In a few hours our run of Serenade will be over.  We have one performance left to experience the beauty of our incredible dancers in this great masterpiece.  It is my hope that every dancer will take away new inspiration in their chosen careers as professional artists.

I was privileged to dance Serenade often during my performing career with the Boston Ballet. I began in the corps, as all dancers do, and worked my way through the ranks. Sometime during the third or forth staging of Serenade I was cast in a Principal role. It takes many years to process the great imagery and musicality of this seminal work of art.

With a flash of happy nostalgia, I am posting two photos of myself dancing Serenade from the late 1970’s in both the Elegy and Waltz principal roles.  For a dancer, performing in Serenade is complete bliss, and these moments remain among my greatest memories.  

As an artistic director, what I most will take away from this joyous rehearsal period of Serenade is the bonding created among the dancers during the process.  I spent many hours with the women in the company discussing what it means to be a creative artist, how art reflects life, and shared meaningful personal experiences.  The special relationship we forged together brought a unity of purpose.  The result is magic on stage.

Carinne Binda 

A Season Sampler

Hello!

After an exciting weekend of performances and a day off, the dancers were back in the studio today.  The rehearsals today were more Nutcracker based, but don't worry we aren't quite done with the Dracula show just yet. There are still 2 more chances to see it! Actually, I was just thinking today about how this mixed show of Dracula is a good sampler of what is to come in the season. Plus, the three completely different pieces can help you decide which upcoming performances you will enjoy most. For example, if Trey McIntyre's fun and exciting Second Before the Ground was your favorite, be sure to check out the Modern Masters show in March. If George Balanchine's beautiful and breathtaking Serenade was your favorite, then the Genius Series in April is for you. And if you loved the thrilling storyline of Ron Cunningham's Draucla, don't miss The Nutcracker or Cinderella. If you loved them all....well, you know what to do!

The final two shows are this week Thursday and Friday at 7:30! Also, the dancers are really looking forward to Count Dracula's Masquerade Party on Saturday evening...See you there!!

~Katie Miller

Opening Night!!

     Greetings from Dressing Room 3!  It is just about 6:00pm, an hour and a half before the curtain rises on Sacramento Ballet's premier production of the 2011-2012 dance season.  The backstage area of the Community Center Theater is busy as dancers begin to filter out of their dressing rooms and towards the stage for a brief warm up class.  Earlier today we gave a free preview performance of Trey McIntyre's Second Before the Ground and Ron Cunningham's Dracula to an enthusiastic audience of high school students.  This abridged preview performance was an awesome way for the dancers to prepare for our main run of shows and for the Ballet to introduce artistic performance to the next generation - keeping the tradition of the arts alive and prosperous for our future!

     The few hours before opening night are filled with many different emotions.  In performance we must retain all that we have rehearsed throughout the prior weeks, while also expanding our artistry to another level.  These past few days in the theater I have been able to see my fellow dancers transform into beings of higher power, reminding me of the famous quote by Mr. Einstein: "Dancers are the athletes of God".  While on stage, staring into the dark void of the auditorium, there is a sense of inhibition and abadonment from one's self... it is an incomparable feeling that I cherish and can hardly explain in words.

     I have spent most of the late afternoon sitting in my dressing room, which I share with fellow dancers and friends: Stefan Calka & Oliver Adams.  I have kinda been laying low and preparing myself mentally for the evening.  In my dressing room I have hung some pictures to inspire me.  In February 2010, before performing Second Before the Ground, both myself and Darwin Black (a past company member) lost our Grandmothers.  Our performance that year was dedicated to them - and so to keep the tradition alive I have included pictures of all my matriarchs and patriarchs.  My Grandmother, Grandfather, Nana, Mother, Father and a picture of Darwin's Grandma: Bunny.  I also have a note hanging high on my mirror from my departed Grandparents that explains how proud they are of me and how special my gift of dance was to them.  Although none of my Grandparents ever had the opportunity to see me perform in a professional atmosphere I know that they are always watching me and know that they would be proud of me.  In my room I aslo have a small green box, given to me by an old friend - it's a "box of happiness" that includes items like: movie tickets, fortunes, merde or "good luck" cards, notes, comics, buttons, etc... things that remind me of pure joy.

      Here are some pictures of my dressing room and particularly my spot in the middle of it all - please excuse the mess - and hope you enjoy the glimpse into where I reside when not onstage.  HAPPY OPENING NIGHT!!!




Dressing Room 3: Stefan's spot on left, Oliver to the right and me in the middle.  Notice the shoes on the floor - I once heard that it was bad luck to have your performance shoes on your dressing table...so I always make sure to keep them by my feet!




A close up of my inspiration pictures: far left is my mother & father on their wedding day, above that is me playing my Garndma's piano as a little boy, below is my Nana, then a picture of my Grandma & Grandpa, and below that: Darwin's Grandmother "Bunny" sits atop my happy box.

You might also notice my McDonald's Monopoly game pieces, my ever present razor (being Italian = shaving a LOT!), a notebook to jot down corrections, some chocolate for energy and plenty of band-aids - I am kind of accient prone.

     

    

The process is almost done, it's theatre time!

Yesterday we had our last in-studio rehearsal and I believe everyone is quite excited to transition to the theatre and begin performing.  For me, it was an anxious night as I left the studio. It is my job to be sure every dancer feels on top of their game by the time we reach the theatre.  I often feel like a coach for the Olympics, responsible for that one perfect performance. But of course we dance all year long from Sept to May.  I hope to motivate my dancers to make each performance that one perfect performance. I have a reputation of being a hard task master, but I am always hardest on myself.  Today I ask myself if I have uncovered every self conscious moment of doubt a dancer struggles with in their quest for perfection. 

Earlier today, I threw away at least 100 pages of notes from various run through's.  Those notes were no longer valid because our journey of transitioning from studio to stage is a completely different experience.  It is both exciting and challenging.  If I have prepared the dancers well, it should go smoothly.  I won't know, however, until opening night if I have I taught them everything they need to know to feel the same incredible exaltation I felt as a dancer in Serenade?  I will share my personal experience of dancing Serenade with the Boston Ballet in my next entry.

Carinne Binda

Fun in the Sun

Yesterday was our day off and since it was such a beautiful day, a group of us dancers decided to do something fun.  We went to Negro Bar, a state park in Folsom that has lots of trails and places to swim.  We spent the afternoon jumping off a giant rock into the lake.  It was sunny and super hot, but the water was freezing and it felt great.  It was so nice to spend time with friends outside of the studio, doing something outdoors and feeling like you're revisiting summer one last time...it was a great, relaxing thing to do before we start all the craziness of moving into the theater this week.  Here are some pictures from the day...you'll see we even managed to fit in a little Serenade rehearsal :)

See you all at the shows this weekend!

--Ava

She's Down!

Hello,

On Saturday I danced "Russian Girl" in Serenade, one of the 3 soloist parts.  It is an absolute dream to be able to work on this part.  It is a dream to dance any part in Serenade, corps or soloist. Anyway, I had been taking care of an injury so Saturday was the first time I had run Russian in more then a week!  I felt pretty nervous.  The directors and dancers plus my parents and husband were watching and I wanted to do the part right. Here is how my first entrance went.......

Somehow it didn't hurt at all. It was like I landed on a foam mat or something that bounced me right back up into fourth position, and on the beat too! 

Til soon,

Chloe Horne

Midtown Modern Arts Festival and Pub Crawl

Hello!

Did you get out and about today and head to the Midtown Modern Arts Festival? We had a fantastic afternoon! After much anticipation, we finally "mobbed midtown"! Thank you to everyone who participated in our Thriller Flashmob.  The dancers had so much fun preparing this, and we are happy that so many people got involved and came out to support the arts.  You can watch videos of it on the Sacramento Ballet's Facebook page.  We also performed Ballet du Murphy, some Living Sculpture, and excerpts from our upcoming performance of Dracula.

This evening was also the Midtown Vampire Pub Crawl, which included stops at Lounge on 20, Capital Garage, Dive Bar, and Crest Theatre.  If you missed the chance to chat with the dancers tonight, be sure to get your tickets to Count Dracula's Masquerade Party! It's going to be an awesome event on October 29th. Don't miss out!!

Tonight is also our Dusk til Dawn sale. Get 20% off your tickets to Dracula until 7am tomorrow (Sunday) morning. Our first performance is less than 1 week away!!

~Katie Miller

Thriller Flashmob

The cat is finally out of the bag... or perhaps in this case, "the vampire is out of the coffin".  Sacramento Ballet will be hosting it's Flashmob tomorrow, October 15th on 20th Street, between J & K.  The Flashmob should start around 3:30pm - so make sure to get there in plenty of time to either participate or join in the fun!

The Sacramento Ballet Dancers will also be performing a few excerpts from their anticipated performances of "Dracula" at 4:30pm at the same location during Sacramento's "Artober" festival.  After you enjoy the festivities - keep the party going as the Ballet hosts a VAMPIRE pub crawl... stopping at some great locations and ending with a costume contest at the Crest Theater and a special showing of the movie Planet of the Vampire Women.

If you have yet to buy your tickets for our upcoming performances...tomorrow we are having our "Dusk til Dawn" ticket sale. Purchase your tickets from 7pm to 7am the following morning and receive 20% off your ticket order!

For more information on all these events and specials, please make sure to visit our website: http://www.sacballet.org/  THANKS!

Serenade Talks

How do you look at dance?  How do you talk about it?

Our Dracula Bits & Bites blog invites audiences to read ahead on the ballets they’ll see in the next couple of weeks and to follow along the Sacramento Ballet’s journey to prepare for those performances.  Perhaps you’ll think about your previous experiences watching dance, recalling what you liked or didn’t like, what you felt you connected with or what seemed foreign or unintelligible to you. Can you remember moments within a dance that conjured joy, sympathy, grief, anger, or confusion?  Did a choreographer’s point of view ever surprise you? Bore you? Has a music choice ever satisfied you, or irritated you?  Can you remember a visual image that brought forth tears, for better or for worse? Or that made you think deeply about a problem?  Maybe you interpreted your reactions in ways that helped you to understand a situation of your world differently. Or, more aware of life’s complexities, perhaps you left the theater with unanswered questions.

While typical dancer preparations include daily technique class and rehearsals plus in-studio showings and free events for the public, we also reflect on our artistic process of creating dances and on our crafting process of refining them. For ballets that already have been performed and whose choreographer no longer can oversee or wishes make changes to them (including George Balanchine, who died in 1983), our restoration method includes upholding the work’s integrity while discovering our own interpretations of the dances, thereby adding to their infinite stores of possible meanings. Balanchine’s Serenade receives particularly special treatment among the repertory at the Sacramento Ballet. 

Sacramento Ballet dancers in George Balanchine's Serenade. Photo by Alex Biber

Artistic Director Carinne Binda, who performed two of the three female lead roles and nearly every of 17 ensemble spots as a dancer with the Boston Ballet, has returned to Serenade many times in her life. (This season marks the fifth year the Sacramento Ballet has performed it, always under her guidance.) Like many dancers, she finds Serenade provides its cast with learning opportunities as it offers audiences Balanchine’s crystalline vision of Tchaikovsky’s musical score.  Carinne schedules occasional half-hour “Serenade talks” within our rehearsal days to congregate the company women and to discuss nuances of the ballet. 

Artistic Director Carinne Binda. Photo by Alex Biber

Dancers have vocalized diverse, imaginative readings of the choreography. (More to come on those in future posts.) But a common thread ran through our most recent conversation.  In sharing her point of view from inside the ballet, each woman referenced the spirit of teamwork both required to execute Serenade and naturally elicited by dancing it.  Throughout the ballet, each dancer must put forth her individual best effort.  Several women described a feeling of interdependence both among the corps and as the corps and soloists relate, knowing that everyone is counting on you to do your part as you are counting on them to do theirs. One moment in the opening movement of the ballet involves groupings of four or five women performing different sequences of steps in lines at different angles and in multiple places on stage. Then, suddenly, all the subgroups sweep together to form a single diagonal line.  The dancers move together briefly, then rush offstage one by one like a wave rolling in to shore.  All dancers must be keenly aware of how her part fits into her group’s, and how each group fits into the architecture of the stage, in order for the audience to see clearly the intent of the choreography and be able to conjure their own ideas from the pattern.

Dancer Chloe Horne imagines this part of the ballet as a water park in which each group swirls, twists, and flows as if each its own ride.  I imagine each group comprises a species within a tropical ecosystem.  Why tropical? Because, even though we are all dressed simply and identically, each group’s dynamic looks as distinct and colorful as plant, animal, and insect varieties in a rainforest.

I hope you’ll return to this blog following a performance and post a response with your own reading.

--Emily Hite

NEIGH... I'm a horse!

So in week five I have to say that I am having so much fun. Not only do we as dancers get to experience the beautiful artistry that Trey Mcntyre creates in "Second Before the Ground," or the masterful classic of "Serenade" by George Balanchine, but I personally have been having a hilarious blast with one of the other company members, Alex Biber. We have been cast as the role of "The Chariot Horse" in Ron Cunningham's "Dracula." Now mind you that is not all that I am in Dracula, and that is not all that I do in the performance. This role is small, but is becoming a hilarious and humbling experience, only because of the costumes we must wear. Though effective for the stage,  they are so funny when the whole costume is finally put on. We have to wear these incredibly huge helmets that are sculpted to look like a horse head, with bulging red ruby eyes. However, what puts it all into its funny perspective for me, is the huge amount of horse hair that is connected to the head. When Alex and I put on these fun costumes, we find ourselves playing in the mirror, rather then listening to company notes (luckily we haven't been too much of annoyance to Ron and Carinne while we have these costumes to play in). Included are these grey unitards that have bulging in the muscular parts of the body, including the chest (lol). I personally wouldn't mind wearing the unitard for class someday, especially if it makes me look more muscular than I already am.
Alex and I are always coming up with ideas of what other popular songs we could dance to in these costumes. My personal favorite is from the movie "Flash Dance." People who have seen the movie could obviously use their imaginations.
Now even though it may seem as though I could be having too much fun in these chariot horse costumes, I must admit that they are perfect for the ballet "Dracula." When added with the lighting and other technical aspects it takes to run a performance, you will find that the costume is quite effective for the scene the chariot horses take place. Though in order to see these costumes, you must come to see the show for yourselves. It is filled with everything, from your life in a flash before you hit the ground, to the romantic, and ethereal classic that can last a lifetime, and ending with a horrific tale of blood, and lust. Come experience it with us!!!................. Roberto Cisneros

"Ohhs" and "Ahhs"

It was just another day at the Sacramento Ballet, the dancers started off their morning with Carinne’s class followed by a few rehearsals.  We were sitting in the silent studio; putting on our pointe shoes, stretching, or just taking a break, when all of the sudden we heard a roar of children’s’ voices coming down the block. Well, here we go, with about a week until the Sacramento Ballet moves into the theatre, we had the opportunity to run our upcoming program in front of three classes of elementary students from one of our Leaps and Bounds schools.  It certainly added a lot of fun for us to hear all of the kids “ohhs” and “ahhs” and of course the occasional laughs!  I particularly enjoyed a part in Balanchine’s Serenade when I was so close to a couple of children they tried to touch my pointe shoes!  Probably not the safest idea, but it certainly made me smile!

With such a short time left, I cannot wait to move into the theatre and start performing (which is my favorite part of being a professional dancer)!  I love being able to share my love for dance with my audience.  I have been working very hard and have had so much fun with this repertoire; I cannot wait to share it with you!

Lauryn Winterhalder

More than paint

I've been having some thoughts about the wonderful art form I'm a part of. I don't think it's better, worse, or more or less important than other forms of expression. These are just some reasons I appreciate dance. 

A painter's paint does not develop inflamed tendons, have mood swings, illness, or bad turning days. A painter can control his medium without the risk of offending it. He doesn't have to worry about the feelings of red if the painting he is working on calls for blue. The finished product can be perfected and will stay the way the painter leaves it. A choreographer's medium is as complex as you are and more so because they usually work with multiple dancers. I have great admiration and respect for the brave people that have committed their time, talents, and more than I can probably imagine to be choreographers. Because the medium is so alive, because no performance is perfectly the same or exactly the way the choreographer intended it to be, because the medium understands what it is to be human, dance reaches and touches in an essential way. I am moved by watching dance. It is a precious part of life. Please relish it, support it, watch it, and do some dancing yourself.

Chloe Horne

A Sacramento Ballet Sunday

Hello everyone!

I'm sure you were probably thinking the dancers of the Sacramento Ballet had a nice, beautiful, and relaxing day off today, right? Well, we actually had quite the day! Did you see us on the news this morning? Some of the dancers were at the studio bright and early to promote our performaces of Dracula and our upcoming Flash Mob on Good Day Sacramento! Others performed the funny "Ballet de Murphy" two times thoughout the day. In between all of that, we continued our rehearsals for Dracula, Serenade, and Second Before the Ground.  Also, this evening when I got home, I posted my newest video! Check it out by clicking on the link below. The shows will be here in no time, so I hope everyone has their tickets!

Keep connected with all of the Ballet's upcoming events through our Facebook page or the Sacramento Ballet website. There are a lot of great events coming up, so you don't want to miss out!

Week 4 Serenade preview:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUIP5KIG-B4

Enjoy!
Katie Miller

Second Saturday-Charlotte Munson

Hey everyone, this is Charlotte and I'm so excited to be starting my first season with Sacramento Ballet this year!

Tonight after rehearsals, a group of us performed Michael Jackson's "Thriller" dance at various locations during Second Saturday to build excitement and awareness for our upcoming flash mob.  We all had a lot of fun and I'm sure were hard to miss in our Sac Ballet shirts and tutus!  Fellow dancer Chris Nachtrab taught the Thriller dance to a packed studio earlier in the evening, but even if you missed out, don't worry!  There's still time to be a part of the flash mob, young or old, we'd love to have you!  Be sure to check out these videos where Chris will break down the dance and follow us on Facebook to stay informed.  If you've never participated in a flash mob before, now is your chance, and if you have, I don't need to tell you how much fun they are!

Part One:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GIIZcCSVh0

 

Part Two:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qeYp1rpQ3sw&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL

A New Stage of Acting- Alex Stewart

A month or so ago when I saw my name on the cast list for Dracula I had a difficult time grasping the fact that I was about to dance my first notable character role in a ballet: Renfield. I've been involved with theatre since I was a little kid, but only decided to embark on a completely new adventure (ballet) just a few years ago. I remember seeing performances of Nutcracker, Wild Sweet Love, and, of course, Dracula as a child and teenager. As I watched dancers like Stefan Calka perform, the thought of being up there with them seemed impossible. However, I'm now sitting across from Stefan, eating peanut butter sandwiches and discussing our last Dracula/Renfield rehearsal.
This part truly has been a dream come true. It has, however, challenged me more than any role I've ever been given. It's been difficult learning how to portray a crazy person while also remaining calm and in control. I'm having the time of my life anyway, and can't wait to finally get onstage!

Alex Stewart (apprentice)

Summer all over the place!

After an exciting first season with a company that typically runs a mile with every donated inch , the summer break felt like I'd suddenly been sent to detention where I should sit and think about my actions over the past season. By July I was finally used to the hectic schedule and the exciting shows we were always performing, when suddenly the break left me not knowing what to do with myself.

Immediately after the last shows of Beer and Ballet, fellow dancer Alexandra Cunningham and I participated in the 'Applegate studio company's' production of the Firebird where Alex danced the title role and I was Prince Ivan. Over the following few weeks we rehearsed the pas de deux and the various mime sections and had the privilege of working with some really fun kids. The dancers training with Lisa Applegate made such fun monsters in the final scene and the senior girls created elegant princesses. After dancing so many fun solo roles with Sac Ballet it was great to work on a pas de deux from a story ballet, where I could strengthen partnering skills as well as develop the character of prince Ivan, a part unlike anything I've danced before.

Having said all that, I also had the opportunity to get painted in blue, where a muscle-suit and lip-sync the words to an Aladdin classic 'Never had a friend like me!' in their Disney dances piece. This was a collection of Disney inspired dances that opened the show. It was a real experience going absolutely crazy as the genie from Aladdin; surrounded by harem dancers and having glitter shot down from above, only to then frantically wash off the thick blue make-up and prepare for the more serious, classical ballet 'the Firebird'.

After an action packed month, I then spent a week with family in Chicago before a month of catching up with old friends in London. A camping trip in France for 11 days with family in weather conditions that weren't always so dry was testing at times but generally nice- I learnt I'm not the best at camping! Returning to Chicago a 21 year old was liberating and a bit too much fun, by this time I was very much looking forward to another season in Sacramento. In a matter of days, an opportunity to choreograph for the Utah regional Ballet was arranged which meant I got to experience a week in Orem, Utah and choreograph on a new bunch of dancers I had never seen before which was a really awesome week!

It's great to return to the Sacramento family and dive straight into dancing at full force again. Looks like it's gonna be a good one... watch this space!

Rex Wheeler

To Bite or Not To Bite...

The Sacramento Ballet studios are full of excitement these days as we continue to prepare for our October repertoire series, opening on October 22.  The studios are filled with the beautiful music of Tchaikovsky as the women of the company immerse themselves in the difficult and ever-vibrant choreography of Mr. Balanchine and respectively the company dancers work tirelessly to bring the joy and precise attack to the brilliant work of Trey McIntyre, featured in his exuberant ballet “Second Before the Ground”.  Although these two pieces of repertoire consistently force me to work to my limits (especially my opening solo in Mr. McIntyre’s piece), I have also been given a great challenge by my artistic directors in Ron Cunnignham’s Dracula, in which I will play both the role of Count Dracula and Jonathon Harker.

In the same rehearsal as Count Dracula

In the same rehearsal as Jonathon Harker



            While I continue to be a huge supporter of ballets, whereas there is no story to support the basis for the movement – as is apparent in most all Balanchine ballet and many contemporary works – I love ballets that allow me to explore the development of specific characters within a plot.  In rehearsals with Mr. Cunningham I must not only work on the difficult movements, but am required to create two separate and very different personas of two men (one alive and one undead) who are extreme polar opposites.  As Dracula I must transform myself into a deranged being of passionate blood lust – with a spirit of incomparable confidence and power over others.  I have been trying to research the history of vampire lore and especially that of the character of Dracula, as created by Bram Stoker – who offers a preface on how and why Dracula is the damned form that he is.  I think the understanding of the history of a character is invaluable in any portrayal.  Although the character of Jonathon Harker is perhaps not as complex as that of the Count, his character and presence within the ballet is vital – representing the image, spirit and passion of man.  He is the embodiment of the universal fear and tentative nature that all people experience at one point in their lives – whether it be the mysterious creatures under the bed that you fear as a child or the equivalent feeling that we may experience walking down a strange street in a dangerous neighborhood.  As Harker I must create a character that is submerged into a world of disturbed beings and unnatural creatures and who must face these fears in order to protect his love.

            As rehearsals continue I am beginning to create a fine definition of characterization – although I admit there are still moments in rehearsals (when I must play both characters within the same 30 minute time frame) that I find myself forgetting who I am supposed to be.  Today it became a little clearer to distinguish my separate roles, since we added the complication of Count Dracula’s cape, which was surprisingly much more difficult than I expected!  Hopefully during the shows I will remember when to bite or not to bite… which at this moment in time seems to be the real question.

BloodSource all day!

Today was definitely not a typical work day!  Instead of spending the day in the studio, fellow dancers Alex B., Alex S., Kelly, Tracy, Dakota, Charlotte and I spent most of the day at Sacramento's BloodSource center promoting our upcoming performance of Dracula as well as the many fun events scheduled this month.  Every blood donor that came in today was offered a two-for-one coupon for our performances this month, and we were there in costume to tell everyone more about the show and get them excited for upcoming events this month including a vampire pub crawl on Oct. 15 and Count Dracula's Masquerade on Oct. 29.  Overall it was a really successful collaboration between BloodSource and the Sacramento Ballet.  People were genuinely excited about coming to the show and supporting the ballet.  One man in particular, Mike, a regular blood donor at BloodSource, became really excited not just for Dracula, but for the entire upcoming season after speaking to us dancers.  So, mission accomplished!!  Here are a few pics from the day:

Julia Feldman

September! What a month for Sacramento Ballet!

Photos By Alexander Biber

Q & A with Dr. John

A favorite friend of the dancers of the Sacramento Ballet and a longtime supporter of the company,  John de la Vega, MD (known affectionately around the studio as “Dr. John”) joined me for a brief interview this afternoon.  Also a ballet superfan, he even watched the run of Serenade that preceded our meeting.  I scheduled it that way on purpose, but still.  The man loves his ballet.

EMILY HITE: How long have you been following the Sacramento Ballet?

JOHN DE LA VEGA: Seven years. 

EH: What draws you to performances?

JDLV: It’s a combination of the athleticism, the music, the storytelling, and the acting that comes together in such a way that no other art form can match. 

EH: What about opera?

JDLV: The problem with opera is, it doesn’t have any movement. 

Ballet builds on the basics—the most basic yearnings of people. Love, love lost. Nothing else gets me this way. Well, Gilligan’s Island does. It’s actually trying to be funny in a funny way.

EH:  What draws you to the Sacramento Ballet, specifically?

JDLV: I think it’s the ability to connect with the individuals.  The way they can tell a story or show emotion on the stage, that everyone’s not the same.  It really makes for a cast of characters that’s interesting to watch.

EH: What are you looking forward to seeing in the October performances at the Community Center Theater?

JDLV: [With respect to Ron Cunningham’s Dracula,] it’s nice to match the piece to the season. There’s the mysticism of the Balanchine piece, the excitement of the McIntyre piece. 

EH: What would you like to see more of at the Ballet?

JDLV:  I prefer more classic pieces.

Works where the whole company has roles to play, pieces that can showcase each dancer’s individuality and strengths, pieces that the dancers are excited about themselves, because then it really shows through.

EH: What would you tell a friend who’s never been to the ballet to expect on a first visit?

JDLV: “It’s all about men in tights.” Just kidding.

Well, people I tell to go usually have kids, and everybody in the family gets something out of it.

EH: How does what you see on stage or in the studio connect to your own life?

JDLV: Gets me out of the house. 

All I see all day is disease and suffering in my work, and it’s great to see, these days, activity in young adults in peak physical shape. It’s fun to watch people with skills and abilities that I don’t personally have: acting in front of others on a stage, having physical abilities to dance and leap and jump and act.

EH: You’re a peak-form athlete: a bicyclist.

JDLV: In one direction. Doing one thing. 

Seeing the trend of most people away from health and fitness as well as the classical arts of Western civ., it’s refreshing to see another young generation carrying it on, even without much in terms of monetary compensation.  It’s  refreshing to see any young person answering a calling these days.

EH: Why “these days”?

JDLV: Oh, these days are just terrible!

I don’t know.  I think it’s because there are so many different directions for people to go these days in terms of their life—personal relationships, jobs, careers.

EH: Why do you choose to support the ballet financially?

JDLV: Tax deduction.

Well, there’s really no other part of our culture that plays such a central role in the community.  Usually the theaters are in the center of the city across from city hall—very dramatic buildings.  There’s some underlying importance to the position in which we hold them. It’s a social endeavor with a way to connect to the other artists in the community.  It’s great seeing an entire school built around the company [the Sacramento Ballet Center for Dance Education].

EH: Why not spend towards a political campaign? Venture capital? Weapons proliferation?

JDLV: I think more than enough money is put towards those areas and there’s no dedicated taxes that go specifically towards the arts as in other countries.  [Sacramento Ballet has not been a beneficiary of NEA funding.] 

I believe in helping those in your own communities, keeping the money local.  Helping those that directly make your life better, rather than sending money off to some third party far, far away, which results in a diluting effect.

EH: Why has this made your life better?

JDLV: I guess it’s a direct link to the community giving me contact with hundreds of people, both people in the company and audience members. That I can help bring it to the stage and have literally thousands of people enjoy it gives me more satisfaction than seeing it, myself.

EH: We’re glad you feel that way.

Anything else you’d like to say that I haven’t asked you?

JDLV: [Recites narration of a Swan Lake mime sequence between Odette and Prince Siegfried at the lake. I am impressed.]