Turning Pointe

The Atlanta Ballet Unrolls Its New Season

By Mickey Goodman

    When the house lights dim, the music swells and the curtain goes up on an Atlanta Ballet performance, the audience is transported to a magical new world. It’s a thrilling experience and one that Director John McFall still feels at the beginning of every new show.
     A prime reason for that magic is the 12-year veteran’s ability to select a repertoire that peaks the curiosity of his audiences. Judging by the eclectic lineup, the 2006-07 season may be the best ever. Ballets range from the time-honored “Nutcracker” to the bewitching “Great Gatsby” to the fanciful “Snow White.”

A Step Back

    In 1929, visionary Dorothy Alexander took the first step toward creating a regional ballet movement by establishing the Dorothy Alexander Dance Concert Group. In 1967, the group achieved professional status and was renamed the Atlanta Ballet.
Under McFall’s leadership, the ballet serves as both a national and international city ambassador. It is the longest continuously operating ballet company in the United States, the largest self-supported arts organization in Georgia, and the official ballet of the state. Dancers come from all over the world including Turkey, China, Mongolia and South Africa.
     McFall began his dance career when his mother, a Russian war bride, forged a friendship with a fellow countrywoman who owned a ballet school. Fascinated, young McFall begged to dance. “I jumped right in and never stopped,” he said. Instead of being teased for his love of ballet, his classmates thought it was neat, he explained. “I was known as the kid on campus who could dance. I never experienced anything negative.”
     It seems fitting that McFall, a former dancer with the San Francisco Ballet, should marry a dancer with the Miami City Ballet. And naturally, McFall and his wife Paige have passed their passion on to their 2-year-old daughter Stella Blu. Her new sibling, due in March, will grow up in the same art-infused atmosphere.

The Next Ensemble

    The lifeblood of any arts organization is the rising generation, and McFall gleans inspiration from the children in the ballet’s dance schools in Midtown, Buckhead, and the new location on Powers Ferry Road in Marietta. “Some children start dancing at age 10 and they’re on stage eight years later as the prince or the featured ballerina,” he said. “They make great grades in school and get college scholarships. It’s neat to fill the studio with kids from all over Atlanta and watch them work together.”
     Dena Budd, director of the Cobb location, which opened in January, said, “Dance is a self-discipline that lasts through a lifetime. It fosters grace, poise, musicality, rhythm and group participation.” Though the staff is always on the alert for students who exhibit extraordinary talent, creating professionals is not what the school is about. “We want to foster a love of dance,” Budd said.
     Kids and parents must concur because the Cobb location quickly attracted more than 100 students for fall. Not just limited to ballet, the Centre for Dance Education offers a wide range of classes from Creative Movement for ages 2 and up to ballet, jazz, tap and even hip-hop. Nor are classes limited to children. Adults can participate in beginners and advanced ballet, Flamenco, ballroom, belly dancing and hip-hop.
     In addition to the dance schools, the ballet is committed to giving back to the community. “The arts are about stirring things up and the loveliness of life. They help kids get in touch with the beauty within and create new pathways to fulfill their potential. Kids love to learn because they’re engaged,” McFall said.

Cue the Music

     The only sour note of the upcoming season may be the lack of a live orchestra, a move that saves the company $400,000 a year. “We have to make prudent business decisions that will make sure we’re here tomorrow,” McFall said. “We’ll miss the live music, but technology today offers levels of audio quality that are far different than they were 20 years ago.” He points to “The Radio City Christmas Spectacular” and “Riverdance” as examples of other shows performed to recorded music.
     Season subscribers Pat Watts of Roswell and Gail Vail of Greensboro, Ga. both expressed dismay but acquiesce on the rationale. “I think I will feel like I’m at a neighborhood ballet,” Watts said. “However, it’s better to have the canned music than not to have the ballet at all.”
     Vail concurred. “While I understand if it’s a necessity for costs, I surely will miss it. My feeling is that the richness and fullness of live music completes the total artistic experience of the beautiful professional performances I have so thoroughly enjoyed.”
     While McFall expressed regret, he looks forward to the new season with his characteristic enthusiasm. With a repertoire that includes performances like “Giselle” and “Sleeping Beauty,” ballet lovers can count on another season filled with beauty and surprises.

From Dreams to Reality and Back

    “Giselle,” the inaugural show of the season, is often hailed as one of the greatest ballets ever danced. This tale stemming from the Romantic Era follows a young peasant girl who is driven to madness and ultimately her death when she learns of her lover’s deception.
    “The story is told so succinctly that in the first 90 seconds, the story unfolds and the audience is introduced to all the characters,” McFall said. But the ballet is very challenging. Often, today’s more physical dancers find it difficult to master the otherworldly qualities required in the story line. To give them an edge, McFall traveled to Paris with a group of ballet patrons this summer and persuaded master choreographer Violette Verdy to come to Atlanta to coach the female dancers. “She has performed ‘Giselle’ countless times,” he said. “It is in her blood and genes. This is a huge opportunity for our artists.”
     The group also visited the famed Opéra Garnier where “Giselle” premiered. “When you breathe that kind of experience and attend performances, it fills you up with the beauty and joy [that] the tradition of ballet affords us all,” he said.
     Another graceful favorite, “The Nutcracker,” returns for the Christmas season with magic at every pirouette. Clara, the Sugar Plum Fairy, the prince and the evil Rat King bring the beloved story to life. One can often catch three generations of ballet lovers reveling in the performance, from granddaughter to grandmother.
     In contrast to “Giselle” and “The Nutcracker,” “The Great Gatsby” is rooted in the realities of the 1920s. “F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote about what he was living: World War I, women’s right to vote, prohibition and the great flu epidemic,” McFall said. “It’s about the wealthy industrialists and the nouveau riche, realities still with us today.” The Pittsburgh Ballet Theater performed this relatively new ballet twice already, but the music by Michael Moricz is being specially adapted for Atlanta theatergoers. “It should be a special treat for audiences,” he added.
     In March, the ballet once again brings cutting-edge performances to Georgia Tech’s Ferst Center for the Arts with “An Evening of New Works.” Among the featured choreographers will be Christopher Hampson and Lauri Stallings. “Both have over-the-top imaginations,” McFall said.
     The fairy tales “Snow White” and “Sleeping Beauty” round out the season and promise to capture the imaginations of children and adults alike.
     Best of all, rehearsals for all six shows are open to the public Tuesday through Saturday by calling 404-873-5811. p

Photos courtesy of Atlanta Ballet, unless otherwise noted.

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