FIRST POSITION s a ys sc oHr oe .u“sHt oenpBu as lhl ee ts bt ha el l eetnmv eal sotpeer ,” aBna dl a fnocrhmi neer ’ sP rc ihnocri ep oa gl rAamp hy yF, o“ nt eo ot f otenclhyncihcaalllley.n” ging you musically but B ch a F a la o n n t c e c e ’ h s s . i a n “ d G e v o b i c a fu e ll r e w t t h h i e s e r n t o t h c t o a a a n k c e y h o r in u is g k t h a s i a n n k d yoTuhceanp.r”inciples of the Balanchine mt her ot huogdh oouf tt rtahien icnhgo rmeaong irfaeps ht e r ’ s much-beloved, 1967 triptych Jewels . Imtsoevleemgaenntt,and wistful opening Emeralds , is adorned wc hi at hr aac tseurpi sptliec apl ol yr tp de er sbi sr taesnfte ea nt ue rr ignyg that extends to the very tips of the dancers’ fingers. Hip thrusts, quickly pivoting footwork and big, off-kilter arabesque distinguish the daring second act, Rubies . Dancers keep their wt oeai gl ihg th itnotuhteobf anlol swohf etrhee. iWr thoeens , arlel a d y angularity falls away in the regal and composed final movement, Diamonds ,
do fa ns pc reirnsgri insge at hwraoyu fgrho mt h eg rf ao voitt yi n’ ss t e a d pi nudl li caant di v et realnassittiicoint yt oo fpMl i ér. wB ai tlha nt chhei n e ’ s technique—unwilling to ruffle even theEaacirh. movement of Jewels evokes aBaplearnicohdinane dcatpratudriteisonthien Rboamlleatn. ticism of early-19th century ballet in Emeralds , the deep green palette satni rdr yi nogu ti mh f augl er so mo faenncceh. aHnet er edt fuorrness t s teox phlios rRi nugs smi aant ui mr epreerl iaatli obna sl lhe itprso wo tist ,h courtly grandeur in Diamonds , and flirts with his mid-20th century pl orvees ea nf fta ti or we xi tphl oAr me ae rmi coarne sewg aa lgi gt aerri a n and a dash of female empowerment in Rubies . y o “uI fgseot ma el iot tnl ee thaasdt enoe fv ietr asl el , ”e nr ebma al lrekt s, Fo T te h . e son of a composer, Balanchine sbiaml l ue tl t iannt ee on us isvl ye l syt tuhdrioe ud gphioa un to hains d no. 3 , to dazzling effect in Emeralds, Rubies and Diamonds (respectively). In viewing Jewels , one attendant mh eaayr itnhdeedeadn“csee,”e at sh eMmr. uBs hi ci ma ns de l f cc oa pmt mi v aatnedds b. Ay nt ho et hienrt rmi ciagthet pbaet t e r n s i n ti nh es pmy ai ns tge rr e’ sf ecrheonrceeosgtroa po hr ny aomr edne tl ai gl h t na remc ksl.aSctei sl l ,i na nt oh tehsehr aapuedoi ef nacde amn ceemr ’bs e r mnoanyeimexaisgtisn.e a plot where supposedly As gems do, Jewels sparkles due to a multitude of quintessentially- Balanchine facets. Setting the Scene EN POINTE youth. The depth of his musical training is expressed eloquently in Jewels , as is his philosophy that dance needs no narrative. Famously quoted amsahdaevvi ni sgi bdlees,”c Br iableadn cdhainncei’ns ga ratsi s“tmi cu s i c we xocrelrdpst smfer rogme oGna bsrt iaegl eFaasu rhée’ si n t e r p r e t s Pelléas et Mélisande and Shylock , Igor Stravinsky’s Capriccio for Piano and Orchestra and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony From counts to choreography to onstage positioning, repetiteurs help shape ballets to take the stage. Emeralds and Diamonds repetiteur Diana White talks about bringing Balanchine’s signature style to Houston Ballet and working with the world-class company in 2022.
George Balanchine is celebrated as the father of American ballet; his ‘neoclassical’ style and technical approach made his works distinct and recognizable. As a repetiteur, do you find staging Balanchine’s work different from staging other works? What makes Balanchine’s style so unique? Tt ahl ke i sntgy laebios ui tn Bh ea rl aennct hi ni nteh’ se scthyol er ,e mo gorsatppheyo; pi tl’es ws tirlal img hetnf ot irown aarnd .eWl e mh eenn t of daring, an extreme quality. Above all, it’s musical. Great classical e s c x t h e e o c p r u s e t e o e v d g o r b a lv y p e h a d e w f r r s e o l wm l- e t r t r h a e i e n o m e ft d e u , n s c i l m c a . s u I s t s ’ i s i c c a s a l o l , d r b t a u n o t c f e w o r u i , t t t h - h t e h B r e a e r l ’ a e s n ; a i c t h s ’s e i n n v e s e , e r i y t o ’ s o f p a li b e k n a e n . t W d h o e h n e n and freedom with 100% commitment and energy. Jewels’ three acts are distinctly different in most aspects, yet they string together to form one complete ballet. In terms of staging, which aspects of Emeralds and Diamonds make the two acts unique? Which aspects help unify them? What makes them unique is their music. The music evokes different eras and countries. For example, the Emeralds composer Gabriel Fauré is French, and the whole act is chic and elegant; it has a certain serenity...What unifies Jewels ’ acts is the joy of dance. And of course, you have these incredible costumes too, the ‘look.’ It’s like we’re in a heavenly jewel box; it’s a transcendent world. It’s unimaginably beautiful.
6 HOUSTON BALLET
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