BalletMet’s Artistic Director Edwaard Liang is in the midst of a busy few months.
ALICE is set to debut Feb. 14 at the Ohio Theatre, and his work to teach the choreography has just begun – but don’t worry, the show will be pure magic.
After a busy holiday season, Liang can’t slow down. For the BalletMet artistic director and 2017 Emmy Award winner, his calming demeanor pays dividends for his dancers and crew.
“I choreograph pretty quickly,” Liang says. “Starting in January, we have four weeks of rehearsals slated and one week to tech (dress rehearsal). It’s a huge team that has come together to put this together.”
Liang has worked on ALICE for more than a year. The costumes and set were purchased from the Washington Ballet Company, but Liang hints that this will be a brand-new telling of the story – his interpretation of a timeless classic.
Jennifer Zmuda Photo by Jennifer Zmuda © Balle
“We started from scratch and looked at parts of the first and second book and how we wanted to integrate the characters,” Liang says. “When we purchased the sets and costumes, we could start telling what kind of arc we could do with them.”
Lewis Carroll’s stories of adventures in Wonderland and through the looking glass were last presented by BalletMet in 2014, with a reprisal of former Artistic Director Gerard Charles’ 2006 take on the tales. Though that production was heavily influenced by Carroll’s original story and included actors and dialogue, ALICE will strictly focus on dance.
“You don’t need any other bells and whistles to truly tell the story,” Liang says. “You can do it through music and choreography.”
Developing a Character
With strict limitations on spoken words, how does a ballet dancer create and develop a character? Caitlin Valentine, who plays the title character, can answer this question.
Valentine is familiar with the story of Alice, and is ready to do the research and present a different twist on the character.
“It helps to have some type of background and insight into the character, as opposed to playing a brand-new version and discovering it on your own,” Valentine says. “I’ll have to create a way to inhabit the character through movement that I haven’t done in any other shows.”
Valentine enjoys working in the studio with Liang, she says, because he allows dancers to bring little parts of themselves into the characters. For Alice, who is naturally curious and quirky, Valentine knows her movements will be important.
“As a professional dancer, you have to be aware of your body because that is what is telling the story,” Valentine says. “Even if it is a little habit that I bring with her or a nuance that is unique to the character, it helps.”
Valentine knows it’s not just about the choreography, though; it’s about the whole body. She’s excited to explore the fun and expressive facials for the performance.
“When we are in the studio, it is similar to an actor working with a green screen. You have to imagine something,” she says. “You become the character in rehearsals, but the minute we get on stage put on the costumes and are around the set, … it just brings you so much more into them.”
A Time Costume-ing Show
The costumes in ALICE will be as colorful as one could imagine. The intricate and whimsical fabrics bought from Washington were created by Cirque du Soleil.
“I already know that these costumes and dancers are available for each particular part of the story because of the work we’ve done,” Liang says. “Once we get to rehearsals, it’s all about creating the steps to tell the story.”
The costumes and sets are important elements to what BalletMet plans on utilizing to bring it alive.
“The sets and costumes are just so lush and were one of the main reasons we are doing this production,” Liang says. “It’s very colorful, and just what Alice in Wonderland needs.”
ALICE is a world premiere that Columbus audience will experience first. Liang’s telling will be a true representation of why dance is the universal language.
“If we’ve done our jobs right, audiences can be swept away for the whole performance and leave feeling alive and inspired,” Liang says. “We can sweep them into the rabbit hole.”
Rocco Falleti is an editor. Feedback welcome at rfalleti@cityscenecolumbus.com.
