Last Saturday, four choreographers from across the country converged in Little Rock at the Ballet Arkansas studio. The company will host its winter VISIONS choreographic contest this weekend, for which the four artists are the finalists from more than 50 competitors. The choreographers cast their proposals with Ballet Arkansas dancers and were given just 11 hours over the week to execute the 5- to 7-minute performances that will premiere at the Walton Arts Center tonight.
"As rule of thumb, new choreography typically takes about three hours per minute" to stage, says Laura Hood Babcock, artistic associate with Ballet Arkansas. The works are snippets -- concepts for a whole movement the winner of the competition will get to produce for Ballet Arkansas' long-term repertoire.
FAQ
‘VISIONS’ Choreographic Competition
WHEN — 8 p.m. today
WHERE — Walton Arts Center in Fayetteville
COST — $20
INFO — 501-223-5150 or balletarkansas.org; 443-5600 or waltonartscenter.org
"It is about the dancers as the vehicle for the choreography, but it's not about the dancers' ability," Babcock continues. "We want them to do well and the choreographers want them to look good, of course ... The [choreographers] may be trying something that's foreign for our dancers or is a difficult move, but they're trying to show something in the movement. That's what you're looking for is what is the movement doing in the context of this piece that makes me relate to it or like it or not like it."
Babcock likens the format of the contest to the popular Fox show "So You Think You Can Dance." The choreographers and dancers are given a short amount of time to complete the piece, which is then performed for a panel of judges -- including a live audience. Three dance experts -- one guest judge and two professionals from the Northwest Arkansas scene -- will watch the performances with the audience and vote for their favorite. Also in line with "So You Think You Can Dance," preceding each work is a behind-the-scenes video from the rehearsal process, providing more insight and introducing the choreographers to the audience.
"It's all new; the dancers are not settled into that performance, so it's got a little more of a raw feeling," Babcock says. "VISIONS is typically our entry-level performance. If someone's worried about classical ballet because they've heard it's really boring, it's not that. [The format of the competition] is very accessible, it's very interactive, and it's short."
Although the work must have a classical base, Babcock says don't expect tutus and exclusively classical movement. Contemporary ballet can often involve a lot of floor work, nontraditional lifts, unique partnering and movement styles not usually presented in the classical form. The professional dancers performing these works may appear more refined than competitors on reality shows, but Babcock anticipates the calibre of the emerging choreographers may surprise viewers or change perceptions about what ballet can be.
"We consider ourselves, and I believe we are, the foremost company in the state. We want to be the state's company, so this is the way we can help give different areas in the state, not just central Arkansas, ownership in their ballet company."
NAN What's Up on 03/03/2017