Olivia Barbieri: Vancouver's ballet scene embraces a contemporary vision

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      By Olivia Barbieri

      Two very different images come to mind when the words ballet and contemporary are mentioned together. The first conjures traditional white tutus and pointe shoes, while the other is more free-spirited, with floor work and socks half on.

      So how and why did these two worlds collide and create one of the most prominent styles performed by ballet companies in Canada?

      A show is good so long as tickets are sold, and it becomes great when patrons leave wanting to watch it over and over. (Although only when the audience can truly relate and feel what the artists are communicating does it become exceptional.)

      Jaymie Cristobal

      When dance companies only aim to meet the first criterion, they may find themselves not performing to their fullest potential. At the end of the day, dance companies are businesses and need to turn a profit (or at least break even), even though the reason they exist in the first place is to tell a story. The dancer’s job is to speak a million words through something as simple as a leg extension or fouetté. If the audience doesn’t follow, can’t relate, or is simply bored, the show is at risk.

      It is for the above reasons why ballet in Vancouver has started to change its approach in the past few years to a more neoclassical, or contemporary, ballet path. Both audience and dancers were ready for something new and fresh, which the contemporary-ballet genre fits perfectly. This is a style of dance that combines the technique of ballet with contemporary movements and storytelling.

      Many people know the Nutcracker ballet and its story line: we may not to be able to relate to a giant mouse king coming on Christmas Eve, but we enjoy it nonetheless. However, other classical-ballet pieces that may be performed throughout the season are a bit harder to follow and relate to. Les Sylphides, for example, is a non-narrative ballet that is more focused on movement and emotion and can sometimes make the audience feel lost while watching. Beautiful and dainty as it is, classical ballet can be a difficult style to which one can relate and fully understand the dancer’s stories.

      By its very nature, though, contemporary dance is raw, emotion-filled, and tells stories of heartache, survival, hope, and love, things that all patrons can relate to. Its style provides the outline of a story, but I think the most impactful aspect is that you can empathize and fill in the blanks from your experiences.

      Classical ballet, on the other hand, offers, well, a more classic view on things: intricate footwork, sky-high leg extensions, and a fairy-tale edge that makes the routine look elegant, soft, and effortless—which doesn’t always leave room for real-life application.

      Vancouver’s Ballet BC calls itself a “contemporary ballet company” and has been since 2009, when its current artistic director, Emily Molnar, took over. With more than 40 original works performed since then, the company has found itself thriving artistically through international tours and attracting highly sought-after choreographers that bring new life to its repertoire.

      Jaymie Cristobal

      Dancers trained in classical ballet offer discipline, poise, technique, and adaptability, which lay the foundation for strong performance in a variety of genres. With that strong background, contemporary steps can be elongated and made more powerful. Incorporating the two styles ensures that both expression and technique are topnotch.

      Ballet BC has struck the perfect balancé of the two, with exceptional dancers and some of the best choreographers in the world. Renowned Spanish choreographer Cayetano Soto placed first with his ballet 24FPS at the Uncontainable Project with the Royal Ballet of Flanders in 2006. In 2011, he received a nomination for the prestigious Golden Mask award in Russia. He signed on as resident choreographer with Ballet BC in 2015 for three seasons.

      One of Soto’s best examples of contemporary ballet is his Fugaz. It wasn’t created for Ballet BC but had its Canadian premiere with the company at the Queen Elizabeth Theate on November 3, 2016. The piece shares heartbreak, loss, and celebration of life. For Soto, it’s about his father’s battle with cancer, but to the audience, it may have meant 2,929 different things for each person who sat in the Queen Elizabeth Theatre.

      The dancers enhance and tell the story through their beautifully precise movements. A piece that is strong in both technique and story, like Fugaz, is what brings people in and keeps them engaged.

      It’s a new time for ballet, and Vancouver is embracing it, with Ballet BC, arguably, producing some of its best work ever. Through routines that challenge the dancers, fill the seats, and speak to the audience, this new era of dance is thriving and exciting.

       

      Olivia Barbieri is a Grade 11 student at Guildford Park Secondary School and is enrolled in its Humanities Co-op program. She has been taking ballet classes since she was three years old.