A fitting culmination to its 30th anniversary season, BalletMet Columbus offers David Nixon’s moving adaptation of the Shakespearean masterwork Romeo and Juliet May 1-4 at the historic Ohio Theatre.
The performance schedule is May 1, 7:30 p.m.; May 2, 8 p.m.; May 3, 8 p.m.; and May 4, 2 p.m.
To kick off the production, a gala will be held on Thursday, May 1, following the opening performance of Romeo and Juliet. The elegant event will be held in the Governor's Ballroom at the Hyatt on Capitol Square and will include dinner, a champagne toast and a multimedia presentation featuring images from BalletMet's history.
Based on one of the greatest love stories ever told, Romeo and Juliet interweaves expressive dancing, breathtaking sets and costumes and a magnificent score by Sergei Prokofiev. Audiences will enjoy the full range of Shakespeare’s story in Nixon’s elegant choreography, from romantic courtship to fierce swordfights, from a fated first meeting to an emotional farewell, from comic relief to tragic circumstances.
Brilliant set and costume design take audiences on a journey through fair Verona, from Juliet’s majestic balcony and chambers to the shadowy crypt that seals the fate of two star-crossed lovers from two households.
Romeo and Juliet is a dance drama that depends on the story to be told through movement; to that end, the Company will work with professionals outside the dance field to create an unforgettable experience for audiences.
To hone in on their expressive acting skills, the dancers will train with mime artist Gregg Goldston, who has worked extensively with Marcel Marceau and created BalletMime, a modernized vocabulary system for story ballet. And to make the intense fight scenes believable, BalletMet Company dancers will study with fight choreographer Phil Wilson.
Believing the dramatic Romeo and Juliet would be a valuable addition to the BalletMet repertoire, in 1998 Nixon (who was then Artistic Director) created this powerful version highlighting the Company’s exceptional artistry. BalletMet last performed the ballet in 2002.
Nixon, currently Artistic Director of England’s Northern Ballet Theatre, will return to Columbus to restage the production.
This exquisite ballet offers drama, passion, action and the power of everlasting love. It is a bravura culmination of BalletMet’s first 30 years of artistic excellence.
Behind-the-Scenes...
David Nixon became BalletMet’s Artistic Director in 1994. During his six-year tenure he added 16 world and 15 Company premieres to the repertoire, including his own full-length productions of The Nutcracker, Dangerous Liaisons, Butterfly, Beauty and the Beast, Carmen, Romeo and Juliet, Swan Lake, Dracula and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. He left BalletMet in 2001 to lead England’s Northern Ballet Theatre as Artistic Director and was voted Director of the Year by Dance Europe Magazine in 2003 and 2006.
Romeo and Juliet will feature all 28 of BalletMet’s professional Company dancers and its five trainees. Starring as Romeo and Juliet (casts alternate) are Jimmy Orrante and Jamie Dee, Christian Broomhall and Adrienne Benz, and Dmitri Suslov and Carrie West.
Tickets are $18.50-$64.50 through the BalletMet Box Office, 614-229-4848, www.balletmet.org, CAPA 614-469-0939, and Ticketmaster locations, 614-431-3600.
The 30th anniversary is traditionally known as the "pearl anniversary," and, at the gala following the opening performance, 30 "Pearls of BalletMet" will be honored for their dedication and support of BalletMet through the years.
Several will be honored posthumously, including Ray Hanley, former executive director of the Greater Columbus Arts Council; David Patterson, who served as a trustee in BalletMet's first season and later as Board Chair; and Wayne Soulant, BalletMet's first artistic director.
BalletMet's founders, former and current artistic directors and longtime community leaders, including Lucy Porter, Dimon McFerson and Steve and Esther Rotella, will be recognized as well. Pearl Sonia Welker Orrante represents a lifelong connection to BalletMet, beginning as an Academy student, dancing as a Company member and currently as an Academy faculty member.
Wayne Lawson, former executive director of the Ohio Arts Council, will act as Master of Ceremonies. More than 200 former dancers have been invited and many are expected to attend.
Tickets to the 30th anniversary gala celebration are $125 per person. All proceeds benefit BalletMet. To purchase tickets, contact Barbara Markus at 614-586-8671 or .
For more information about the production of Romeo and Juliet, call 614-229-4848 or visit www.balletmet.org.