Nutmeg Ballet revisits ‘Romeo and Juliet’ with HSO for Valentine’s Day

February 12, 2016
By MIKE CHAIKEN
EDITIONS EDITOR

The Bristol Observer

Nutmeg Ballet Conservatory has been here before.

But Victoria Mazzarelli, the school’s artistic director, is more than happy to revisit Prokofiev’s “Romeo and Juliet”—especially considering the upcoming opportunity it presents her young dancers.
From Feb. 11 to 14, the Hartford Symphony Orchestra will present, “Love Notes,” a celebration of love. And as part of the evening, the symphony will be bringing in several guests to join them on stage. Maria Rud will paint live as the orchestra performs. The UConn Puppet Arts Program will perform as the symphony plays Debussy’s “Claire de Lune.” And dancers from the Nutmeg Ballet Conservatory will perform the pas de deux from Prokofiev’s “Romeo and Juliet” as played by HSO.

Mazzarelli said the ballet company, which is based in Torrington, has performed the piece, “Romeo and Juliet,” previously. In fact, she danced in it in the 1980s.

But, given the chance to perform with the HSO, she said Nutmeg Ballet was more than willing to revisit the piece again. Mazzarelli said in the weeks leading up to the performances Feb. 11 to 14, the choreography has been reworked to make it fresh.

“It’s a nice opportunity (for the dancers),” said Mazzarelli.

Mazzarelli said the works of Shakespeare are a natural fit for a transformation into a ballet. The works offer great opportunities for pantomime and for the dancers to convey the story solely through movement.

This particular piece portrays the balcony scene for the two young lovers, said Mazzarelli. It occurs just after the two teens—16, 17-years-old—have met for the first time at the ball, said Mazzarelli. And they both know because of the rivalry between their two families that their feelings are forbidden.

What’s attractive, said Mazzarelli, is the dancers for the HSO performance are the same ages as their characters. The emotions the characters perform on stage are quite near to what the dancers are feeling.

“And to kiss at the end (of the scene),” said Mazzarelli. “It’s a big deal.”

The music by Prokofiev goes a long way to conveying the story as well, said Mazzarelli. “You hear the tragedy in (the story), and the foreboding,” said Mazzarelli. But you also hear the romance. “It’s love. It’s true love.”

There are two sets of dancers from Nutmeg set to perform with the symphony. They will alternate nights. Alma Evertz and Alexsander Keeperman will perform Thursday, Feb. 11 and Sunday, Feb. 14 and Demeri Sutula and Matanya Solomon will perform Friday, Feb. 12 and Saturday, Feb. 13. They were selected from a larger pool of dancers before they were tapped for the opportunity, said Mazzarelli.

The dancers were chosen not only for their technical skill, said Mazzarelli, but for their ability to make the movements look effortless.

The pairings were also determined by how well the dancers “fit” with each other, said Mazzarelli. “It just makes sense (the pairings).”

Performing with the symphony will pose a couple of challenges for the dancers, said Mazarelli. First of all, since they will be sharing the stage with the musicians, their performance area will be more confined. They have been preparing for that by taping off a smaller space in their rehearsal studio.

In addition, Mazzarelli said the dancers will have the challenge of performing with a live orchestra rather than just a CD.

With a CD, Mazzarelli said the dancers can anticipate what will happen next because the recording never waivers. But a live performance is different because it may change.

“They have to be musical and listen,” said Mazzarelli “That makes (the performance) that much more exciting.”

The Nutmeg Ballet Conservatory will be performing with the Hartford Symphony Orchestra Feb. 11 to 14 at the Belding Theater at The Bushnell, 166 Capitol Ave., Hartford. Performances are Thursday at 7:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., and Sunday at 3 p.m. Tickets start at $35; $10 for students with ID. For tickets, call (860)987-5900 or visit www.hartfordsymphony.org
 “And to kiss at the end (of the scene),” said Mazzarelli. “It’s a big deal.”

IN THE MEDIA

By Jack Sheedy January 31, 2020
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.
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