Hartford Symphony Orchestra & Nutmeg Ballet Collaboration Creates Engaging Night Of Music
April 10, 2015
JEFFREY JOHNSON Special To The Courant
2:12 p.m. EDT, April 10, 2015
After intermission we heard the Sleeping Beauty Suite, Op. 66a, by Tchaikovsky with ballet dancers from the Nutmeg Ballet Conservatory. Prior to the performance we met artistic director Victoria Mazzarelli and principal ballet master Tim Melady, and they helped us understand how the dancers approached the challenges of this performance. The ballet dancers gave us a sneak preview of some elements of the ballet and this helped us connect with them. We also had the opportunity to hear from the dancers of the Full Force Ensemble, who returned to explain how their movements, inspired by the Modern Dance movement, differed from ballet motions. After seeing some of their steps in isolation, we heard a few brief passages of the Saint-Saëns a second time with dance and orchestral accompaniment. Then the evening closed with a performance of the Sleeping Beauty Suite.
The suite had five movements and three of them featured ballet dancers. The second movement became the “Rose Adagio,” the third movement pas de caractère became the fairy tale of “Puss-in-Boots and the White Cat,” and the final movement became the “Garland Waltz,” featuring the full ensemble of four male and eight female dancers.
The audience was blown away. The concept was refreshingly different from what symphonic concert audiences have come to expect, and it was great fun. All of the dancers were so professional, elegant and disciplined that it was easy to become inspired by their dedication and their art. Kuan excels at imagining, coordinating and actualizing collaborative programs, and this one was special.
All of the dancers were so professional, elegant and disciplined that it was easy to become inspired by their dedication and their art.
IN THE MEDIA
After 50 years of building a reputation for professionalism in dance instruction, Nutmeg Ballet was forced to put that reputation to the test this year. Audition tour director Joan Kunsch injured her arm and was unable to go on her annual 18-city nationwide recruiting tour. But, “Nothing will be canceled,” she promised in early December. “It was up to me to solve it,” said Kunsch. “I thought, ‘Who better to represent Nutmeg than the former students who are making professional company careers around the country?’” She compiled a list of about a dozen Nutmeg alumni around the country and called them. They eagerly accepted the challenge. For example, Kunsch said, “We have a Nutmeg graduate, Amy Potter, who is a principal dancer in the Oklahoma City Ballet, and I called her and she’s ecstatic to do it. She said, ‘Proudly, I would do it. Proudly.’” Another former student, Thel Moore, trained at Nutmeg from 2012 to 2015. He agreed to cover three of Kunsch’s scheduled cities, including Richmond, Va., where he is a danseur at the Richmond Ballet Company. Moore said in an email, “What I typically look for in an audition is a base in classical ballet but also a love for ballet as well. I’m looking for a spark that you usually can’t teach but mold into something beautiful.” He said students are nervous at first, but “when they see the brochure [and] how beautiful the building is and how incredibly professional the staff is, they usually lighten up and get really excited for the audition.” The far-flung team of Nutmeg-trained dancers are directing auditions in January and February in nearly 40 cities in the United States and Canada. Some of these cities are on Tim Melady’s usual itinerary as audition tour co-director. Melady, Nutmeg’s principal ballet master, is also standing in for Kunsch in several cities. Speaking by phone from an airport near St. Louis, Mo., Melady said, “I have been to the West Coast. Seattle had a good turnout. Portland had a good turnout. San Francisco had a good turnout, and they are all so interested in Nutmeg and Torrington!” He said, “We’re so lucky that we have such a respected reputation.” When an auditioning dancer asks about Nutmeg, he refers them to former Nutmeg students in the area, who are happy to talk about their experiences. Melady said the constant influx of students from thousands of miles away is enriching for them, for Nutmeg and for Torrington. “People come to Nutmeg and say, ‘Oh my God, we’re meeting people from Wyoming! From California! This is crazy.’ Everybody knows about Nutmeg Ballet. It’s wonderful!” Kunsch said that when she has gone on the audition tour – which she has done every year since 1993 – she tells dancers, “Not only are you auditioning for Nutmeg; Nutmeg’s auditioning for you.” She tells them, “We’re not looking for perfection. If you were perfect, would you need us? We’re looking for trainability.” Moore said, “Bringing talent from all over is very important because it keeps Nutmeg as one of the best schools to train at in the United States.” Melady said, “[The auditioners] have heard of us, and they’ve heard of our reputation. And that’s a real advantage. Our reputation is golden. There are more and more schools just vying for this slice of talent. And there is always talent.” Victoria Mazzarelli, artistic director, said Torrington auditions at the Nutmeg Conservatory attract not only local aspirants but dancers from New York, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Pennsylvania for both the summer and year-round programs. Remaining auditions at the Conservatory at 58 Main Street are Feb. 1, 15, 29 and March 7, from 9 a.m. to noon. And by the way, said Mazzarelli, locals are most welcome! “During these next few months, our year-round students and faculty are rehearsing and preparing for our Spring Studio Series that will be held on March 18, 19, 20 and 21,” she said.