This Thursday, February 3, Pennsylvania Ballet opens its new mixed repertory program, Classic Innovations, at the Merriam Theater. This exciting triple-bill includes The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude by William Forsythe, Polyphonia by Christopher Wheeldon, and In the Upper Room by Twyla Tharp. Our fabulous soloist Brooke Moore has been involved with all three ballets, so I thought she would be the perfect dancer to share her perspective!
Katelyn Prominski: I understand you have been rehearsing all three ballets. Which is the most challenging and why?
Brooke Moore: Funny enough all three are hard and challenging in their own way. Typically in a triple bill like this, there is at least one ballet that isn’t as difficult, but I don’t believe this is the case this time around. Vertiginous is the most technically demanding. It is about 11 minutes of pure aerobic activity -- once you start you do not stop until the curtain goes down! The movement is classical ballet to the extreme, always pushing your body past the norm. The challenge for me in Polyphonia is the music. The opening section is called “Desordre” for a reason! There are some strenuous partnering sections in this ballet, but I find that the most challenging part is counting the music to be able to stay together. In the Upper Room is sort of a mix of both. The score by Philip Glass is beautiful, but it has its nebulous moments of being difficult to count. The piece is comprised of "ballet dancers" who dance in pointe shoes, and "stompers," who dance in sneakers. The stompers barely stop the entire 40 minutes by jogging, tapping, and literally stomping, while the ballet dancers perform crazy steps forwards and then backwards in every direction. I am the "cross-over girl" who does a little bit of both. I have a costume, hair, and shoe change in the middle of the ballet!
KP: Which ballet do you think will be the most fun to perform (and the audience will like best!) and why?
BM: This is a tough question, but if I was in the audience and had never seen these ballets before, I feel as though I would like Vertiginous the best. The girls wear lime green disc-like tutus, which are stunning in their own way, and the music and movements will keep the audience on the edge of their seat during the whole ballet. I believe this piece is visually capturing and may leave a curiosity of "How can they move that fast?!" I’m not sure which piece will be the most fun for me to perform, but I bet it’s between Vertiginous and In the Upper Room. Vertiginous is slightly daunting as it starts, but when it’s over it is extremely rewarding knowing that I have just worked as hard as I possibly could, exploring every movement to its fullest. The last section in Upper is extremely energetic and exciting. I get the chills when we rehearse it and feel a sense of community and strength as the ballet comes to an end. I have a feeling this will be enhanced even more when we are on stage!
KP: What has this rehearsal process taught you? In particular, has anything made this especially different?
BM: Noah Gelber, who set Vertiginous on us, has been wonderful to work with. He has not only taught us an incredible ballet, but he began to get me to change my perspective on my ballet technique. A few simple words from him enabled me to dance in a totally different way that I didn’t know was possible. Another piece of valuable information he has shared with us is not to perform this ballet for the audience, but to perform it for each other. He wants us to really connect with the other dancers -- there are only five of us onstage -- and to be a part of each others performance. I really like this idea, although it’s a brand new feeling for me. I look forward to seeing how I can initiate this intention onstage!
KP: Which costumes do you like the best?
BM: Polyphonia's simple purple leotards allow every single movement to be seen. The Vertiginous tutus add to the uniqueness of the choreography. But, there is nothing like performing in striped pajamas and sneakers in Upper! (Note from the author: In The Upper Room costumes are from famed fashion designer, Norma Kamali!)
KP: If you were an audience member, who would be the dancer(s) you would be most excited to see in this program?
BM: Evelyn Kocak, one of our new corps dancers this year, looks really great in Upper. I have not had a chance to see her perform a non-corps role so I’m excited to see her dance this. Also, Amir Yogev is getting two great opportunities in this program to dance in Vertiginous and Polyphonia. It is always interesting to see how the new dancers or “young up-and-comers” will do onstage in more featured roles. I also love when a senior corps member gets a role they deserve and look fantastic in, like Laura Bowman as Woman #2 in Vertiginous.
