Daisy Buchanan (Ekaterina Lukianova) and Jay Gatsby (Arsenty Lazarev) dancing in “The Great Gatsby” ballet, coming to Davidson Theatre April 15. Credit: Courtesy of Gulya Hartwick
Welcome to the ‘20s.
No, not the 2020s, but the Roaring ‘20s — a time of economic prosperity, social change and, of course, luxurious parties.
Ballet fans will soon step back in time with the World Ballet Company’s brand-new ballet, “The Great Gatsby,” which will bring F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic American novel to life at the Davidson Theatre Tuesday at 7 p.m.
According to the company’s website, the production recounts Nick Carraway’s experiences with millionaire Jay Gatsby — who happens to be deeply in love with Carraway’s cousin, Daisy Buchanan — telling a complex story of wealth, love, betrayal and tragedy.
“The story is so cinematographic, and there were a few adaptations in film,” said Gulya Hartwick, co-founder of the WBC. “We just wanted so badly to transfer that story to the stage for our audiences to see.”
According to the WBC website, audience members will follow the story of Carraway, Gatsby and Buchanan through elaborate choreography by acclaimed choreographer Ilya Zhivoy and bold, era-accurate costumes by designer Sonya Vartanyan.
Attendees can also expect to hear an original, jazz-inspired score by award-winning film composer Anna Drubich, the website states. Having composed scores for notable movies like “Barbarian,” “Fear Street: 1944” and the Oscar-winning documentary “NAVALNY,” Drubich will help bring a blockbuster feel to the classical production, Hartwick said.
A party guest (Aria Saha) performs a lyrical piece surrounded by fellow cast members in “The Great Gatsby,” a feature not commonly seen in ballets. Credit: Courtesy of Gulya Hartwick
Even so, this production has a different look and feel when compared to many others, said Aria Saha, who has played a party guest in the production for the past two months but has since left the show. In an art form where stories are primarily told through bodily movement and expression, “The Great Gatsby” bends the rules to include a vocal performance by Saha’s character herself.
“It was a big risk because in the world of ballet, they are very conservative, and [the producers] didn’t know what to expect or how the audience would react, how the critics would react,” Saha said. “But, I think sometimes when you’re breaking the rules, it’s important. I think because I’m the only person who can speak — because I’m singing a song in the show — it creates a unique moment. It creates a union between the artist and guest because that’s the moment when both of them can kind of speak up.”
Saha said when she performed on stage, the energy in theaters would change drastically.
Classic ballets, she said, typically have a calm, quiet environment that crowds are often hesitant to react in. The number she performed — a rendition of Duke Ellington and Irving Mills’ classic jazz hit, “It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing)” — gives the audience an opportunity to let loose and embrace the liveliness of the time period.
“No matter what is happening in your life, you have to feel the rhythm of life, in every aspect,” Saha said. “Even if something good is happening, or something not very good is happening, life is super colorful; you have to feel this swing of life and be able to enjoy it.”
The cast of “The Great Gatsby” dancing during the party scene in Act 2. The ballet will be at the Davidson Theatre April 15. Credit: Courtesy of Gulya Hartwick
Despite having no prior background in ballet, Saha said being a part of the show has been an invaluable experience. Saha primarily works as a film producer, and due to work demands, she said her time on the national tour has now come to an end.
For the Columbus show, Saha said her role will be reprised by Regina Panina, who she is confident will deliver a phenomenal performance.
The song’s inclusion is not the only thing that stands out, Hartwick said.
“What we did was, we created a Broadway-style ballet, a unique mix of genres that allow the audience to truly immerse in the story,” Hartwick said. “We integrated live singing, we integrated acrobatics, projection, and mixed it with the beauty and grace of our classical dancers.”
Early on in the tour, Hartwick said guests dressed in ‘20s-inspired outfits on their own — an unspoken dress code that the company now encourages.
“It helps tremendously that so many audience members see it as a great way to show self-expression, so a lot come all dressed up like they’re in the ‘20s,” Hartwick said. “You see all these people dressed up around you and already feel like you’re a part of the party. The music in the lobby is also from the ‘20s, and then the show starts, so it’s almost like you’re there.”
The WBC is based out of Los Angeles and was formed by Hartwick and co-founder Sasha Gorskaya in 2015. With an international cast representing over 10 countries, “The Great Gatsby” is one of the company’s many modern ballet adaptations, performing on over 280 stages across the country, Hartwick said.
After realizing people often thought ballet was “too sophisticated for them,” Hartwick said she was determined to make the dance form more accessible for newcomers.
“We realized there was a need. 50% of our audience members are new to ballet. It’s their first ballet, and we make sure it’s not their last,” Hartwick said. “We completely revisit the stories that were told sometimes 200 years ago into something that will be easily understood by a modern audience. It seems like a great mission, and when you have a mission, you can do anything.”
Ultimately, Hartwick said she hopes the Columbus audience will fall in love with the story of “The Great Gatsby” and with the art of ballet itself.
“Some say that while watching the show, they realized that they completely forgot it’s a ballet,” Hartwick said. “They’re just watching a spectacle, and it’s pure storytelling, with so many different elements that take you through the story. So, this will be an evening that will be hard to forget — invite your special someone and enjoy the show.”
Tickets for “The Great Gatsby” are available for purchase on the CAPA website, with prices ranging from $55.45 to $117.95. For more information on the event, visit the WBC website.
