New era, new show, new style, new dancers for Orlando Ballet
A new era for Orlando Ballet kicked off this week at “Uncorked,” the company’s first big public program since the departure of artistic director Robert Hill.
The event, at Harriett’s Orlando Ballet Centre, featured an exciting preview of a show new to Orlando audiences: The Indian-tinged “Jungle Book” will be performed next month. It also gave a first look at this season’s company of dancers, which includes new faces to replace multiple departures.
Orlando Ballet’s “Uncorked” programs comprise a periodic series of behind-thescenes peeks at ballet and the creative process. Tuesday’s event was hosted by Jorden Morris, this season’s guest artistic director. He made no big speeches about “moving on” or “a new start,” but maintained a positive if low-key demeanor. The vibe: It’s business as usual for the ballet, which isn’t missing a step.
Morris said the dancers are enjoying a different learning process for a different type of ballet.
“It’s a very different vocabulary of movement,” he said. “It’s a different dialect; it’s a different style.”
It’s also a big challenge. “They’re being pushed technically and artistically,” Morris said.
The 19th-century stories of Rudyard Kipling’s “The Jungle Book” — the source material for the ballet — are set in India, so the ballet incorporates Indian-inspired movement set to Indian-tinged music.
In one dance previewed during “Uncorked,” ballerinas portraying village women danced while holding large vessels on their heads, the sort used to collect water from a well. Their arms incorporated Indian storytelling techniques signifying water and the lotus flower.
Beyond the dancing, the show will be quite the sight: More than 50 masks, headdresses and large-scale puppets help bring the stories’ familiar animals to life. Shere Khan the tiger, Kaa the snake, Baloo the bear and Bagheera the black panther all are
featured.
It takes eight dancers to operate the Kaa puppet, which is 50 feet long, said choreographer Toni Pimble, who created the work for Eugene Ballet in Oregon. She jokingly referred to the challenge the performers will face.
“Our dancers haven’t started working with Kaa or Shere Khan,” said Pimble, who is artistic director at Eugene Ballet. “I hope they will get to love them — and not hate them.”
Hill had selected the season and assembled the company of dancers before his departure in August, to recuperate after knee-replacement surgery.
Three new men will join the company: John Abenanty, Darion Flores and Trevor Stalcup. They join Kenna Gold, who was promoted from Orlando Ballet II — the junior company to the main group of dancers.
Five new apprentices will perform with the main company, three of whom also were promoted from Orlando Ballet II.
Seven dancers have left the main company, including Anita Boer, who had danced 14 seasons with Orlando Ballet. She will guest on some upcoming productions in character roles, wrote ballet spokeswoman Sara Brady. Fifteen-season dancer Daniel Benavides, who stepped back to making guest appearances last season, is expected to continue that arrangement.
Not returning are Adam Boreland, Kobe Courtney, Luis Gonzalez, Junna Ige, Isabella Mendez and David Wright.
Three new dancers from outside the United States, announced for 202021, were unable to join the company because of COVID-19 travel restrictions, but one of them — Carlos Claramunt of Mexico — may be able to dance with Orlando Ballet this season, Brady wrote.
At “Uncorked,” Morris spoke highly of the passion and enthusiasm in the 202122 company. When an audience member asked about the amount of time the dancers spend physically training outside of dance rehearsal, he saluted their dedication.
“They’re in a constant state of working out,” he said. “All the time.”
‘The Jungle Book’ What: Orlando Ballet production based on Rudyard Kipling’s stories When: Oct. 7-10
Where: Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, 445 S. Magnolia Ave. in Orlando Cost: $24 and up
Info: drphillipscenter.org/ events