Emergence June 17 – 20th and June 24 – June 27 with a gala performance on June 25th featuring guest performances from American Ballet Theatre Principal Dancer Sarah Lane, Boston Ballet Principal Dancer Paulo Arrais and Sarasota Principal Dancer Ricardo Rhodes.
Goldilocks and the Three Bears June 18 – 20 and June 26-27.
Festival Ballet Providence, 825 Hope Street, Providence RI.
Transcript:
CHUCK HINMAN: Good Morning, this is The Public’s Radio, I’m Chuck Hinman. James Baumgartner is in the studio with me for Artscape. James, it’s the first time we’ve done this in… how long has it been?
JAMES BAUMGARTNER: Quite a while, it was March of last year, March 12th was the last time we had an Artscape. We reviewed Assassins at the Gamm Theatre, and the next day pretty much everything was canceled after that.
CHUCK: That’s right. I remember we were wondering, ‘Whoa, I wonder what’s going to happen now.’ Well, we’ve found out, haven’t we? And tonight, Festival Ballet Providence kicks off a two week run of outdoor performances called “Emergence.” We both saw Emergence last week. James, what were your impressions?
JAMES: It was the first in-person performance I’ve seen since local performances started up again, and it was so great to be in an audience and see people on stage.
CHUCK: There are 5 works presented in the evening, ranging from classical ballet of the mid-19th century to more contemporary works including 2 world premieres. The classical ballet was the Wedding Suite from Don Quixote.
JAMES: Here’s how Festival Ballet’s executive director Kathleen Breen Combes described it.
KATHLEEN BREEN COMBES: I think it’s most likely what the perception of ballet is, right. And when you think of ballet, you think of tutus, rigid, classical. And so for me, it’s important to pay homage to that, and to keep our history strong. But then you look at the evolution and what we’re doing today, and what’s relevant to today’s society. And what we want to do that’s reflective of that. So for me trying to find a way to still really have a connection with our roots, but then to push the art form and use that traditional technique to create more relevant art.
JAMES: In between the classical and the contemporary, there was Lady of Camellias Pas de Deux.
CHUCK: That featured a man and woman on stage, enacting a sort of love story.
JAMES: There was flirtation between the two… seduction… there was a shawl draped over the shoulders.
CHUCK: There was a bit of running away and a bit of coming back and in between there were glances and suggestions that a lot was going on.
JAMES: Kathleen described it as ‘neo-classical’ where it’s using some of the elements of classical ballet, the spins, the lifts, the en pointe technique, but bringing it into the modern world.
JAMES: We saw this on the Thursday after the heatwave broke. So it was a 72 degree evening with a completely blue sky and magic hour lighting on the dancers, which of course meant that the sun was in their eyes, which must have presented a particular challenge.
KATHLEEN: You know, there’s so many elements and variables when you present something outside. So first, it’s the weather, okay, it’s not raining, it’s and then it’s the sun, you know, or the The floor is too hot. So there’s always something but, you know, we were joking – inside, it’s like a spotlight. And they’re all used to being in the spotlight. So it’s, they’re troopers, and they’ve adjusted so well. And I think they’re just so thrilled to be performing.
CHUCK: And the audience was thrilled to be watching them. The piece I enjoyed the most was the longer, multi-part contemporary work called “SAME.”
JAMES: The piece is set to the music of Josh Knowles, who performs on stage with the dancers. He sings and plays a violin that has a little electronic manipulation to it. And there’s another musician playing guitar and electronics.
CHUCK: SAME was originally performed in February 2020, before the pandemic shut down so much of public life in America. Even though it was created before the pandemic, it resonated with what we’ve been through in the last year and a half.
KATHLEEN: Josh wrote this album, and we were actually his premiere of the album, he released that album in February of 2020. And the choreography has remained the same. But yeah, so much has changed, right? So it really has worked so well. And which is why when I say the dancers taking it on a second time with such a different conviction, and passion, has been really interesting to see.
CHUCK: In the opening number, “how deep the dark” there are 15 dancers on stage. They’re all moving together, but they’re separated.
[MUSIC] “How deep the dark, must I understand? Before I feel your hand in my hand, love?”
CHUCK: And they’re all holding their own hands. But not touching.
KATHLEEN: Exactly.
CHUCK: It was just so haunting to me that that was done before we weren’t…
KATHLEEN: Isolated.
CHUCK: Yeah, isolated on that stage.
KATHLEEN: And on these boxes, the black trench coats. Yeah, very kind of ominous look to it. So it really did work. So well. We had no idea at the time, but coming back now, you look it’s so funny how you can relate to art in that way. How it touches you at different times. When you’re going through different things.
JAMES: Like I said, this was the first live performance I’d seen in over 15 months, so I was primed to have an emotional response. The pas de deux that ends SAME really delivered for me. A man and woman dancing on stage together, and this time there is no space between the performers, they are close to each other, face to face. To my eyes, the dance depicts a relationship, but it’s a troubled relationship.
KATHLEEN: This idea that you go through so much with someone right? And, and sometimes it’s great, and sometimes
it’s bad. And but there’s still that love, right? There’s that underlying love. And I think, as an artist, too, it’s very easy to relate to, because you have that with your art, as well. You know, you there’s times where you’re so passionate where you’re in it and other times where it’s it’s almost tormenting, but you have to do it.
KATHLEEN: It tells this tale of so many things changing. And you know, even this last part of the lyrics are, no one can say that things haven’t changed, but my love for you still remains the same. And for me, it’s been so touching, because, you know, bringing back arts and that love for the dancers for the audience members, for the community, that still remains the same. You know, sometimes you can present art that’s challenging, and you push your audience to go to new levels, and I wanted to present something that was enjoyable. I want… I felt like everybody had really been challenged enough over the past year, and I wanted them to sit down and watch an evening of dance that just brought them joy. So that’s the biggest thing that we’re trying to do.
CHUCK: I think they did.
JAMES: Yeah, me too.
