After a successful Winter Performance, the SPSBC is back at it! They have an eventful term ahead of them, including the visits of multiple guest choreographers, a classical piece, and more student choreography. Recently, the Ballet Company welcomed Byam Stevens ‘71 for the second time this year. He is an alumnus of SPS and is the former Artistic Director of Chester Theatre Company. As a child, he danced at the American Ballet Theatre School and later became involved with theatre at SPS. His knowledge of both art forms sets the stage for his cross-disciplinary work coaching pre-professional dancers and some of ballet’s brightest including Misty Copeland and Devon Teuscher. He has also developed an artistic “toolbox” for dancers, which the SPSBC had the privilege of learning and practicing.
During Stevens’ four-day visit, the SPSBC underwent an intensive crash course on applying various theatrical and artistic elements to their dancing. Using tools he calls “string bending”, “listening to the steps”, “repetition”, “focus points”, “geography”, and more, the dancers added a deeper understanding and depth to choreography. These methods helped the dancers find nuance in their interpretations and enhance their ability to connect with the material, themselves, each other, and with the audience.
The SPSBC has also been working on excerpts of The Kingdom of the Shades, an abstract dream scene that takes place within a full-length, multi-scene, story-ballet called La Bayadère, which was choreographed in 1877 by Marius Petipa. The SPSBC has been discussing why the full-length production of La Bayadère is no longer performed by top ballet companies all over the world. The reason: It is an example of an old work that has not withstood the test of time because of its South Asian cultural and religious appropriation.
“Diversity, equity, inclusion and justice is a cornerstone of everything the SPS Ballet Company does,” says Kate Lydon, Director of Dance at St. Paul’s School. “We know that whenever we deal with the classics, we need to look at them again through a modern lens because when we know better, we can do better. Our Kingdom of the Shades does not share any of the cultural and religious appropriation of the full-length La Bayadère.”
Staging this small excerpt in the ballet has given us an opportunity to discuss why not all classics hold up to time. The SPSBC’s excerpts of The Kingdom of the Shades have been adapted specifically for our group and it remains one of the most challenging and rewarding classical pieces to perform. In an upcoming trip to Boston, the Ballet Company will also be watching Boston Ballet’s adaptation of The Kingdom of the Shades.