Ballet Beginnings

Yesterday I started rehearsals for West Side Story Suite, with the National Ballet of Canada. That’s right - Canada’s National Ballet company. No, I’ll not be wearing point shoes and a tutu, Jeté-ing across the stage singing “I Want To Live In America”, much as you’d all like to see, I'm sure.

The show is a 30-minute ballet piece that first premiered in 1996 with the New York City Ballet, and is part of a 3-act night of mini-ballets created by Jerome Robbins, the choreographer and director of the original musical West Side Story and the Oscar-winning movie.

The ballet company has been rehearsing this show for a couple months now, and I, along with four other female singers have been added in to the mix just nine days before opening night, November 8th, 2007.

I know what you’re thinking... So what exactly am I doing in this show? Answer: Not much. The show begins with the memorable Prologue, after which I sing the shows first song, “Something’s Coming” while the dancer portraying ‘Tony’ acts out his character’s story. Then I sit and watch. Later, I sing a short reprise of “Somewhere” in the finale, and take my bow. That's it. This could be the easiest gig I will ever have in the career.

We five singers will be singing into microphones from the orchestra pit. A 40-piece orchestra will provide the glorious music, and the dancers will provide the rest, including some singing and dialogue.

Yes, this element could be the most intriguing aspect of this production. Hmmm... ballet dancers singing and speaking. The best ballet dancers move us through of beauty of their movements. Relating all this passion through movement is accomplished by drilling the technique of dance, which, fundamentally goes counter to the technique of producing sound. To dance ballet is to hold your stomach tight, to suck in for all you’re worth, to be as long and elegant as possible. Alternatively, speaking and singing comes from being as relaxed as possible through the stomach, allowing the diaphragm to expand down and out. To see how these brilliant dancers can accomplish this seemingly impossible task will be something I look forward to during this run.

So, back to the details of yesterday’s rehearsal. After a quick sing-through with musical director and conductor David Briskin to solidify tempos, intros and harmonies, we gathered into the large rehearsal hall at the Walter Carson Centre. There, the dancers were running through some exercises, generally warming up before the “stumble-through”. (That's what we call it in the musical theatre world, although here, it seems rather ill-named). There was a palpable excitement as the two groups eyed one-another for the first time, anticipating what was about to happen. It felt like we were the Jets and they were the Sharks, only we were outnumbered 30 to five!

Greeting us was Rex Harrington, former star dancer, and Karen Kain, who besides being a former star dancer is the company’s current Artistic Director. (Interestingly, both Rex and Karen appeared acting and singing the Christmas Panto a few years ago, which was produced by her husband Ross Petty, lest we forget ... but I digress). And then, they’re off! Those memorable melodies floating out of the piano inspired some brilliant and passionate dancing, right before our eyes. Even in their rehearsal sweats, I could imagine the show coming together in front of 2000 raptured audience members. It was really cool to be literally five feet away from them, watching them work through their show, intensely focused, sweat dripping off their brows, encouraging one another on after each number. And I’m getting paid to do this!

Let me correct myself, this surely is the easiest gig I will ever have in my career. No doubt about it. Usually, it’s me up there, busting my butt trying to learn the steps, trying to find my spikes on the floor as I whip set pieces around the stage, legs cramping up at night, bruises blooming deep purple. Not this time! I look forward to the remaining 2.5 weeks of this job. And not just because I can sit back and watch their beautiful bodies do it. Because, later, I can tell everyone I did a show with the National Ballet.

Keep taking that wheel, everyone. Because if you don’t someone else is in control.

Cheers!

Jeff