Talking Pointes

Company Member Holly Lynn Fusco takes you behind-the-scenes of La Fille mal gardée, opening June 2!

Just two weeks until opening night of Pennsylvania Ballet's La Fille mal gardée, and here in our East Falls rehearsal studios, we’re hard at work! La Fille is a lighthearted, comedic ballet that dates back to 1789. It is a joy to watch, and even more fun to dance. Comprised of two acts featuring Sir Frederick Ashton’s choreography and Ferdinand Herold's playful score, La Fille has something for everyone!

Ballet Master Jeffrey Gribler and Soloist Ian Hussey. Photo: Holly Lynn Fusco.

As a first timer with this production, I have to say that I am thrilled to be going through the rehearsal process. There are so many different roles in the ballet that, at any given time, walking past a certain studio, I find myself smiling at my coworkers, as they cluck away as chickens, weave the enormous maypole in a flurry of skips, or haul their hay stacks and sickles across the room for their next entrance. One of the most exciting aspects of this production, however, is the addition of the Pennsylvania Ballet artistic staff into certain roles. Our Ballet Master Jeffrey Gribler will be performing the hysterically funny Widow Simone, and PBII Director William DeGregory will play Thomas, the father of another awkwardly humorous character, Alain. The Widow Simone and the friends of Lise, the main female character, get to do a dance in clog shoes, which is challenging, yet so fun! This has definitely been the highlight of my rehearsal process. We slip actual clogs over our pointe shoes! At first it was scary because of the weight of the clogs, but once you get used to it, everything is okay.

Company Member Andrew Daly and PBII dancers Ryoko Sadoshima and Lara Clemens rehearsing as the cockerel and hens. Photo: Holly Lynn Fusco.
This production also has a great deal of interesting props. In the harvest dance, the villagers dance with bales of hay and curved sickles. There is also a 'stick' dance for the men, and of course, the maypole, as I mentioned before, which is the largest of all the props. The production also will have a live pony, as well as a butter churner, and an intricate pas de deux between the two principals using ribbons.
Artists of Pennsylvania Ballet rehearsing the stick dance. Photo: Holly Lynn Fusco.
All in all, this is a production you won’t want to miss. And just in case you can't get enough of our dancing, you can hear all of our lovely voices singing in the finale of the ballet, as we exit the stage in a long, linked line, doing the grapevine!

Talking Pointes

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.

Talking Pointes

Company Member Katelyn Prominski’s thoughts mid-Nutcracker 2010…

Two weeks in and ten performances from being finished, we are truly in the “heart” of Nutcracker. Each show is dabbled with a little more craziness than the last, yet never taking away from the spirited dancing we produce. Now that we have gotten into the steady rhythm of eat-dance-sleep, this is the time when we all push the limits on our roles.

My current favorite moment of Nutcracker would have to be Pennsylvania Ballet II dancer Eric Trope’s rendition of Mother Ginger. This is Eric’s first year performing the role, but he perfectly embodies it and continues to push the borders of his character. Mother Ginger is a role where the dancer wears tall stilts, a huge dress, and has eight children hiding under their skirt. While the children are dancing, M.G. is behind them making lavish gestures and comedic faces which, if spotted, the audience loves. Whenever I am dancing in the Waltz of the Flowers, I watch this divertissement from the wings to rev myself up. Whatever type of mood I am in, M.G. openly makes me giggle and automatically readies me for the stage with a big smile and open heart. I’d like to thank Eric, for his non-stop generous soul that he delivers for every show!

Pennsylvania Ballet II dancer Eric Trope as Mother Ginger. Photo: Harry Paris.

In order to fully embrace the holiday season, Pennsylvania Ballet's female dancers have a couple of tricks up our tutus:

1. Hats, gloves, scarves, and sunglasses are a must. We can look pretty scary as we leave the theater, plus it’s FREEZING out.


2. Gingerbread men can make everything better for the moment.
   
3. Vitamins are essential. We have “Three-show Saturdays” and cannot get sick!


4. Many of us write funny sayings/song titles/memories on the bottoms of our pointe shoes.


5. Avoid continued Nutcracker soundtrack by holiday shopping online.
   

Company Members Lauren Fadeley, Katelyn Prominski, and Caralin Curcio with Alyson Pray. Courtesy: Katelyn Prominski.

Talking Pointes

To give our blog readers an inside view of Pennsylvania Ballet, Company Member Katelyn Prominski and her fellow dancers will be sharing their thoughts from behind-the-scenes in their very own blog entries, Talking Pointes. Check out Katelyn’s first post!

Company Member Katelyn Prominski’s Opening Night Diary

Like clockwork, every year, George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker™ begins right before our very eyes. Rehearsals sneak up on us just like the cold weather does, and all of a sudden, after a bunch of jumbled stage rehearsals we realize Opening Night has arrived! One of my favorite observations about Nutcracker is watching the dancers reminisce and work together. Often, a dancer will take on a new role and a “veteran” performer will offer guidance and suggestions for a tricky part. Since we have so many shows, precision and ease comes with experience. Each holiday season starts with its own set of surprises and wonderful traditions, especially around the theater, and this Opening Night performance was not to be excluded.

Soloist Ian Hussey has a heart-warming story that can bring good cheer to even the scroogiest of Scrooges. When 12-year-old Ian was asked to play the Little Prince in Pennsylvania Ballet’s Nutcracker, little did he know that his then Sugar Plum Fairy, Principal Dancer Arantxa Ochoa, would be the Opening Night partner to his Cavalier 13 years later! Ian and Arantxa danced beautifully on Opening Night, a fresh glimpse to their connection years prior. Together they withstood effortless balances and never-ending turns. I surely cannot wait to see their partnership develop over the rest of the run. Watch Ian talk about his Nutcracker memories in this video produced by Principal Dancer Alexander Iziliaev.

Soloist Barette Vance has also kicked off a Nutcracker season to remember! After the curtain came down on her inspirational Dew Drop performance, her boyfriend Chris was waiting backstage to present her with a special gift, a diamond engagement ring!