FINGER ON THE PULSE
BALLET COLLECTIVE SAN DIEGO CHOREOGRAPHERS COLLABORATE ON ‘HEARTBEATS’ CONCERTS SATURDAY IN LA JOLLA
The dancers of Ballet Collective San Diego gathered for a rehearsal last month, dressed casually for a summer day in unassuming Tshirts and shorts. They sauntered around the brightly lit, rectangular studio greeting one another, ignoring the omnipresent, floor-to-ceiling mirror and tossing backpacks into corners.
When it was time to practice the dance numbers for “Heartbeats,” the contemporary ballet that will be staged Saturday at The Conrad in La Jolla, their superpowers kicked in.
Bodies transformed, spines stretched to full length, hands floated gracefully, legs lifted and toes pointed with swift precision.
The elite group of dance artists who participate in Ballet Collective San Diego (BCSD), a nonprofit founded by dancer/ teacher Jenny Asseff and award-winning dancer/choreographer Emily Miller, typically dance with local and national ballet companies.
The dancers expand their repertoire and creative lives by performing a few contemporary concerts during season breaks. Last year’s show at The Conrad brought the audience to its feet. When: 5:30 and BCSD was established
8 p.m. Saturday as a response to
the restrictions of the Where: BakerBaum
pandemic. Concert Hall “We saw all these
at Conrad Prebys dancers struggling to
Performing Arts express themselves,”
Center, 7600 Fay said Miller, who also
Ave., La Jolla directs Performing Arts
Workshop, a teaching
$30-$60 facility in North County.
“We wanted them to have the ability to do what they love.”
The overall theme of ‘Heartbeats’ reflects the heartfelt movement ideas of four choreographers.
They include Miller, an award-winning dancemaker who has created more than 100 works for stage; dancer/actress Silken Kelly, featured last year in Pointe Magazine; and classical dancers Reka Gyulai and Tylor Bradshaw, both known for notable performances in California Ballet and Golden State Ballet productions.
Miller’s dance is accompanied by Max Richter’s version of Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons,” and her choreography reflects the images she finds in the music, from “fields of grass to ice storms.”
She describes rehearsal as a “choreographic laboratory,” where the dancers challenge and experiment with movement ideas. It’s a different environment from classical training, which demands physical and mental conformity.
“You have to ask questions,” Miller said about her method of choreographing.
“Once people have the power to answer and contribute, they don’t feel like they are being told what to do. They bring their whole
Ballet Collective San Diego: ‘Heartbeats’
Tickets: Phone: (858) 459-3728 Online: theconrad.org
selves to the dance and work together.”
At the “Heartbeats” rehearsal, many of the region’s most skilled international artists were in attendance, including Cuban brothers Lester and Lawrence González Ramos, Peruvian dancer Gian Carlo Vargas and, from Japan, Sona Jaeger, who has performed with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, City Ballet of San Diego and California Ballet.
Gyulai, a former California Ballet principal who trained at the Hungarian Dance Academy in Budapest, was a study in contrasts as she taught the dancers her movement ideas for “A Road to Redemption.” Her dance, accompanied by pulsing electronica music, was inspired by the way personal and work relationships can transition from abuse to healing.
Gyulai is a graceful, petite ballerina who exudes immense energy. She spoke to the group of dancers with a slight Hungarian accent and a confidence that reflected her years of training.
“Let’s make this a big deal,” Gyulai said.
“Why not? Guys, guys, you pull and wait for your lady. This will be a cabriole (ballet jump). You will turn to face her, slide, point, turn one, two and down. Let’s go from the beginning.”
In another studio, Bradshaw, a muscular Black dancer, demonstrated a movement phrase for his choreographic work “AfricanAmerican Reprise” for dancer Lawrence González Ramos.
The choreography features music by Frank Ocean, Kanye West and Kendrick Lamar, and it blends hip-hop, classical and contemporary moves. Bradshaw said his theme was “personal” because it combines his intensive ballet training with nontraditional music that is more representative of his culture.
González Ramos watched intently as Bradshaw described what he called a “pike,” an athletic, rigorous move that involved diving toward the floor and performing a quick handstand with one leg extended before jumping up into an elegant ballet stance.
“Don’t’ kill me,” Bradshaw quipped. “You’ll do the quickest turn of your life, relevé up and down. Throw your arm first and let this arm inspire.”
The insider term for weekend dance rehearsal, Miller said, is “going to church.”
“A lot of dancers who choose to take class on Saturday or Sunday and have trained for most of their lives are in a community that is beautiful and free,” Miller explained.
“It feels like a break from your life. You learn what is great about the other people around you that you wouldn’t know without words. It’s one of the ways art changes lives. If you forget all the things you are worried about and instead focus on an expressive task with others, it can feel transcendent.”