Elyse Borne says she loves staging George Balanchine's "Allegro Brillante" because it's so much fun.
"There is so much dancing and it's so difficult, but it looks good, and once the dancers have it down, they can dance to their heart's content," Borne said during a break in rehearsals with Ballet West. "This is a very hard work but very rewarding."
Balanchine's "Allegro Brillante" will be one of four featured works when Ballet West opens its "Evening of Ballets" performances in the Capitol Theatre on Friday, Nov. 2. Curtain is 7:30 p.m. The performances will continue Nov. 3 and Nov. 7-10 at 7:30 p.m., with a 2 p.m. matinee on Nov. 10. Tickets are available at all ArtTix outlets or by calling 355-ARTS.
As part of Nov. 2's evening performance, Ballet West will honor the company's founder, William F. Christensen, who passed away on Oct. 14, with a tribute that will include students of the
Ballet West Academy and the University of Utah ballet department. There will also be a special public memorial service earlier that day from 3-5 p.m. in the Capitol Theatre.
In addition to "Allegro Brillante," the evening will include Hans van Manen's "Solo," Balanchine's "Who Cares?" and Val Caniparoli's "Book of Alleged Dancers."
Borne, who was promoted to soloist in 1983, has known "Allegro Brillante" for quite a long time, she said. "I joined New York City Ballet in 1972 and wanted to be in it then. But at that time, there wasn't a huge turnaround in the dancers. Once they were chosen to do it, they were there for a long time because they didn't want to stop dancing it. I didn't actually dance 'Allegro' until the early '80s, after it had been put on the shelf for a couple of years. When the company brought it back, there were many new dancers in the company. So that's when I was able to do it."
"Allegro Brillante" is an extremely technical work that features a principal couple and an ensemble comprised of four female and four male dancers. New York City Ballet premiered it in 1956 to rave reviews, which included the words "brisk," "declarative" and "contemplative."
"It's a joy to stage because you see the dancers working hard on it," Borne said. "But once you know what you're doing, you can really let loose and dance as big and long as you want. There comes a time when the dancers no longer feel any hindrances in their movements."
The music — Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 3 — will be performed live by the Utah Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Terence Kern.
"The score is famous and the dancing is designed to fit the music," Borne said. "But that's one of the challenges. The music is very straightforward but intricate, and the dancing is very stylistic, but it has a very classical vocabulary."
One thing Borne likes about staging the work is seeing how fast some companies catch on. "We've been practicing for about 3 1/2 days. And we're nearly done. The dancers here in Ballet West are great. There are a lot of new recruits, and I've worked with some of them in other companies."
But no matter the rapport Borne has or had with the dancers at the beginning of the rehearsals, she, as well as the dancers, know that "Allegro" is hard work. "You are very exposed when you are dancing this piece. There are no fancy sets or fancy costumes, and the steps are pure technique. It's hard, so hard. But rewarding.
"And when you're young, like a majority of this company, they have little inhibitions. They find they can do what it takes to get this work onstage."
Borne is no stranger to Ballet West. Last year, she came in and staged Hans van Manen's "Solo," which is being revived for the "Evening of Ballets" run.
"I'm not worried about 'Solo,' because they had done it last year," Borne said. "I'll take a look at it, but the work is done and I'm not going to go over it like I'm going over 'Allegro.' "
"Solo" focuses on three male dancers and zeroes in on strength, agility and even humor, said Borne. "It's a good work for the guys."
E-MAIL: scott@desnews.com