“Ballet in Scarlet and Gray” will celebrate both Ohio’s bicentennial and BalletMet’s 25th anniversary through a collaborative effort at the Mershon Center.
Combining the talents of the Ohio State University Band, wind ensemble and dance department , the performance will team OSU up with BalletMet’s professional dance team. This program is comprised of three distinct sections: the Gershwin dances, choreographed by Dave Nixon, the “Gazebo Dances,” by renowned Canadian choreographer James Kudelka, and “Across the Field,” by Susan Hadley of OSU’s dance department.
Russ Mikkelson, director of University Band, said he is excited about this original opportunity.
“I received a phone call from Jerard Charles and he asked if we wanted to be involved in a collaboration with BalletMet. He obviously received our compact disc that we made a few years ago. We made a specific piece that he wanted us to play; we recorded it and sent it out,” said Mikkelson.
Charles, a director for BalletMet, helped promote the idea of introducing OSU’s wind ensemble cast to perform a piece for its 25th anniversary this year. Working alongside James Kudelka, Charles gained his support in incorporating OSU in a fast-paced ensemble entitled “Gazebo Dances.”
“James Kudelka is a very wonderful choreographer, very intrigued by the winds symphony. He seconded that, and did the ‘Gazebo Dances,’ ” Charles said. “That was part two — we knew the director for the jazz ensemble, it was great to get him involved in the Gershwin ensembles.”
The Gershwin ensemble incorporates songs from “Girl Crazy” such as “Embraceable You” and “I’ve Got Rhythm.” Dr. Ted McDaniel, conductor for the jazz ensemble, is looking forward to the performances
“My students are excited — it’s been a real pleasure to work with a professional dance company,” McDaniel said.
While many ballet performances follow traditional lines, this performance is something more inviting to those with little prior experience with ballet.
“It’s a great introduction to the ballet. If you think of the kinds of things conjured up in your mind you think about ballet, I think the typical student wouldn’t be that interested,” Mikkelson said. “What we have is easy to understand, fun to listen to — I think it would be almost like a primmer who would want to attend and have a nice time feeling what it would be like to attend a ballet.”
This performance starts slow and begins to quickly gain energy through an intense pace. Mikkelson said the dancers move so quickly through the Gershwin and Gazebo dances that they are exhausted at the end.
“We can only do one rehearsal,” he said.
In creating this performance for the students, both BalletMet and the university have enjoyed the collaboration. Mikkelson said the professional dancers were very accommodating to any suggestions he made in regard to the music. Hadley has been impressed with the results of her work between the two organizations.
“My cast has students of enormous talents — the two casts of dancers have integrated beautifully,” she said.
Hadley said she really thinks students would enjoy her piece, “Across the Field,” where the OSU marching band does its final piece with 25 dancers representing both BalletMet and OSU.
“It speaks to the student experience at OSU and you can feel the Ohio State tradition in this work,” Hadley said.
“Ballet in Scarlet and Gray” will be performed at the Mershon Center March 13-16. Student admission is $10 with a valid college ID, and each performance will run approximately an hour and a half.
“This is a great break from studying for finals. There’s over 100 students participating in this event and it’s right on campus,” Hadley said.
