Claudio Muñoz Interview on MusiqaBlog

Claudio Muñoz will be choreographing a new dance for Houston Ballet II to be premiered on Musiqa’s Jan 7, 2012 concert Free of the Ground. The music for this new ballet, Argentinean composer Astor Piazzolla’s Tango Suite arranged by Kyoko Yamamoto for piano, will be performed live by Tali Morgulis.

The Jan 7 program also includes Karim Al-Zand’s Tagore Love Songs, Anthony Brandt’s Creeley Songs and Philippe Hurel’s Tombeau In Memoriam Gérard Grisey.

Claudio Muñoz graciously took some time out of his busy schedule to answer a few questions for the MusiqaBlog about choreography, ballet, and music.

Musiqa: Where do you begin when choreographing a new ballet? Do you start the music and let it inspire the movement?

Claudio Muñoz: In this particular case, the music was a given. Putting it on, I start to play around with ideas, shall I say… poetic ideas, the poetry, not of words, but of what’s beyond words. Only ideas though, not steps. Not yet, anyhow. For that, I would wait until I meet the second important element of my art: the dancer. Music first, the human medium comes second. I come last. My choreography is the soul of the music, expressed through the body of the dancer. A tailor doesn’t make a dress until he sees the lady who’s going to wear it. Neither would I make a choreography until I have seen the actuality, the physicality who’s going to put it on, on stage.

M: Are there certain elements in music that you feel ballet dancers respond to? Or can a good dancer dance to anything?

CM: Dancers are music. Period. There’s not even a question of responding. You are music, or you are no dancer. A good dancer would response to even silence, the inner rhythm, let alone music. So I would have already typically gone with a dancer whose response is spot-on, nail-on, dead-on, since the very first second. Nothing else is good enough.

M: Is ballet in Latin America different than what one sees onstage in Houston or New York? Is it, like much classical music, an art form that simply lands in the same identifiable form no matter where it’s performed? Or does it take new shapes and influences as it is developed and received across different cultures?

CM: There would of course be a slight difference in the feel and the look, chiefly because the ballet there has very strong roots in the Russian school. Here in the States, ballet is eclectic, it is pluralistic, it combines many styles. Of course that’s good. But, south of the equator, things somehow stay more resolutely Russian. It would also look different, just because of the feel of it…a certain approach to the roles, how to interpret them, how to get them across to the audience. That’s basically because Latins live life at a different beat than norteamericanos. There is something in the Latin American air, maybe the cultural background, the ambiance, the nuances, that affect the sensibility of the dancers, a much more earthy, physical, abandoned, free, feeling for movement, for the expression of what’s inside. It has helped Latin American dancers capturing the world stage of late.

And no, on the other hand, Ballet itself, with a capital “B” doesn’t pick up on local colors…Swan Lake is going to be recognizably Swan Lake no matter where it is staged. Of course there were variants from the many classical schools, or there will be legitimate variants from the individual artistic choice of a specific choreographer, but never from the geographical location. Ballet is an attitude, not a latitude. Classical art aims for the universal, not the local. You can add nuances, but not change the color spectrum. Aurora in Sleeping Beauty let’s say is a diamond. She can never become a topaz, an amethyst, an emerald…she can be cut into many shapes, but a diamond she’s got to stay.

Prix de Lausanne Follow-Up

Congratulations are in order for our three Prix de Lausanne competitors.  Liana Carpio and Harper Watters advanced to the top 20 finals performance last Sunday, February 6.  Mr. Watters came in sixth overall and won the Contemporary Dance Prize.  You can watch (or re-watch) the 2011 finals at the Prix de Lausanne website.

Read CultureMap’s article about Harper Watters here.

Congratulations to all three of our fine students!

The Road to the Prix de Lausanne

This year three Houston Ballet II dancers have been selected to compete at the prestigious Prix de Lausanne, an international dance competition for dancers ages 15-18 who are not yet professionals.  Ms. Liana Carpio, Mr. Harper Watters, and Mr. Masahiro Haneji will represent the Houston Ballet Academy.  This is what Ms. Carpio had to say about her preparation for the competition thus far:

These past few months have been such an exciting time for me at Houston Ballet!  After I found out I was accepted for Lausanne, rehearsals started immediately.  I have been preparing with many of my ballet instructors on a daily basis to perfect my performance.  Having different instructors critique my movements is truly beneficial to the final outcome.  Sabrina Lenzi, Andrew Murphy, and Claudio Munoz have generously dedicated their time to help me become a better dancer.

They have taught me how to perfect moves while enhancing the artistic expression of the dance itself.  It has been a wonderful journey to see my performance grow and improve each and every day.  Thanks to Sabrina’s, Andrew’s, and Claudio’s corrections, I feel confident in my moves and know that I have put my all into this performance.  I love my dance, and from these rehearsals I have truly learned to connect to each move in the piece.  Being accepted to compete at Lausanne has been such an honor, and I know that I want to put forth my best effort in order to truly take advantage of this amazing opportunity.

The 2011 Prix de Lausanne will be held February 1-6 in Lausanne, Switzerland.  You can read more about the Prix on their website.  We will continue to post blogs updating our fans about the dancers’ progress throughout the competition.

Liana Carpio. Photo by Amitava Sarkar.

HBII Touring Update from Guatemala and the U.S. Midwest

Guest writer: Jim Nelson, general manager

We are in the home stretch of Houston Ballet II’s fall touring schedule.

Earlier this month, Houston Ballet II gave two performances in Guatemala City at the Universidad Francisco Marroquin. The program featured Stanton Welch’s Long and Winding Road and Blue, Ma Cong’s Calling (created on HBII last season), and Claudio Muñoz’s staging of Act III of Raymonda. The dancers performed beautifully for the two packed performances and were received warmly by the audience. After the first performance, a dinner was held in the company’s honor given by our presenter—Geraldina Baca Spross and her board of directors. Following the second performance, the dancers were congratulated by Stephen McFarland, U.S. Ambassador to Guatemala, on their tremendous performance, and he thanked Houston Ballet for the outreach activities conducted during HBII’s time in Guatemala.

Ballet master Claudio Munoz teaching a master class in Guatemala

Luckily, we had the very good fortune to be able to fit in an excursion to the ancient former capital of Guatemala, Antigua. The dancers spent the morning learning about Antigua and visiting ruins and restored structures before heading back to Guatemala City for their second performance.

We’re now nearly finished with the 7-performance, 5-city tour of the Midwest, and this hasn’t been a leisurely tour for anyone. With the exception of Kansas City, each location required some significant travel. We left Houston on October 25 and flew to Kansas City. Production manager Brian Walker and I each drove a 15 passenger van filled with dancers and costumes to our first stop in Springfield, Missouri. After a full day of travel, the dancers had an evening class to get their bodies ready for the next day, which involved a 10:00 am student performance followed by a short rehearsal and an evening performance. We performed at a terrific venue called the Juanita K. Hammons Hall on the campus of the Missouri State University to an extremely responsive audience. It was a great performance and a great way to kick off the Midwest tour.

On October 27, we traveled to Emporia, Kansas for Stop #2. In retrospect, I question the wisdom of relying on Google Maps for navigation. We drove for four hours without seeing much of anything other than cows and farmland. It was two lane roads with no gas stations, no fast food, and not a rest stop in sight. The dancers cheered when we pulled up to a Subway about an hour outside of Emporia.

Our view for most of the tour.

The Emporia performance was on the campus of Emporia State University at Albert Taylor Hall, and the dancers were very warmly received. I have to say that I’ve been very impressed with the dedication of the presenting organizations who have booked Houston Ballet II. For a city like Emporia with a population of 26,000 people, I’m encouraged to see arts presenters bringing dance to their communities. The dancers performed a student show on Friday morning before making the two hour drive to Kansas City.

Kansas City was well positioned in the middle of the tour and on Halloween weekend. The dancers enjoyed being in a bit larger city with more food options and with a fraction more free time than the previous two cities. They also raved about their sleep number beds! The afternoon that we arrived, Claudio led a master class at Kansas City Ballet. All of the HBII dancers attended, along with the top level students of Kansas City Ballet.

Ballet master Claudio Munoz teaching a master class at Kansas City Ballet. Photo courtesy of William Jewell.

For the Kansas City engagement, Houston Ballet principal dancers Mireille Hassenboehler and Jun Shuang Huang joined HBII to perform The Sleeping Beauty pas de deux and the lead roles of Raymonda and Jean de Brienne in Raymonda, Act III. I could tell how excited the young dancers were to be performing with our principals, and it was a spectacular performance. Academy director Shelly Power also joined us for Kansas City. Thanks Shelly for the making the trip to support HBII!

On Sunday, we flew from Kansas City to Chicago and Chicago to Duluth, Minnesota. Then we drove an hour and a half from Duluth to Grand Rapids. Grand Rapids is the smallest town on the tour with a population of 8,000. It was a great surprise a few weeks ago to learn that one of our former HBII dancers, Daniel Blake, is now heading the dance program at the Reif Center in Grand Rapids. Daniel and his wife Julia hosted a post-performance party at their home for the HBII dancers.

Today we’re traveling to Winona, Minnesota for the last city in our Midwest tour. It’s a long trek to Winona, and I know the dancers will be glad to get a good night’s sleep before their final show at the Page Theater on the campus of St. Mary’s University.

This year marks the most ambitious touring schedule ever for Houston Ballet II, and having seen every performance so far, I’m thrilled to report that the effort has paid off. Dancers need performances to grow as artists, and these opportunities are golden in developing young dancers. The level of responsibility we’re giving these 16-19 year old dancers is huge, and they have truly risen to the occasion. The next time you see one of the HBII dancers, please give them a word of congratulations for representing Houston Ballet so well.

-Jim

Dancer Spotlight: Summer Intensive Student Heidi Yu

Guest writer: Katie Arnold, PR intern

Houston Ballet’s Ben Stevenson Academy has welcomed over 100 dancers ages 9-20 from 32 states and 13 countries for its 2010 Summer Intensive Program. Today these students will give their final performance before heading back to their hometowns.

Summer intensive student Heidi Yu is from Hong Kong, China and will be joining Houston Ballet II this fall. At sixteen, Heidi is excited to be training with the teachers at Houston Ballet. “My favorite part of the summer intensive is the teachers, and all the different dancing like pas de deux and jazz,” she explained. “I have not danced jazz and pas de deux this much, so this is new and fun to me.”

Heidi Yu rehearsing The Sleeping Beauty, photo by Katie Arnold.

Also new for Heidi are the types of roles she is used to performing. While dancing the role of Princess Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty, ballet master Claudio Muñoz is coaching her to be more soft and princess-like. Sometimes the technical aspects are not the only difficult tasks in roles, but the acting aspects are also a challenge. She says, “I have never been a princess before, so I have to learn how to be a princess. Claudio tells me to be sweet, and he is helping me with my acting.”

The culmination of the 2010 Summer Intensive will be held tonight, July 30 at 8:00 p.m., in the Proscenium Theater at San Jacinto Community College-South (13735 Beamer Road, Houston, Texas). The performance is open to the public, and tickets, which will be sold at the door, are $10 for adults and $5 for students. For more information, call (713) 535-3210.

Blogging from the Road: HBII’s Tour to Germany

Guest writer:  Jim Nelson, general manager

It is so gratifying to look back over the past few years and see the growth of our second company, Houston Ballet II (HBII).

While so many dance companies say they have a second company, when you look closely they are generally a group of upper level students who sometimes dance with the first company in larger productions like The Nutcracker, Swan Lake or The Sleeping Beauty.  Rarely are these junior companies giving their own fully-produced performances in professional venues. 

That is what sets Houston Ballet’s second company apart from the majority of dance companies around the globe.  In 2006, we took a leap of faith that our second company was ready to give public performances that had less of a graduation concert feel or educational/outreach focus.  Our first season on the road included a terrific trip to Monterrey, Mexico as part of the Extremadura Gran Festival Internacional de Danza Contemporanea.  Since 2006, HBII has performed internationally in Hungary and China as well as nationally in Louisiana, Wisconsin, New Hampshire, and Oklahoma.  Additionally, HBII performs regularly in Houston at Wortham Theater Center, Discovery Green, Miller Outdoor Theatre, and the Moores School of Music at The University of Houston.

From April 18-28, I’ll be accompanying HBII to Germany for a five-performance, two-city tour.  We’re traveling with 12 dancers, ballet master Claudio Muñoz, and production manager Brian Walker.  We will give four performances in Schweinfurt and one performance in Villingen-Schwenningen.  We fly from Houston to Frankfurt and then bus to Schweinfurt.  The repertoire for this tour is Stanton Welch’s Long and Winding Road and Blue, Garrett Smith’s Den III, and Claudio Muñoz’s staging of excerpts from Raymonda (Act III).  And while the dancers are all quite young (16-18), there is nothing junior or watered down when these dancers take the stage.

This tour is a real milestone for HBII, and I’m terribly proud of all they have achieved.  The touring component is only one part of the HBII program, but it serves us in providing additional performance opportunities, expanding our national and international presence, and attracting the best dancers we can find to Houston Ballet and the Houston Ballet Academy.  The success of the program is the result of the great work of the Houston Ballet Academy, which is led by Stanton Welch, Shelly Power and ballet masters Claudio Muñoz and Sabrina Lenzi.  I don’t know of another second company that has the level of dancers we do:  three Prix de Lausanne finalists (including a winner) in a group of twelve dancers!

I’ll be sending photo updates and blogs from overseas.  Follow us while we embark on this great adventure!

-Jim

Final blog from the Prix de Lausanne

Guest writer: Shelly Power, associate director of Houston Ballet’s Ben Stevenson Academy

By now the news of Houston Ballet’s success at the Prix is old news, but I thought I would sum up the last day for those of you who chose to follow my blog all week.  I wanted to send my thoughts directly after the experience but exhaustion and press calls kept me busy until the wee hours of the morning (not a complaint).

Sunday morning began at 8 am for the jury with interviews with the semi finalists who did not make the last round. I met with 6 students to answer questions, give feedback and hopefully ease some disappointment. The café in the theater is a darkly lit, low-to-the-floor semi-circled seating area sectioned off by columns. I sat with an interpreter and spoke to Japanese students. Each candidate sat across from me looking directly at me as the interpreter repeated my words (have you ever noticed that one word in English seems to be 10 in Japanese?). I reminded them that although disappointed, they should hold their head high and remember what accomplishments they had made thus far. Tears usually filled their eyes at that point, and I made sure they were happy tears, and I was assured they were. Each asked about what they needed to improve upon and seemed satisfied having had a moment to converse with a jury member.

Candidates who were eliminated took class throughout the morning, and partner schools watched and observed. The point of this is to allow directors to see them in class, evaluate them for offers to attend schools across the world, possible scholarships and second company offers. Claudio observed all semi finalists and made a list of students he wanted to meet speak with later in the day during the networking sessions. I sent him my list, and he worked from there.

The jury room sits outside the balcony area of the theater. The artistic director of the Prix, Wim Broeckx, has escorted us throughout the week with his assistant Phillipe, who manages our time, our meals, our coffee breaks and even bathroom breaks. We are asked not to speak to anyone and gladly abide by this request. We don’t want to make any suggestion that could lead someone to think we are prejudice in our judging.

The networking session began at 1 pm. Claudio met with students of interest and gave them packets of information about Houston Ballet. Some students might visit 5 to 10 different schools from around the world while others might see 3 or 4 during this networking time.

The jury met in a secured room, and we were given last-minute rules and regulations about the final selections. Audience members began gathering two hours before the start of the finals, which was a sold out performance.

3 pm came quickly, but as with any monumental experience in life–an opening of a new ballet, or a wedding or a birth of a child–I anxiously waited for the start, but I began to mourn the moment as I felt it passing so quickly.

We entered the theater in single file, but instead of sitting in the orchestra seats as we did the past few days, we sat in the balcony where we judged the final round of the 2010 Prix de Lausanne.  The balcony gave us another vantage point that showed how well each competitor projected over the 2000 seat theater. Twenty candidates performed one classical and one contemporary variation each for the final round.

I knew Claudio was sitting somewhere in orchestra seats, and I am certain I could feel his heart beating throughout the entire afternoon, even from the balcony. We have sat together through many Prix competitions before, therefore I knew the anxiety he must be feeling.  In the audience sat many “stars” of the dance world such as Nina Ananiashvili along with directors from many companies such as Ted Branson (Dutch National), Marianne Kruuse (Hamburg Ballet), and National Ballet of Canada to name only a few.

All three Houston Ballet students danced towards the end of the competition, which I was happy with so I could mark the other students and relax and enjoy our students. Those of you who watched the live feed on the Internet saw Liao take the stage with a calmness of a seasoned dancer. She looked beautiful and danced the same. Aaron looked tall and handsome as the Prince in Sleeping Beauty and executed his variation with strength and great composure. Emanuel’s smile delighted the audience as he awed them with his precise beats and balonne. I was pleased with each performance and kept my eyes glued to my score sheets, as not to impose on another judges’ marking which was very difficult I will admit.  After a 15 minute break, we went on to the contemporary variations.

This year was different than the past regarding the style of modern choices. Competitors chose either one of Kathy Marsden’s organic contemporary pieces or one of Chris Wheeldon’s neo-classical (more balletic) variations. In the past, the contemporary variations were more similar in that most were done in bare feet. Chris Wheeldon’s variation choices for women were in point shoes. Regardless, students were judged on performance in class as well as on stage, therefore we were well-versed in their range of movement for both classical and contemporary work. Both were well-received.

Again our students took their place on stage with the kind of confidence you enjoy when you watch a dancer who is consistent and dependable. I was pleased and proud to see the level of professionalism.

With the scoring completed, we (the jury) stood and made our way back behind locked doors to do a final check and hand over our sheets to the tabulators. Imagine the sigh of relief, as we knew our job was finished. We could relax…well not really, as the wait for the results was intense.

Out came the results, and we were asked to vote to confirm what we was presented. Everyone seemed to be pleased with the results other than a few little surprises, but we were confident we had done our job successfully, and the winner fit the criteria asked of us all. At that moment, I could hardly contain myself.  The only angst I had was of the results for Liao.  She was so close to placing that I realized that one alteration in scoring on any of our parts would have changed that results for better or worse. I was “over the moon” that not only did I know that Aaron had placed 5th but the Emanuel would place 1st as the first Houston Ballet Prix winner. Only 37 other dancers in the world had earned that place, and his father was about to hear those results.

We touched up our make-up, combed our hair, and made our way back stage to wait for our introduction for the final announcement. I did not make eye contact with any of the contestants, and we waited while the Shanghai School performed and then Leanne Faye Benjamin (1981 Prix winner) and Edward Watson from The Royal Ballet performed a Manon pas de deux.

From the corner of my eye, I could see all the contestants lining up for the final moment. As a jury member, we stood cramped in the wings waiting to be introduced. We walked on stage in assigned order and took our places. The proceedings began, and I might add…all in French. I followed as best as I could.

The first announcement was the Suisse award, with the audience favorite to follow, which was Emanuel. The secretariat, Patricia Leroy, continued with the contemporary award and then to the six scholarships. Aaron ran forward as his name was announced with youthful excitement. The tension rose as the second candidate took his prize, and finally the first prize was awarded to Emanuel.

The audience clapped continuously, and it gave me great pride to see Emanuel offer up the applause to his fellow dancers as he invited them to join him several times bowing. I thought wow….he is so generous and he showed a great deal of class and professionalism.

The curtain closed and a sort of magnetic energy seemed to force all the candidates into a happy embrace. The cameras flooded in, and reporters speaking in several different languages began to force their way to the candidates. I exited the stage knowing that my job was done and that Claudio and Emanuel’s dad must be found. I tried furiously to call Aaron’s parents, but in the excitement, Aaron could not remember their new numbers–therefore that would have to wait.

I found Gustavo (Emanuel’s father) backstage in tears. There was no sign of Claudio. I took Gustavo to the stage and witnessed perhaps one of the most gratifying moments in my director life…he and Emanuel embraced, and Gustavo took his son’s face in his hands and for a moment the world stopped as he gave his son a look of such pride and approval. I had tears in my eyes myself and quickly went to find Claudio, as he could not miss this moment.

I located his black and white checkered shirt, yelled across the crowd, and summoned him to the stage. There was one of those “slow motion moments” as Aaron, Liao and Emanuel ran to Claudio and attacked him with hugs and kisses. Life does not get better than this.

I started to phone Stanton to give him the results, but there was no answer. I texted him next and he responded. I had forgotten he was in a company audition, but he graciously left for a quick call. “Congratulations to each of them,” he said, and “to you and Claudio–good job, the school is on the map!”

I hung up pretty darn proud, I will admit, and then the phone rang again. It was Sabrina Lenzi, who had coached Liao for the Prix since last fall. Her excitement, pride and congratulations for the school were evident in her voice, and then she made me laugh by acknowledging my great shoes! I had forgotten we were on live feed on the Internet. 

I walked backstage to a party of parents, teachers, directors, press and the like. The moment quickly passed as reality set in. I was on the internet planning the kids’ train times for the next morning and saying my goodbyes to them all as we, the jury, headed back to the hotel for another dinner celebration.

The next morning at 6 am, Claudio escorted the kids back home. I arose to yet another meeting for partner schools and then returned to the hotel. I was so exhausted I could not find the strength to even shop (those of you who know me well know I must have been near death’s door!). I enjoyed room service that night and calls from C.C. Conner, Jim Nelson and friends and family.

I got up at 5 am on Tuesday morning to make my journey home–a taxi, a train, a plane, a tram, another train and then my final taxi to my home.

It does take a village to raise a dancer, and that is what Houston Ballet is all about. I am proud and grateful to each and every person who helped to make this moment just about as perfect as it could be. 

One more note: to Liao, Aaron, and Emanuel’s parents, as well as all parents out there who support their child’s dreams, thank you.  And finally to Houston Ballet board members, donors, and sponsors, thank you just does not seem enough. We hope you will come and enjoy watching our HBIIs dance in a future performance to remind you how much you do make a difference in all of our student’s lives.

-Shelly

On the road to the Prix de Lausanne, part V

Guest writer: Shelly Power, associate director of Houston Ballet’s Ben Stevenson Academy

Today we watched 70 students, coached one by one on the raked stage. Today was a showing of contemporary variations after scoring contemporary classes yesterday. A group session was done first for about 10 minutes and then each competitor ran through the variation with music. The coach and/or choreographer watched, made notes and then gave suggestions, corrections, etc. to each student in 5 minutes’ time. Once done, students waited backstage to listen to all the other competitors’ comments hoping for a little more information.  This took 10 hours total in the theater.

As a judge, watching each candidate may seem laborious but:

1. We are seeing and hearing the coaching for at least six different contemporary variations, therefore it makes it interesting.

2. Each student brings a little something different to the variation, and we look to see to see if they have found a way to make this unique in some way.

3. We are committed to giving ourselves to this process, and we do our best to keep our standard consistent. That standard is to give the same effort to each candidate. That is why there are 9 jury members; in the event one of us missed something, it is inevitable that someone else caught it. 

Observation day is also a time to see the competitor on stage and how they present on stage.  Good coaching shows when a competitor can make the transformation that is asked for when corrections and suggestions are made. If a competitor can’t grasp the correction at that time, we hope to see that they walk away, think about it, and return tomorrow having made changes. The Prix provides translators (with dance backgrounds) on the sides of the stage so coaches can give corrections in the competitor’s native language.

For those of you who know HBII’s program “Around the World in 7 Dances”, imagine all the continents speaking at the beginning and Mother Earth yelling, “Hello, hello!” When all the candidates are coached at the same time and corrections are made, it sounds exactly like that!

While each group is coached on stage, the others are in the studio being coach for their classical variation. Since the jury is familiar with the classical variations it is not necessary to see the competitors coached.  The contemporary variations are changed out every two years.  Since we are not familiar with the variations, it is important for us to hear the corrections. This year competitors are asked to choose one contemporary variation from either Christopher Wheeldon or Kathy Marsden, who both created or reproduced recent choreography for the Prix.

Claudio Munoz, Sabrina Lenzi, Andrew Murphy, and Priscilla Nathan-Murphy have coached our students for about four months on and off, depending on what other performances in Houston they may have been rehearsing. During the competition, however, personal coaching is not allowed. The only coaching allowed is that of the Prix de Lausanne. Imagine Claudio sitting in the theater in the balcony watching the coaching occur and not being able to say a word? Can’t be…but it is.

Claudio sits through each candidate’s rehearsal not only to watch our students but to think about who might be a fit for Houston. I do the same as I sit and score each day. Once the semifinal decisions have been made, those candidates who did not get to the finals will go through a debriefing where the jury will speak to each one and give them feedback. Those candidates will then enter into a networking area where all the schools and companies that have been observing them will perhaps make requests to see them. Claudio will visit with students and tell them at that point (Sunday morning) who we are interested in for summer, year-round and perhaps HBII placement.

Wish us luck tomorrow, as the semi-final decision will be announced at 8 pm Lausanne time (1 pm Houston time).

On a side note: Aaron sure is thrilled that it is snowing like crazy here! I am sure he and Claudio are making snow angels! Emanuel turned 18 on Thursday, and the contemporary teacher asked the class to sing Happy Birthday to him without making any sound (of course she would ask that).  Liao seems to have connected with some of her friends from China, and I am sure she is having fun conversing in Chinese and feeling a little closer to home.

This is truly an experience of a lifetime for our students, one that may not be realized until many years to come. Ask Phillip Broomhead, ballet master for Houston Ballet.  He won the Prix a few years back, and it changed his life.

Hello to all of the artistic staff at Houston Ballet! I think I have met dancers and directors from every country in the world, who all seem to know at least one of you if not all!

-Shelly

On the road to the Prix de Lausanne, part III

Guest writer: Shelly Power, associate director of Houston Ballet’s Ben Stevenson Academy

My duty today is to transition from Houston Ballet Academy Associate Director to Prix de Lausanne jury member. Now that Claudio Munoz has arrived, my transition should be easier…right Claudio?

Claudio arrived in Lausanne around 8:30 am and made his way to the hotel, and then met HBII’s at 12:15 for the official registration. Claudio will not only observe our students, but he will begin tomorrow to find those he wishes to recruit for Houston Ballet’s summer program and perhaps the year. He will watch select classes and make notes of student numbers, then follow them throughout the weekend.  No approaches are made to students until the final round as not to disrupt their concentration on the competition. He will observe classes as well as stage time. Many long hours of sitting, watching and waiting will begin for Claudio.

My day began with a 9:00 am jury meeting to assure that we understand the policies and procedures of the Prix.  The Theatre de Beaulieu jury room looks out to Lausanne’s beautiful architecture, giving a sense of solidarity and fortitude. Against the church steeples, the hills and valleys are more beautiful views of the lake outlined with the snow-tipped Alps.  The skies are usually clouded over and a bit gray this time of year, and today is no different. Growing up in frigid cold winters, I appreciate having only one week of winter, and that week being in Switzerland (albeit inside) happens to make it all the better.

We begin with observation only today with no scoring. Without the pressure of scoring we are to (hopefully) become better acquainted with all 70 contestants. We all shine in different ways and this is no different. Students must come in ready to show what brought them to the Prix in the first place, whether that means one or several different talents. Artistry, facility, and natural movement are all among those attributes we search for at this competition, along with technical abilities and most important: potential.

At the end of today, we completed four 1 ½ hour classes of observation time.  I felt it gave us a good introduction to the overall group. This year the Prix has more boys competing than girls, which marks the first time in Prix history.  There were over 220 applicants originally (also a record), which resulted in only 70 acceptances. 

I had little, if any, contact with our HBIIs today and of course I am not to comment on any of them. But I think I am safe to say that they were acknowledged as being good candidates (don’t read anything more into this than that).  All three appeared to be having fun and ready for the week’s challenge.

Sitting on the other side of the table is definitely different, as you don’t get to feel the pressure-cooking quite the same as you do behind the scenes.  Imagine sitting in the pit of the Indy 500 with racecar engines roaring and revving up for the big race. Backstage is much the same.

On this side of the table however, I find myself turning inwards, searching for the most intuitive approach to assessing these young students. Life doesn’t deal anyone a totally fair hand, but in the midst of our imperfections I believe there is a natural order that seems to make it all fall into place and allows each of us to make choices as we gather feedback along the way. So although the engines are a bit quieter for me, the anticipation is perhaps a little more intense knowing that my vote does count this round.

I hope to serve the jury well and to provide each candidate my undivided attention, as they all deserve this moment in time as a fresh new beginning.  Wish me luck.

And by the way, the rumors about Swiss chocolate are NOT exaggerated.

-Shelly

P.S. I don’t want to forget a “shout out” to the ladies in the Academy–Liz, Jennifer, Rachel and Lindsey!

On the road to the Prix de Lausanne, part II

Guest writer: Shelly Power, associate director of Houston Ballet’s Ben Stevenson Academy

We entered Switzerland and immediately I remembered that I wish I spoke at least one other language. I am traveling with two of three students who speak two languages, and Emanuel speaks four! Now that my ego is totally destroyed I will attempt to have them get me on the right train to Lausanne!

We arrived in Lausanne and Liao said “Oh this is so much fun! It looks like Beijing!” Not sure what reminded her, but her exuberance is delightful. Aaron has never been on a train and is anxious for a snow storm (something about making snow angels).  Emanuel is in his element; he loves to travel and seems to ease into a new climate.

We taxied to our next destination, which is the home of a Houstonian and former Houston Ballet level 8 student Kathleen McClure, who is here studying at the Bejart School. Her family has generously offered a few beds for the week. The Bejart School, by the way, offers a full-on arts program that not only teaches many disciplines of art, but also offers the philosophy of each art form and how it cultivates a dancer’s identity and movement. Kathleen expressed her expanded view of movement and how she is learning to dance from the inside out rather than just the opposite. She is speaking pretty good French now and managed to get us through the grocery store and a 45-minute post office fiasco. She’s definitely given us a better sense of the Suisse way of life! She has been a gracious hostess, and we are so grateful to her family for their generosity.

After you have been in Lausanne even for one hour, it is not hard to hear your conversations reeking of ART! Every nook and cranny has a larger-than-life Prix de Lausanne poster reminding everyone of this fantastic week of dance. If you saw last week’s Houston Chronicle travel section, you may have seen the article on Switzerland. I only wish they had acknowledged this great event!

We stopped by the Theater to get acclimated to what will be our new home for the next few days. The Prix committee is exceptionally organized, and it was evident as soon as we arrived. Packets were assembled; big screen projectors set up for up-and-coming final selection announcements (picture your number up on the board as one of the contestants passing to the next round. It’s very dramatic as the crowd waits with baited breath for results on Saturday); and seminar-like chair groupings for informational sessions on Tuesday, the first day of the Prix.

We toured the theater and studios, then it was time to do some stretching and testing of the new raked studio flooring. The stage being a 5% raked slope may be normal to many European dancers, but for Americans it is quite a change.  Imagine dancing and jumping uphill!  This year the Prix decided to address our concerns about dancing on such a stage with a little rehearsal time; they managed to turn one of the studios into a raked practice floor. Aaron, Liao and Emanuel all were smiling as they jumped and turned, trying to feel a new sense of balance and muscle connection. Each one seemed to adapt quickly with almost a sense of confidence right away. This too is a wonderful trait of young people; they seem to just roll with the punches and enjoy each new experience and challenge as it comes their way, without overthinking any of it.

By 6:00 pm we were all ready for some shuteye, but I advised them all to stay up a little longer. Aaron decided to sleep for the next 15 hours and forego any worries of a 3 am wake-up (he assures me that he can sleep for days).  Emanuel is not going to sleep until his dad arrives, as he is excited that his dad is coming to Lausanne to see him dance.  He has not seen his father in over a year! Liao makes me a quick Chinese noodle delight and confesses that her time awake is over as well.

I, on the other hand, will now await the arrival of our HBII Ballet Master Claudio Munoz, who will take over the duties of overseeing our students so I can concentrate on judging. He and HBII Ballet Mistress Sabrina Lenzi have worked long and hard to prepare these three HBIIs for this competition, and I know they are eager to see the week progress.

At the hotel I meet with my fellow jury members for dinner and prepare for tomorrow’s first day, which begins at 9:00 am and ends around 7:00 pm. Should be a fine first day!

-Shelly