(483) Stanton Welch and Julie Kent on Houston Ballet’s Creative Culture and the Season Ahead
Stanton Welch and Julie Kent join the Conversations on Dance podcast this week and reflect on nearly three years leading Houston Ballet, praising the dancers’ versatility, focus, and the engaged Houston community, and describing the value of sharing leadership. They discuss how the company’s identity is shaped by having a prolific choreographer as artistic director in Stanton and what they look for in dancers. Looking ahead, they highlight a variety of works still to come this season including Welch’s new 12-minute piece to Mason Bates featuring electronics and live percussion, and they outline how Welch’s Giselle differs musically and dramatically, with expanded characters and staging, while Kent coaches intention and relationships.
For more information on performances still to come this season, visit houstonballet.org. Houston Ballet 25/27 Season announced here: https://www.houstonballet.org/seasontickets/2026-2027-season-announced/
Listen to Conversations on Dance ad-free on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/conversationsondance
TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 Welcome Back Catch Up
02:14 Partnership Leading Together
03:01 Studio Time And Support
04:21 Choreographic Hub Culture
07:54 Auditions Finding Versatility
13:35 Season Variety Story Ballets
18:44 Programming And Identity
21:39 New Work Alice Topp
25:43 Staging Hazards and Effects
25:57 Avatar as Ballet Pitch
26:22 More Dancers on Stage
27:17 New Work Mason Bates
29:08 Reimagining Giselle
31:32 Coaching Story Over Steps
34:39 Technique vs Artistry Debate
38:12 Season Highlights Dances
39:50 Rehearsal Timing and Stamina
41:21 Next Season Tease and Farewell
TRANSCRIPT
Transcript is automatically generated and may have inconsistencies.
Rebecca: [00:00:00] Listen to Conversations on Dance a free on patreon.com/conversations on dance.
I'm Rebecca King Ferraro. And I'm Michael Sean Breeden, and you're listening to Conversations on Dance.
Rebecca: Today on Conversations on Dance, we are welcoming back Stanton Welsh and Julie Kent, artistic directors of Houston Ballet.
This week, they reflect on nearly three years leading Houston Ballet, praising the dancer's versatility, focus, and the engaged Houston community. They discuss how the company's identity is shaped by having a prolific choreographer as artistic director in Stanton and what they're looking for in dancers.
Looking ahead, they highlight a variety of works still to come this season, including welsh's new 12 minute piece to Mason Bates featuring electronics and live percussion, and they outline how Welsh's Gisele differs musically and dramatically with expanded characters and staging while Kent coaches [00:01:00] intention and relationships.
For more information on performances still to come this season and the newly announced 26 27 season, visit houston ballet.org.
Michael: Stanton and Julie, thank you both for joining us this afternoon. It's always such a pleasure to talk to you. We realized that I think it's been over two years since we last spoke. Time just flies like that. And that must have been Julie for you early towards the beginning of your time in Houston.
Yes. So how have things been since then? How's it going? You guys were. So excited to embark on this journey together, and I'm just, we're ready to catch up now.
Julie: Well, thank you for inviting us back. been looking forward to the conversation too. Um, and you're right. When we last spoke, it was sort of at the beginning of this adventure and, um, well, uh.
I'll be curious to see what Stanton has to say, [00:02:00] but from my point of view, it's just been the most extraordinary, uh, two and a half, almost three years now. I've learned so much. It's a such an inspiring community. Our dancers are so talented and devoted and, um, continue to surpass expectation no matter what.
Uh, is happening when the curtain goes up. You know, it's just from, from new works to Stanton's works to, uh, ballets that I've danced myself, o Negan or things, you know, the whole spectrum. They, they, um, are so inspiring are, are. Community, Houston Ballet community is so engaged and so passionate and interested and show up.
Um, and it's just, it's really been InVigor and inspiring and I feel [00:03:00] like, um, the kind of excitement and ambition that I, I haven't experienced since I was sort of at the beginning of my career as a dancer. So it's, it's been really, really exciting. Working with Stanton is a joy and, and just a great. A great partnership.
Rebecca: Yeah.
Julie: So what do you have to say? Stanton?
Stanton: Dito. Dito.
Julie: Ditto.
Rebecca: Ditto. Ah,
Stanton: of course. No, it's wonderful having Julie here. It's great to share, uh, just even simple stuff, problematic conversations and easy conversations. It's nice to. You can feel very isolated and alone in these jobs. And it doesn't feel like that, which takes a lot of the, puts a lot more of the joy back into, uh, the whole, the whole thing, I think.
And it is just lovely to have, uh, company
Rebecca: I
Stanton: remember. I think that sad, [00:04:00] but also of course, and Julie brings with. All of her, uh, celebrity, uh, status and an iconic ballerina for America. And, uh, I love what that does for the city, for Houston and, and for us as well here. So it's been all, all, all great.
Rebecca: I remember you telling us that you were looking forward to not feeling like you had to run from a board meeting down to rehearsal and choreograph and kind of have like another person with you.
How has that been working out and how do you feel like that's then affected your work in the studio?
Stanton: Oh, great. I mean, I can work on the ballet in the day. I mean that, that is an unusual thing for me to. Go home and, you know, listen to a full length ballet and not make it always in the gaps between work.
That, that's remarkably different and uh mm-hmm. And I think, you know, we might be running from rehearsal to rehearsal with each other, but we we're talking as we go. It's not, it, it definitely changes. Uh. Uh, the enthusiasm, I think is, is, is great.
Rebecca: [00:05:00] Mm-hmm. Good.
Michael: Yeah. You're preaching to the choir here. When I think about having to do things without Rebecca, like doing a live conversation without having her, it's like a nightmare now.
Stanton: And, and definitely I think it makes it the better product because there's a way of, um, tennis matching with each other, even in shorthand. To filter through to get to what your decision is. You know, um, I, I, I like that
Rebecca: it's always nice to talk through decisions with people no matter what your decisions are that you have.
And having someone kind of like in the same position with you, I would imagine is just like so helpful.
Stanton: Absolutely.
Rebecca: Yeah.
Michael: Yeah. I think we wanted to center today's conversation on. The fact that Houston Ballet is such a, a hub for choreographic creativity and, uh, you know, Julie, when you said, oh, and I'm already thinking, um, you know.
The, the thing that, that makes it a hallmark for the company. I just always think about Justin Peck, who of course I work for, how he's just like, I can't believe how versatile they are. Like name another company who you could say [00:06:00] part of their bread and butter is on Yagen that Justin Peck is gonna go in and be like, oh, I don't have to start from the ground floor.
You know, he's just like, you just always get in and. Everybody's on your level right away. Everyone's so versatile, and so that's obviously something that you look for in the dancer, something you prize. Maybe we could talk a little bit about that before we get into each of the, the choreographers that they'll be exploring this season.
Stanton: I think a lot of it for me is about the pride of, of the work, like a standing note session. Everybody's standing, everyone's focused in on what's being said and knowing that it applies to you, even if it's. They're talking to the principal character about something. But that can be somehow a part of my performance too.
Like there's a anticipation or an urgency to it. And, uh, I think that, that as a choreographer is really when you know you can push beyond yourself. When Forsyth was here for artifact and he spoke to me after we did it in la, um, about. [00:07:00] How he, he just what you said with Justin, that he had his ballet, he knows his ballet's good and it's here, but what he was doing in rehearsals was pushing it beyond what he thought it could be.
Mm-hmm. And that's what you wanna do and you need everyone to be there like that, with that kind of focus for that. So, uh, that, that's certainly what I think makes it unique. Mm-hmm.
Rebecca: Yeah.
Julie: I think also just. When you, when you look around the world, there really aren't that many companies whose artistic directors are prolific choreographers that are continually supplying new work as well as maintaining existing work.
And that, um, really affects how the dancers have to maintain their focus on. The steps.
Stanton: Mm-hmm.
Julie: Um, because the person who [00:08:00] created them is watching all the shows, and so that mindset of precision, accuracy, musicality, um, is then applied to everything that comes into the rep. Because it's built into the process here.
Mm-hmm. Even in our school and in HB two because a lot of the rep that they're learning is Stanton's rep and he's right there. Mm-hmm. And so having that living choreographer, that is a very much a part of, um, the, the present, the, whether it's a very old work or a very new work is very much a part of the finished product, I think really shapes how people.
Process the information. So when choreographers come, they're working with dancers that are used to working with that. The final voice, you know, not a second or third level down.
Rebecca: Mm-hmm. Yeah. And it's so different working on a piece that's already in existence, having a repetitive come [00:09:00] in, teach it to you, versus having the choreographer in there.
Even if you're Stanton teaching the steps, it's still different. And when you're creating something new, it's a totally different experience. So I wonder how you guys look for dancers, because when you have an audition, for example, or they just come and take class, completely different than seeing what it would be like working in the studio with a choreographer.
So what are you looking for, um, when you're finding dancers for the company?
Stanton: Um, one of the things that I like to do in an audition or two things, um,
Julie: improv.
Stanton: Is a little bit of improv do, but the improv is not like I, I think why Julie and I are laughing is there's very, you know, highly advanced improv and it's just what we would do is you play a piece of music and you ask the dancers to dance from the corner to the other corner in like eight counts and.
To react to what they feel the music is. So no one can be wrong. No one can be right. And sometimes as a choreographer or a, a director of [00:10:00] an acting scene, you are relying on the, the dancers to bring instant Italian, Romeo and Juliet. Or they're instantly in Rayon and they're are standing in a certain way.
So that's what you're looking for. And the kid that can trigger, they don't have to make up good steps, but they, the music is sad and they come across sad and it's physically convincing or. It's never really about the step, it's about the spontaneity of reacting to a puzzle that o. Often when you're in a choreographer's room, that might happen and some choreographers leave a lot of material for a dancer and some leave only a little, but you need to be able to, if they say, do that scene sad that you suddenly.
There's something different in how you are reacting and that young creative people's brains and they're also fearless at that age when they're doing that. So improv is harder for me at my age, and it is that it would've been a, [00:11:00] where it would've felt like a, you know. Great, let me go. And then the other thing is teaching a bit of rep, and it's not about the accuracy of how they learn the rep, but more about when we give a correction, can they change it?
In themselves. So if the hand is flexed and they're doing it a different way, and you say it four or five times, can they get it out? And that's, that's the purpose of the rep. So those two things I find. Very useful from class. There are classroom dancers who are brilliant. Mm-hmm. And there are, and they don't always show you the best performer, but I think a little bit of that stuff at the end shows you the performers that might not be poetically as strong as some of their, uh, other dancers in the room.
Rebecca: Totally.
Stanton: That was too much joy.
Julie: No, it's interesting. Great. And I mean, from. I would say the same things, just kind of a different way as far as, um, you know, you're presenting, when you're [00:12:00] taking a ballet class, you're presenting your best classical ballet dancer self. Um, but the reality is the majority of rep you're doing requires a different part of using that classical ballet technique into a wide variety of movement languages, not just.
Classical ballet. Mm-hmm. And so having the ability, like Sam was saying, to have that mind body connection develop to the point that you can pick up what someone's putting down. And not just only, I only know how to tell myself what to do. I, I, I only know how to do it. The way I know how to do it. Mm-hmm.
You know that I'm not flexible. Um, and that I am able to, um, not only. Uh, that I'm able to advance from my own insecurities and let them [00:13:00] go to be wherever that person is and what, what do they need from me? And a lot of that, I think, is, yeah, letting go of your insecurity, being courageous, being generous.
Rebecca: Mm-hmm.
Julie: Um, being open and having an idea and having a point of view. Mm-hmm. And be flexible with that, right? Mm-hmm. And so that, mm-hmm. You want creative, interesting dancers, um, but you also don't want insecure ones that aren't able to say if they're doing something. But if you, you wanna. Um,
Rebecca: tweak it a little,
Julie: tweak it, adjust it, um, just refine it that they're se secure enough to make those adjustments, you know?
Mm-hmm. But without all of a sudden eliminating their own personality or ideas and
Stanton: mm-hmm.
Julie: So, um. And the other aspect is that in Stanton's choreography, um, you know, the men really had to be great [00:14:00] partners because there's so much. Work in, in and trios and all, and not just for the principal couple. For everyone.
Mm-hmm. So being able to not just, um, be in, in control, uh, and aware of what you're doing as an individual, but how are you dancing together? Mm-hmm. As a, as. Group as an ensemble, how, what is your ability to contribute to the we, whether it's a we of you and me or of us as a group. Mm-hmm. And, um, some people get very, I'm in my own world dancing and, and his work is just by nature, very, um, everybody's connected in some way.
Mm-hmm. Right.
Michael: Yeah, but
Julie: that was long too.
Michael: No, that was great. Both were great answers. I'm looking at, uh, at the season coming up and even just within the first few months of this year, you have two story ballets and it might be easy to just feel like you can, [00:15:00] one can cut and paste and approach to that, but it's Sylvia and then Broken Wings, which is the Frida Kahlo story, and I imagine you couldn't find two more different stories and how one needs to.
Tailor make your character, character or, um, stylistic approach to that ballet. Like, I think that that's a such a, that's very indicative of the kind of programming you're doing. Even though they're both story ballets, they cater to different, um, sensibilities and different dancers, and maybe we can speak to that.
Rebecca: Mm-hmm.
Stanton: Well, definitely the variety I think is important, you know, that we're trying to appeal to. You know, ina, we only have six programs outside of the Nutcracker, which is the seventh. So out of those six, you are wanting to try to find a, an element or a different color, if you will, of the whole rainbow of dance and bring it into that.
Um, it's interesting with Broken Wings and Sylvia that you said it like that because until you just said it, I hadn't really thought of it that way because it's a [00:16:00] mixed rep program.
Michael: Mm-hmm.
Stanton: Yes, the, I think that there'll be Sylvia's that do both Sylvia and Frida in that couple weeks. That's amazing. And what a great.
Artist as that for me makes me wanna dance again because I, I would love to have done those that switch, you know?
Rebecca: Yeah.
Stanton: Um, yeah. And Petite Ma is, is, you know, a, a masterpiece of a ballet too with Achillion that's in the Broken Wings program as well. So, uh, yeah. I love that diversity. For me personally, I, as a dancer, that made me want to dance.
It was that. A murderer one night, the hero the next night, a, uh, animal the third night, a, a goal the fourth night. Yeah. Anything like that, that makes me want to be an aunt. Yeah.
Rebecca: Mm-hmm. Yeah.
Julie: Yeah. It's really exciting to, um, to have the opportunity to. Speak all those movement languages. And, um, what we were [00:17:00] doing a, a open rehearsal for some of our, um, patrons, the other, um, night, and they were working on free, on, uh, broken wings.
Michael: Mm-hmm.
Julie: And, um. The audience definitely picked up on, um, you know, you give the slightest correction to a dancer and, and you immediately see the result and it was just, you know. For me, I, the audience of course, was uh, amazed at that and they loved it because it's really teaching them about why details make such a difference because they see it happening in front of their eyes.
Stanton: Mm-hmm.
Julie: But it also reminded me of my years as a dancer and just exactly what Stanton was saying, like how satisfying it is to be able to be so, so in tune with your body and be able to move in like the most. The most, uh, nuanced change mm-hmm. Then affects the whole thing. And then you go to another hour and [00:18:00] another ballet and you're, you're doing the same process, but with a completely different vocabulary, different words, different story.
And, and that's, I mean, that's the thrill of, um, and the great reward for not only the dancers, but also, um. The people that get to watch them, you know? Mm-hmm. Whether it's in the studio or in the audience or wherever. It's, uh, it's just such a exciting process and you see the growth right before your eyes and you see the discoveries and then discoveries lead to more discoveries.
And, um, that's, that's so, so much a part of how we do our repertory planning, which is we just came from a meeting talking about a few seasons from now, and, um. Those are all part of the, that are in your head as you're planning, um, uh, the season and how you both grow the artists and [00:19:00] grow, um, the interest for the audience and, and yeah, try to put every color in the rainbow that you can, um, to, uh, continue and expand.
Conversation on dance.
Rebecca: Oh my gosh. Well, you talked us into it. I think we should all come out of retirement to get that feeling again, because
Julie: I know I, I got a little nostalgic, but you know,
Stanton: we were talking about that today. Did you ever see NDT three, the company, when they brought the. T created a third company for people in their fifties and up fifties.
But, uh, Julie and I were just talking about some programs for that, but there's some ballets that we could all. Come back and do an, uh, an older version of the same.
Rebecca: I'm obsessed with that. I have to be
Michael: in a sneaker for sure.
Rebecca: Yeah.
Michael: This, this arthritic big toe joint isn't making it on relevant
Stanton: de
Michael: go.
Stanton: You.
Rebecca: I love it.
[00:20:00]
Rebecca: Um, but let's talk about, Julie, you just kind of touched on it a little bit, what the programming process looks like for you guys. And I'm also curious because like you mentioned, you were talking about programming for a few years from now. Where were we, Julie, when you came in? Like how much had already been programmed?
And then when did you kind of start to be a part of that conversation? And I, I assume that this season. Certainly was one that you were a part of.
Julie: Stanton included me from even before I actually started as far as getting my feedback on mm-hmm. You know, what Balanchine Ballet that I thought, or, you know, in, in small and big ways.
I've been included from the beginning and now, as you know, one of the great, one of the great joys for me is that I'm discovering all this repertoire that Stanton's made that I didn't even know.
But shame on New York that they don't know more of it because it's incredible. So there's a lot of discoveries [00:21:00] that I'm making, um, that is then helping me to be able to be a even more informed thought partner as we plan future seasons. Mm-hmm. Um, but uh, yeah, he's always made space for my opinion. Mm-hmm.
And not just like, okay, now this, starting this season. Um, 'cause there's always some, uh. You have the, you have the big, uh, sort of, um, what do we call them? Uh, Stan
Stanton: landmarks or,
Julie: yeah, like the, the things that are anchor anchors. Mm-hmm. Anchors of the season. So we have anchors in the season, and then in, especially in the triple bills, we have, um, some flexibility that's not always like three to five years planned, but it's, you know, right.
There's more flexibility. So that's where, um. And again, talking about just having a partnership, um, you have ideas and, and when you have a partnership like ours, you're [00:22:00] not afraid to put 'em on the table and just sort of just say. What you think. And then sometimes it sparks some really exciting things, like just what we just talked about in the last hour.
Like, oh yeah, I didn't think of it that way, but yeah, that would be great. Or, um, and, uh, so yeah.
Michael: One thing I'm thinking about when you, you're bringing up the wealth of Stanton's works that are in the repertoire that you can pull from constantly. Those are things that will help maintain an individual identity.
Yeah. 'cause there is always a danger when you are pushing the versatility that you could, there, there is an issue with kind of the globalization of ballet, right? Where it's just like everybody does a grab bag of these hot up and coming choreographers. And so, you know, having. Someone who works so closely with the company and for decades, that is, is a big plus.
Absolutely. And I'm seeing now you have a, a choreographer, Alice to Alice [00:23:00] Top.
Stanton: Yep.
Michael: That, uh, will be making her first work for the main stage for the main company. Like that is something, and you know, you're trying to encourage things that will be unique to the company as well, which is hugely important.
Stanton: Yeah. And I think it's always been a big goal for us that when. Like with Justin or Mark Morris, that they come and make their work here because the dancers here are unique and then anything they make here will be in, its in its own unique form, if that makes sense. Mm-hmm. I, I feel like that, that's our, our fingerprints is that, um.
That the, that's the choreographic Eden that when they get here and they realize the quality of the dances and the intensity of the rehearsal, what does that release in them? Mm-hmm. Um, I really like collecting those, those ballets from these people who have had such international, uh. Careers. Mm-hmm.
Rebecca: Mm-hmm. I love that. Can you tell us a little bit more about that work? The Alice Top? Is that what her [00:24:00] name is?
Stanton: Yeah. Well, it's Brad. Tell
Rebecca: us about
Stanton: that. So I don't have a lot of information.
Rebecca: How'd you decide to work with her and bring her in?
Stanton: Well, she, she's actually been, she did a piece for us in our school, pre COVID.
Um, and so a
Rebecca: while
Stanton: ago now, she was just starting to choreograph for the Australian ballet. She was resident choreographer there, uh, several years back when David McAllister was there. And, um, that's when I first saw her work. And then she came and she did a small piece for in the school, and that was on some of our dancers, like, uh, Danby Kim, who is just a new soloist and mm-hmm.
Uh, so that long ago, and then it is been in this very long process of getting her back, COVID, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Mm-hmm. Um, and now she's really quite established. Of course, she's been making full length ballets and she works very closely with scenery and atmosphere. I think the work is a little bit on a dance theater side.
She has done point shoe ballets. She's also done flat shoes, so I'm not a hundred percent sure what this work will entail, but [00:25:00] uh, yeah, it's brand new and it's all, um. Uh, it's all still coming together. Sure. So the fact that there are some elements that fall that, uh, happens, and I can tell you that I think that the music is AVO part.
Is that correct, Julie? But great. That sounds
Michael: familiar.
Stanton: Yeah. So, yeah, so that's kind of the fun of it, right? Like we now need to wait and you move it a little bit within the program as to where it might fit, but mm-hmm. That's currently where we are. So she's, she's, uh, quite established. She's, uh, done pieces for all New Zealand ballet, um, yeah.
Julie: I love that you, and it's premiering until end of May. Mm-hmm. So she hasn't even come to Houston yet to make or work on it or anything. So that's something that we're really looking forward to. Um, I bet, uh, as the end of the season and adds to that sort of vitality of. We are just, we are creating from the beginning to the end of the season.
And the dancers are, you know, [00:26:00] engaged in that, that level throughout.
Rebecca: That is nice for the dancers too. I love that you guys are like, we don't know yet because that means that you didn't say, I want point shoes. I want this music, I want like this story. It's just like I have strong
Stanton: opinions about that. Uh,
Julie: yes.
Had some guidelines. Sure. Otherwise, the budget, you know, has to be maintained. But as a choreographer, Stanton, uh, is very aware of the kind of pressures that they feel. I, I am less sensitive to those pressures as far as like, we, we would ideally want this, but I respect that he is, wants to maintain the sense for the choreographers that really within the budget they can.
Come and create something that. They don't feel it. Like their, their imagination and their ideas get smaller and smaller and smaller because of the [00:27:00] limitations and
Michael: Right.
Julie: Um, so
Stanton: yeah, and I do influence, I mean, I say, please don't use fire or water. But those two things are very problematic on stage.
Yeah,
Julie: sure.
Stanton: And often blend up with them, believe it or not. Um,
Michael: well, Stan, what are you gonna do when you're forced to make Avatar the ballet?
Stanton: Oh, I'd love for the box. Love to talk about that. What a great ballet. I think Avatar would make a fantastic, I mean,
Michael: it's basically an opera
Stanton: as
Michael: it stands, so, yeah. Why not
Stanton: a balance, a projection.
Projection can do flame and water. I thought about it
Rebecca: and honestly, I love it for marketing too. You know, I mean it's, you have the familiarity. It's there.
Michael: Yeah.
Stanton: No, and I think I always want them people to dance. Like, you know, use, people don't, if you restrict the casting, if they want to use everybody, I love that it's pain for us to do.
It's gonna cost us more money, but ultimately the more people that are experiencing that choreographic moment, the better I think, as an organization for us. So. [00:28:00] There are some guidelines, it's just, I, I, yeah.
Rebecca: Yeah. And the happier the dancers are, the more they get to dance. Right? More people involved.
Stanton: Uh, mostly
that wouldn't be my response for sure. I, if I was not in everything, even in core material, if I was only in Act two and three and not in act one, I'd go in and ask to learn act one, because I hated being there in makeup and not being on.
Rebecca: Yeah,
Michael: yeah, totally.
Stanton: Yeah, I, that's what we're there
Rebecca: for.
That's right.
Michael: Stanton, you're making a new work this season, and since you're so musically driven, I'm wondering, and since we were talking a little bit about that earlier, like what. What are you using this year? And, um, maybe you can dive into what your process has been with the, the score you're using.
Stanton: Yeah. Well, it's Mason Bates, which is, uh, I've been excited about using him for a while. He's an American composer. Uh, he did a piece here with Azure Barton called Angular Momentum, which I [00:29:00] really fell in love with, and so. Yeah, so it's got electronic music and percussion. There are four percussionists that play live, but it also has an underneath baseline at times that comes in.
Um, and that's new for me, so very exciting. It's only about a 12 minute work minute work. And really I just tried to react to the music because it's all percussion from gongs to symbols to everything. Each dance is kind of an instrument, and I really wanted to showcase their musicality and them very much as individuals.
So Tyler, Donna Talley and Danby Kim and Eric Best, Jacqueline Long. All these people come out and really show their goods, but really what they're showing is. Their innate musicality, and I'm trying to show how I can find all of those rhythms and notes through their bodies or through two adverse bodies.
It's, it's been a lot of fun and I haven't, I made [00:30:00] it part of it earlier, did a rough draft, and now I've got one more week before I get back at it. So.
Rebecca: Crunch time. I
Stanton: don't really remember it, and I know it's really hard to count, so, but it's fun. It's a funky piece and I think, uh, uh, hopefully it brings us into a new sort of style of classical music where it, it is not what the audience will expect, I think.
Mm-hmm.
Rebecca: I wanna talk about Giselle a little bit, which Julie May have be a little familiar with right. In your dancing career. Um, and I wonder, um, Stanton, how is your Giselle different than maybe some other ones that, um, people might be familiar with? And Julie, how are you working in the coaching realm of things with Giselle?
Stanton: Um, I tried to go back to the original score, which is a little bit different.
Rebecca: Mm-hmm.
Stanton: And has some music that I had not, was not familiar with as a young dancer. Um, so that's predominantly musically how it's different. [00:31:00] So then there are, that adds a few more solos and a few more characters to, to do those things.
And I really wanted to flesh out a little bit more the. I don't want, it's such a deliberate, uh, such a easy choice between hilarious and Albrecht. Mm-hmm. I think that, yeah, I think that she has the stability. It's, it's a little bit more Ana Karenina in the fact that picking between the stable farmer, maybe not everything but full life versus.
Something special or, and, and what an interesting choice that is in that. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. So to try to build that out a little bit more, uh, certainly to amp up Patil as what the devastation, the impact it is on her life, um, at that moment, I think that that adds the tragedy for me to see the impact on different characters.
Mm-hmm. Um, and then in act two, I think it, a thing for me was very much about making them look more like ghosts. So. [00:32:00] They move in and out of light, or they move behind trees at times. So there are moments where they're not just a glowing white ensemble. Mm-hmm. Um. Yeah.
Michael: Have you done an Reina?
Stanton: No.
Michael: Well, let's get you the budget Stanton.
That really piqued my interest there.
Stanton: Yeah. There are a few. Good reinas. It's a very interesting story. I dunno if you saw that film with Kira Knightly.
Michael: Yes. It's that Tom stop,
Stanton: right?
Michael: Yeah. It's so good. Oh, it's one of my favorite movies of maybe the 20 Absolutely. First century. It's so beautiful
Stanton: and it, it told the story better than any other annana that I've.
Had seen mm-hmm. And also had dancing. So I, yeah. That was the first time I felt a bit like, oh, there's something in that.
Rebecca: Very good. I love it.
Stanton: Sorry, Julie,
Rebecca: uh, Julie, just about the Yeah, the coaching
Julie: process. Rehearsal process, yeah. Julian, Giselle. Well, I mean, Stanton has, has, um. It's very much [00:33:00] expanded, right?
Mm-hmm. So, Matilda's on point, all of his dancers are on point. Mm-hmm. Like character necess, I mean, they're all characters, but they're on point and there's a beau. Really, there's many more solos in the different to small. So not just the typical peasant pat. It's like there's a lot of dancing in the first act.
Mm. Um, and there's a particularly beautiful, um, part of the mad scene that is traditionally cut and it's very moving and it's, uh, when Bat till goes and comforts Giselle. And it's very beautifully designed and, and portrayed by our dancers. And it, as Stanton mentioned, it just adds. It adds, um, a, you care about all the [00:34:00] characters mm-hmm.
In different ways, right? Because you see the impact of all the actions. And then the second act, the production is, uh, Roberta, right? So the, it's beautiful. It's not like the thatched hut and like a dirt thing. It's beautiful. Everybody's, it really belt out. And I didn't even see the ferry full, full, full production.
'cause we did it on tour in Japan, so we didn't bring every single piece of everything.
Stanton: Mm-hmm.
Julie: Um, but it visually. Stunning to look at.
Stanton: Mm-hmm.
Julie: And the second act, again, has additional dancing for Harian and, um, it's just, it's a much bigger scale production than the traditional, um, addit renditions that have been somewhat scaled down and somewhat replicate each other.
Mm-hmm. So Stantons has just definitely got his own, uh, point of view on it. [00:35:00] And, um, uh, you know, my, my coaching is generally kind of big picture as opposed to all of the details. Um, at the end of the day, you wanna care about the characters.
Michael: Mm-hmm.
Julie: You wanna care who lives, who dies and why. And so the majority of my coaching is.
Is impact, you know, intention and impact and, and not necessarily what count it, it is because it may not be the counts that I know. Um, and it's not necessarily, you know, turnout here or whatever, but it's the relationships mm-hmm. And what I feel when I'm watching. Um, so, uh, but it's, it's, again, it's very beautiful and interesting for me to see.
Um, a story that yeah, I'm so familiar with, but told, um, you know, in a, in a different way. Uh, yeah.
Michael: You saying the turnout there is, is sparked [00:36:00] a, a curiosity of mine just now that how, when you're a, when you're performing, and then of course that must, uh, that will indicate how you coach. But when you're performing, how, how often are you thinking of anything technical, like when you're doing your 32 fus?
Like, are you trying to just be thinking of the character, take you out of that moment in a good way? Or do you need to be like, okay, left arm, left hook, you know, loose spot,
Julie: what's what day? Particular, I think, yeah, that's, it's just like mechanics,
Michael: like
Julie: keep relevant.
You just have to have your mechanics. Mm-hmm. Like for me, for some people that have the mechanics, like it's like swimming. You don't have to think about how to swim, you're just swimming. Right, right. Um, but I think, you know, with, and again, this is just my point of view, and I'm sure there's many approaches that are equally or perhaps more effective, but.[00:37:00]
When you're dancing a ballet that's been danced for hundreds of years, it's how you dance it that's gonna be remembered and how you dance. It is not just like whether you're executing the steps well, it's like how you're doing the steps and how you do the steps is informed by how you're feeling and what you're thinking and
Stanton: mm-hmm.
Julie: Your emotional state and how the music comes out of your pores, right? Mm-hmm. That's the artist and it's, you can't bring the music to, like, if you're not a skilled enough dancer to do the steps beautifully and seamlessly and, and within the art, our art, understanding of ballet as a, as a language.
Stanton: Mm-hmm.
Julie: But if you're not able to go beyond that and, and show. The emotional impact of the music [00:38:00] and the feelings for the people. And if you're not able to do that, then nobody remembers your version. Nobody really cares if you live or die. And so, um. You have to be, uh, in, in certain moments.
Yeah. You have to be thinking completely, how do you stay on balance, right? Like, how do you mechanically keep your body in control? But at the same time, if you aren't thinking, my shadow's getting bigger over him, you know, if you're not thinking something
Stanton: mm-hmm.
Julie: Beautiful. Or imagine if you're not thinking something more than that.
Mm-hmm. Then it's just like. Uh, A little empty. Mm-hmm. Yeah.
Michael: Yeah. We can go see that at any old ballet competition. 13-year-old can do fu now,
Julie: you know? Yeah. So there's my little, there's my little coaching session.
Rebecca: I love it. This makes me wanna go see your Gisele, which, wow, Michael. Did you ever think [00:39:00] I would say that?
Go see Gisele. I love Gisele. It was always my favorite.
Stanton: Got restaurants come some Mexican food.
Michael: Yeah. But, but I love, I mean, 'cause I have always thought even, you know, when you're doing it, especially if you're a man and you're not albe, you're just done, you know, you're like, wow,
Julie: busy.
Michael: So that's, yeah.
I think Giselle
Julie: is, they're doing double tours. There's the hunting party. I mean there everybody is busy.
Rebecca: Love it. Yeah. That's awesome. That's so great. Well, did we miss anything else that we should be talking about this season that we're looking forward? Forward at A Gathering
Julie: Dance
Rebecca: is
Julie: at
Rebecca: Aing.
Julie: Gather's gonna be, you know, just wonderful.
We're so thrilled that the Robins Trust is allowing us to do the ballet and it's. Just, yeah. What a, what a gem and
Rebecca: company premiere, correct? Yeah, yeah,
Michael: yeah. We love dances. I'm curious, um, I imagine this would be something that the repetitive decides, or the trust, but, [00:40:00] you know, um, dances, uh, things varied so much in terms of who was doing what.
You know, Violette originally just came out and did the one solo, and now typically the green gets. The second, but sometimes she does the al and that can even be the blue girl. Like how, when, do you guys have any input on that? Do you have any preference?
Stanton: JP land through the stager is, you know, they'll have very, and of course they might ask you opinion and offer it, but no, I find most stages come in with a pretty,
Julie: yeah,
Stanton: have to react to the dancers in front of them to make.
That choice. And it might also be different from night to night,
Michael: right?
Stanton: Uh, one dancer in the green girl does all of what you just said and another night. It's just that I think, uh, that happens in a few ballets. Um, yeah.
Michael: Mm-hmm.
Julie: We're supporting them and mm-hmm. Every we we're, we play the supporting role mm-hmm.
In, in a situation like that.
Rebecca: Yeah.
Stanton: [00:41:00] Everyone wants to be in this ballet. Of
Julie: course. Oh
Rebecca: my God. That was like, of course. Yeah. They're like knocking down your door. Yeah. Have you guys started rehearsing it yet, or, 'cause I know you're, oh yeah.
Julie: It's already been staged. Yes.
Rebecca: Wonderful.
Julie: Yeah. So a lot of that is, uh, when the repetitives are available.
Mm-hmm. So it's great when it's so early in the season because then the dancers have time to learn it, digest it, think about it, and then revisit it again later in the season when they've mm-hmm. You know, been mm-hmm. Already doing, bringing so much artistic output. And so it's, it's, um.
Michael: It's
Julie: right.
Stanton: It's also like the planning, sorry, too, is that, you know, knowing Alice will be making her new work at that time.
Mm-hmm. Giselle is already up and running for us. 'cause we just took it to Japan. Mm-hmm. So it's gonna be complex, but not from fresh.
Michael: Right. Same
Stanton: thing with dancers is that it's taught in their body classically, they've six months to play with phrasing and
Michael: mm-hmm.
Stanton: Steps and then. [00:42:00]
Michael: Sorry. Also, I would wanna, it's a stamina buster.
Some people have really hard stuff. I mean, all I did was the giggle dance, and you wanna throw up at the end of that. Like, you're just like, okay, thank God I don't have anything else to do. So it's, it would be nice to do it. We typically did it at the end of a season too, and then you're like, okay, I've been dancing, I've been on stage all year.
I got this.
Julie: Yeah,
Rebecca: yeah,
Julie: yeah, yeah. And then we also have on that same program, um, Stanton's Tapestry, which is. Coming back.
Rebecca: Yay.
Michael: Very Stanton centric season, which we love. These boys are gonna be in shape, they're gonna
Rebecca: that. And then while we're here, do you guys have anything you can tease about next season?
Has that come out yet? Or you can tease for us?
Stanton: Uh, we announced on the 17th of February. Oh. Very
Rebecca: soon.
Stanton: We might be going down a rabbit hole.
Rebecca: Oh, okay. That's a good tease.
Julie: And I may be wearing very long nails. [00:43:00]
Stanton: Oh my God. That's your puzzle. Can you get that? Well, you'll
Rebecca: have to tell
Julie: us off.
It may be nine inches long.
Rebecca: I'm like,
Michael: What is going on? I love the scoop, but this feels like a riddle to me, but I'm like a riddle. Is it what I think it is? It's a, that's a
Julie: riddle.
Michael: If it's what I think it is, the
Julie: music may,
Michael: right? I mean like, but that's wild.
Stanton: Yes. That's why we're excited, but
Michael: we I love that.
Yeah. Okay. Well, we'll talk about this one off the record. Yeah. Yeah,
Rebecca: yeah.
Michael: Wow.
Rebecca: Well, there's clearly so much to look forward to. Uh, whenever we talk with you guys, we're always like the dancers are spilled with riches there with so much great dance going on and so much they're so busy. It's so great. Um, and thank you guys so much for joining us.
Julie: Thank you
Michael: Thank you both. Let's, let's not make it two and a half years until next time's. So yeah, over. Have a
Julie: free read. Yeah. Come and visit us and we'll get you some great Tex-Mex and
Michael: yes,
Julie: see [00:44:00] how fabulous our city is and we do need to come down. I'd love to show off.
Rebecca: All right.
Thank you
Michael: both. I'll talk to you soon. Bye.
Rebecca: This episode has been a production of Conversations on Dance. Conversations On Dance is produced and hosted by Michael, Sean Breeden and me, Rebecca King Ferraro. Subscribe now wherever you listen to podcasts. To be automatically notified of new episodes. Follow us on social media and write and review us on your podcast app.
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