutcracker is one of the best experiences that I have ever had. Auditioning is just step one of the process. For me, auditions are nerve-wracking yet very exhilarating; year after year I audition, but each time it is just as difficult. When I walk into an audition hundreds of thoughts rush through my mind all at once. I hear thoughts telling me to relax or focus, while at the same time I am asking myself if am I doing my best and is my best good enough? I personally believe that auditions are the hardest part of a production process.

Step two: Cast list. Waiting for the email or waiting to see the cast list takes patience. The day that I finally see the email notifying me of my role in Nutcracker is always an exciting day. Although it is a disappointment if I do not get the role I want, I have realized that it is an honor to be a part of the production, and every role is important. The roles that I have received in the Nutcracker have been polichinelle, soldier, party girl, supernumerary, and this year, angel. Although the role of angel seems to be a promising new favorite, I would have to say that being in the party scene has been my favorite thus far. In the party scene, some of the boys and girls are privileged to dance with the company members and interact with them. Something that makes Ballet Memphis so special is the relationship between the company dancers and the students. Being in a production in which there is an opportunity to dance with the professional company is incredible.

The rehearsal process, step three, is one of my favorite phases in producing a show. I love seeing the growth and development that occurs over the course of a couple of months. Step four: performance time. Before a performance, the Junior Company takes warm-up classes backstage. The warm-up classes put us all in the Christmas spirit as we dance to various Christmas classics and attempt the fun yet challenging combinations that go along with the music. The dressing rooms are always full of laughter and enthusiasm. Some dancers sing along to Nutcracker music while helping others with their hair, make-up or costumes. For many of us, we thoroughly enjoy the student performances, hearing Mr. Condon interact with the students each year before the show reminding them of the ballet etiquette in a fun manner. I love to watch from the wings because you get to see the show from a different perspective, and being a dancer you notice things that the audience might not be able to see or recognize. Performing on stage in the Orpheum and seeing the entire show put together is very rewarding. The last performance always brings bittersweet emotions, and everyone is trying to make it his or her best performance. While some know that they will not be back until the following year, others realize that this is their last opportunity to perform Nutcracker on the Orpheum stage.

-- Mollie Marshall
Mollie, a 9th grader at Hutchison, is in her third year with the Junior Company. She's been with Ballet Memphis since she was little, and is currently in Ballet 8, the top level. This year will be Mollie's fifth year to perform in Ballet Memphis' Nutcracker.

Balancing Act

I have been a dancer with Ballet Memphis since 2004. I met the man of my dreams in Memphis, and we got married on July 3, 2010; we just celebrated our one-year anniversary!

It has been hard balancing my professional dance career, teaching Pilates and ballet, choreographing for the Company and the Junior Company, and being a supportive wife.

Matthew, my husband, is in theater, working as a freelance lighting and scenic designer. Some months he works on three or four shows at a time and is rarely home. And now that I am teaching Pilates before and after my own class, I work 12-hour days sometimes, so I’m not home very long at night.The great thing is that he absolutely loves dance and loves to design lights for dance, and we have a mutual respect for one another’s art.

Usually, when I have a Ballet Memphis performance, he is also in the middle of putting on a show, so we are constantly missing each other. But when time permits, he is at every show/rehearsal of ours, and the same goes for me for his productions.

I will admit, performing in a theater all the time, and then on your day off going to the theater to see your husband’s show is difficult, but then I get to sit back and enjoy his talents. We usually make a date night out of it by going to dinner before the show and trying to catch up on each other’s lives.

The best part of having Matthew as my husband is that we are a team. He is my constant support system, my own personal foot masseur, and my very dearest friend to go to with my problems. And to know that there is someone rooting for you in the audience is a wonderful feeling.

-- Julie Niekrasz

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.

2BLoved

A little prince and a naughty boy...don't you think we can all say we understand something of both? The ability to be elegant and the ability to make mischief? Throughout the history of art, there are countless times where the youngest ones tell us what we need to see, hear, and do, in order to understand and value life. Often, it is the most innocent who are the closest to what is most meaningful.

Pairing these two pieces is no accident. In The Naughty Boy, Cupid is manifesting our yearning to make sense of our loves, our relationships, those extraordinarily momentous happenings that bring us together. Is it happenstance? Is there a plan? Even if we do not have the answers, there are certainly times where our hearts soar and life feels like a lark. Cupid shoots a weapon but is love a wound? After all, our hearts are pierced. The initial love potion is strong, and delightful, but a wound, nonetheless. And our Cupid in this ballet has a tongue-in-cheek twist--he's a girl! There are no hard answers here. Our assumptions, our secure and comfortable boundaries, must be set aside if we are going to romp along with this ethereal creature. Choreographer Trey McIntyre planted a coonskin cap on his all-girl Tennessee Cupid, and takes us on a mad dash, pell-mell through a work created on Ballet Memphis that only wonderfully trained professional ballet dancers can execute. It was a hit when we premiered it in Memphis in 2004 and it was a hit when we performed it in New York in 2007. We are pleased to bring it back as we launch our 25th main stage anniversary season.

Ballet Memphis Artistic Associate and former San Francisco principal ballet dancer Julia Adam has reshaped and restaged her The Little Prince for us. Based on the French classic by Antoine de Saint Exupery, how timely this story is! The narrator, a pilot who has crashed in the desert, finds his days there far from barren. The Little Prince has arrived from a very small and fragile planet, and he sees things so much differently than a world-weary grown-up. Things are not what they seem. With a simple message like that, when a hat is really an elephant swallowed by a boa constrictor, we are being told not only that things are not what they seem, but sometimes there are deeper messages we are missing while we are rushing around. And we are being asked if we are taking care of a small piece of the world given to us, as the Little Prince has done on his planet? We actually are living in a time when so much evidence points to the need for us to take care of our earth, yet there is a loud national cry against this very apparent truth. Today, I fear the Little Prince’s tenderness toward his rose would meet a chorus of fear and denial which might even overwhelm those who beg us to take responsibility for our actions on our planet.

Our Little Prince innately is drawn to accepting the world around him and is curious about other worlds. The geographer tells him that flowers are not recorded, "because they are ephemeral." I find this a particularly poignant place in this narrative, to hear the thought that things that are "ephemeral" are discounted. In reality, isn't everything on earth ephemeral? And our art form itself, one moment of beauty after another, seized and released as the dance unfolds before our eyes, is overwhelmingly so. Is there not something tellingly true about valuing each moment given to us, because that is all we have within each moment we are alive? This ephemeral quality, this moment by moment miracle, is a reason to value beautiful dance.

When the Little Prince "tames" the Fox, and makes him a friend, he learns how beautiful and how painful attachment can be. (Remember Cupid's arrows?) As he thinks of the rose on his planet he has loved, nurtured, and protected, his heart has been pierced by what he has loved. The fox teaches him a concept which great artists, and great spiritual leaders are deeply tied to---"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye...It is the time you have wasted on your rose that makes your rose so important...You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed."

Think of the many things we love–and tame–in our lives. Do we waste our time on beauty? On the life earth gives us? The Little Prince knows that far away, unseen to him, are his planet and rose he loves. He believes in what he now cannot see. If there is one sacred thing that artist bring to our lives, it is the belief that there are worlds, people, things, and ideas we have not yet seen, things we cannot see. Our imaginations, fueled by love, justice, and curiosity, can be a part of creating these things, or illuminating them, or discovering them. We vividly picture deep within our hearts what we believe might be possible---and we write it, we sing it, we paint it, and dance it.

As we commence our main stage 25th anniversary season with these two beautifully crafted works by these internationally respected choreographers who have been closely associated with us over the years, let's promise to value what we cannot see, except perhaps in our imagination, our dreams, our hopes. Let's remember to waste time on the things in life that won't be "recorded" because they are "ephemeral." Art and heart sound very similar, don't they? Let's touch each others' hearts; let's use art to help us see what cannot be measured, but is incalculable.

-- Dorothy Gunther Pugh

Pictured top left, Ballet Memphis company members Crystal Brothers and Travis Bradley, as well as former company member Dawn Fay perform The Naughty Boy in New York in 2007.