Day 1: Dany Studios

Monday was BalletCollective's first day of rehearsals for The Impulse Wants Company (tentative title, to be premiered this August at the Joyce Theater). At the start of rehearsals in DANY studios, Troy, poet Cynthia Zarin, composer Ellis Ludwig-Leone, and lighting designer Brandon Baker gathered the dancers together and introduced themselves, discussing their roles in the creation of the piece, their inspirations and ideas behind the new work. 

There are seven characters. I use the term 'characters' loosely, as they are all based on those of us in the cast as people (to a certain extent) and we won't be 'acting'. Characters include: 

• a peaceful, nostalgic woman
• vibrant boy
• three chatty girls
• a married couple

I am one of the three girls.

Photo: Ellis Ludwig-Leone

Troy outlined the ballet's premise, "Our ballet focuses on you as a group as you arrive and spend a day in a place of heightened interaction. Here everything is magnified and you all are more exposed to one another."  

He then said that we would start with the second movement. And it went like this:

Troy began the rehearsal by working with Kaitlyn and David (peaceful woman and vibrant boy).  Not before long he called on the three sassy girls (Lauren, Meagan, and me). We enter with a jumping passage, very reminiscent of dolphins frolicking in the ocean. Soon we were all sliding like Shamu! It was a good time! Moments later the couple (Taylor and Harrison) enter and we as a group learn a complicated, but exciting combination of steps. I am excited to see, dance and learn more as the collective's concept turns into movement.