Photograph by Hettie Stern, courtesy of James Sewell Ballet
James Sewell Ballet, "Body Beats"
"Body Beats"
During this weekend's "Fresh Take" performances at the Cowles Center, James Sewell and guest choreographers showed that when it comes to ballet, it's not all leotards, pirouettes and classical music. The pieces in the spring program proved that inspiration can strike anywhere and develop into divergent works.
Inspiration struck close to home with "Thaw," an interpretative piece influenced by the polar vortex this past winter. The effects the abnormal temperatures had on the cities and its residents worked their way into NYC-based choreographer Gabrielle Lamb's vision, who spent two weeks working on it here after being hand-picked out of 50 choreographers to create a piece for the program. Set to music by Michael Galasso, a discord of violins reminded the audience of the unease that dangerous temperatures bring, and drastic lighting changes and solid color costumes set focus on the movements. Dancers twirled like snowflakes, but also displayed the struggles that Minnesotans have when the cold weather hits with body contortions from the dancers, like flexed feet interrupting long leg lines on the floor, and unnaturally twisted upper and lower halves. A sense of urgency throughout the piece conveyed a general feeling of unrest, but Lamb also showed that we push through winter when dancers ran across the stage, ignoring the convoluting vortex of dancers on the other side.
Photograph by Hettie Stern, courtesy of James Sewell Ballet
James Sewell Ballet, "Romance"
"Romance"
A second source of inspiration came from Sewell's parents' 60th wedding anniversary last year, for which he choreographed "Romance." He shared their love story, in which another man briefly broke them up, but fate broke up the love triangle and brought them back together again. For this piece, traditional ballet choreography was set to music by classical composer Antonin Dvorak. With its debut last season, "Romance" tied the program back to traditional roots in ballet.
"Body Beats" was the most different from "Romance" that night. Sewell collaborated with Element Boxing founder Dalton Outlaw, as well as drummer Martin Dosh, dissecting the similarities of rhythm and athleticism between boxing and dance. Dosh set the stage with live music from drums and a keyboard, although it gave the dancers more than sound to move to: they interacted with Dosh throughout the piece and skillfully improvised off of the live music.
The rest of the piece had obvious pulls from boxing, and even featured three boxers performing alongside Sewell's dancers. The performance explored the life of a boxer during practice, conditioning, fighting, and the fame that comes with being a successful athlete. Dancers twirled jump ropes for added rhythm, and they all wore boxing shorts over their leotards as a nod to the sport. More lighthearted comparisons between ballet and boxing played out when dancers and boxers took turns working their way through agility ladders, where athletes can work on their footwork skills by weaving in and out of the flat ladder rungs on the floor. The dancers would gracefully leap through them, while boxers meticulously powered through with their heads down. Dancers genuinely looked like they were enjoying themselves throughout this thoughtful, one-of-a-kind piece.
Whether thinking outside the boxing ring with Dosh for “Body Beats” or interpreting the polar vortex with “Thaw” or Sewell’s parents’s love story in “Romance,” James Sewell Ballet continues to expand perceptions and interpretations of what ballet can be.
