Gugulethu Ballet Project / photo by Andrew Warth
Center in New York and the Alvin Ailey School in New York. On December 18, Gugulethu Ballet Project will host a conversation between American Ballet Theatre principal dancer Misty Copeland and Laurene Powell Jobs, at City Arts and Lectures in San Francisco. All proceeds from the event will go to sup- porting the Gugulethu Ballet Project. Copeland herself got her start in ballet at an outreach program, the San Pedro Boys and Girls Club. She also serves as the figure- head for the American Ballet Theatre diver- sity initiative Project Plié and as a passion- ate advocate for breaking down economic and racial barriers to ballet training. As she writes in her memoir Life in Motion , “ [A]mong disadvantaged children, or children of color who are often not exposed to this art form, I believe that ballet provides much to learn.” The December 18 event promises to be an enlightening discussion of diversity in ballet from one of its most visible trailblazers. For her part, Elliott views diversity of body type, skin color, background, and ex- perience as absolutely essential to growing the art form of ballet. She has personally
Gugulethu Ballet Project / photo courtesy of artist
witnessed how changing the demograph- ics of ballet enriches and broadens its aes- thetic. In 2008, Elliott brought a ballet by Bay Area choreographer Amy Seiwert, The Gift , to stage in South Africa. Elliott and original cast member Emily Hite taught the piece to the dancers as meticulously and as accurately as possible. “We wanted to hon- or Amy,” Elliott recalls. But when the piece was finished, the two women stepped back and said, “This is a new dance.” Even while dancing the same steps, the South African dancers brought a different energy that transformed the choreography of the ballet. Elliott reflects, “I just always learn so much more than I give in South Africa. There’s a reciprocation of learning. They teach me
about what is valuable in life - about com- munity, family, and music.” Every small donation to Gugulethu Bal- let Project counts to assist with tuition, the nutrition program, ballet shoes, and salaries for the South African dance teachers. While the needs in the township might seem lim- itless, Elliott maintains a characteristically positive attitude. “One by one, you help one by one. And what seems to be sort of an overwhelming task, to look at these beauti- ful talented children, and they have nothing in the world, but the power of dance can change their lives.”
CARRIE GAISER CASEY, PhD is a dance research- er and writer who serves on the Board of the Gugulethu Ballet Project. Since 2011 she has taught dance history for the LEAP program at St. Mary’s College. Currently Carrie is researching the working processes of choreographers Cathy Marston and Annabelle Lopez Ochoa through a grant from the San Francisco Ballet.
Gugulethu Ballet Project presents Misty Copeland in Conversation with Laurene Powell Jobs: Nourse Theater, SF, Dec 18, gugulethuballetproject.org
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in dance DEC 2017
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