Thursday, May 22, 2014

2014 Season Announcement

BalletCollective is back!
The Impulse Wants Company
Photo by Erin Baiano

After our successful season this past summer at the Joyce, BalletCollective is up and running again, gearing up for our 2014 New York Season to be held at NYU Skirball, October 29th and 30th. It is exciting to be back in the studio again working on new pieces for BalletCollective.

This year BalletCollective has 2 new dances planned in addition to last year's The Impulse Wants Company. The first new work is to feature the collaboration of director and choreographer Troy Schumacher, indie rock composer Ellis Ludwig-Leone and artist David Salle; the other new piece, titled  Dear and Blackbirds, will feature the second collaboration of Troy, Ellis, and writer Cynthia Zarin.

The Impulse Wants Company
Photo by Erin Baiano
The process of creation for Dear and Blackbirds is off and running. The poem is written and the music is mostly complete. The dance, a 10 minute pas de deux for Harrison Coll and me, is in the beginning stages. Troy began working with us one evening last week before a NYCB performance to get a sense and feel for the ballet and the direction it should take. Harrison, an energetic young lad, portrays just that in the piece. I am an older woman (as I am about 10 years older than Harrison, AHHH), annoyed at his youth but interested in his vitality. The piece starts out fast paced for Harrison and slow and steady for me. It has been fun and interesting working with Troy and Harrison on this pas de deux. Harrison and I have a very playful dynamic which seems to be perfect for this project. We are both open to ideas and feel quite comfortable working together (we should, considering Harrison was my first "Party Scene child" in the Nutcracker about ten years ago!). I am encouraged by our first three rehearsals and like what Troy has created so far.

Stay tuned for more about Dear and Blackbirds as the ballet progresses along with all the inside scoop on BalletCollective and its company!