NJ Ballet kicks off season at Mayo PAC
The organizers of the New Jersey Ballet want audiences to know that classical ballet involves more than nutcrackers, swans and sleeping beauties.
Their solution? They are sending their dancers to war.
The Livingston-based company is beginning its 2015-2016 season with “Warriors of the Ballet.” The program will be danced at the Mayo Performing Arts Center on Saturday.
The pieces that make up “Warriors of the Ballet” have been carefully selected to reflect the rich diversity in the dance world, according to Carolyn Clark, founder and director of the New Jersey Ballet.
“There’s quite a variety here,” says Clark. “The common threads of all the pieces are drama, spectacular dancing and beautiful music.”
One of the pieces — “Three Riddles of Turandot” — alone exemplifies several styles of movement, notes Paul McRae, assistant artistic director.
The work was commissioned by New Jersey Ballet from choreographer Nai Ni Chen and premiered at the Mayo Center in 2009.
The piece was inspired by the Puccini opera “Turandot,” in which a Chinese princess may only marry the man who answers three apparently unsolvable riddles; suitors who give the wrong answers are put to death.
“It’s a beautiful work,” says McRae. “It has traditional Chinese dance movements and modern dance infused with ballet.”
The second item on the program is “Combat” by William Dollar based on a portion of the epic poem “Jerusalem Delivered.”
Set during the Crusades, the piece depicts a Saracen princess facing a group of European soldiers.
Rounding out the program are selections from two of the most famous ballets in the modern repertoire, “Swan Lake” and “Sleeping Beauty.”
“Warriors of the Ballet” kicks off what Clark and McRae feel will be a particularly strong season for New Jersey Ballet.
In December, the company will bring its production of “The Nutcracker” back to the Mayo Performing Arts Center for 14 performances. This year, however, the dancers will have live musical accompaniment, courtesy of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra.
In 2016, the New Jersey Ballet will present its program of opera and ballet, as well as full productions of “Sleeping Beauty,” “Cinderella” and “Don Quixote.”
Reflecting on the new season, Clark says she is proud of the New Jersey Ballet’s reputation and accomplishments.
“The company is where I would like it to be in many ways,” Clark notes. “(We have) a wonderful group of dancers from around the world: Brazil, Armenia, Russia, Japan and the United Sates. They bring a wealth of talent to our state and audiences. We have a good relationship with nine venues from Bergen to Cape May where we present over 50 performances and events annually for the people of New Jersey,” Clark adds. “And we have had the opportunity to travel internationally. We, of course, always want to expand our repertory, increase performances, (and) introduce talented young dancers and choreographers.”
She points out that New Jersey Ballet has expanded its outreach to people with disabilities.
“Our audio description service for the visually impaired has been increased, as have sensory friendly programs for children with autism,” she says.
The great challenge for the company — as it is for many arts institutions, particularly in the classical realm — is building an audience. Clark feels that “Warriors of the Ballet” serves the function of attracting the interest of the public to ballet.
“We have a wonderful program that is exciting and interesting,” she says. “We’re introducing audiences to what dance can be.”
WARRIORS OF THE BALLET
WHEN: 8 p.m. Saturday
WHERE: Mayo Performing Arts Center, 100 South St., Morristown
TICKETS: $29 to $59
INFO: 973-539-8008, www.mayoarts.org or www.njballet.org