Each season, the ballet company embarks on creative expeditions in search of new and different approaches to dance.
For City Ballet's resident choreographers Jeff Gonzalez and Elizabeth Wistrich, the journey to develop new ideas for “An American in Paris” included traveling abroad.
As a result, the production that opens Saturday at the Balboa Theater includes three productions. Gonzalez's title work, “An American in Paris.'' Wistrich choreography “Bolero – Awakening”. and Morphoses, the company's first ballet by internationally renowned contemporary choreographer Christopher Wheeldon.
Gonzalez faced challenges.
He wanted to create a different choreographic story from George Gershwin's “An American in Paris,” a symphonic poem that the composer described as a “rhapsodic ballet.”
At its premiere at Carnegie Hall in 1928, Gershwin's iconic masterpiece created a kaleidoscope of sights and sounds from the streets of Paris, using instruments such as authentic Parisian taxi horns, trumpets, saxophones, and snare drums. It was a vibrant work that aimed to reflect.
This song has been danced to before, most famously in the Academy Award-winning 1951 film An American in Paris, a love story starring Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron.
Gonzalez wanted a different, visually impactful story to accompany the score.
“I listened to the music over and over again and was confused for months,” Gonzalez said.
“I wanted something truly French, so it had to be simpler. I came up with fashion ideas that everyone would relate to, such as wearing something original that everyone would look back on. It’s a fun story to do.”
As Gonzalez himself admits, he doesn't know much about fashion, so he visited the Palais Galliera in Paris, one of the world's largest fashion museums, and perused its collection of designs spanning more than 150 years.
“We focused on the 1950s and 1960s, considering the high couture look and the everyday look,” Gonzalez said. “We've done a lot of research. It's going to be very exciting because it will change the way you look at things.”
“An American in Paris” features 26 dancers and centers on two characters with contrasting personalities.
Shannon Romeo plays the role of an American designer who visits Paris in search of inspiration, a role based on the late Claire McCardell, known as “the gal who rebelled against Dior.''
McCardell was famous for rejecting high heels and high-maintenance ensembles and instead dressing modern American women in ballet flats and comfortable sportswear.
Megan Jacobs plays a French haute couture designer with a team of dancers and seamstresses dedicated to every accessory and detail of high fashion glamour.
Although “An American in Paris” pays homage to French fashion, Wistrich said her trip to Spain inspired her to imagine new ways to explore the music of “Bolero – Awakening.”
“The trip to Barcelona was very inspirational,” she said. She says, “I had the opportunity to see a great flamenco performance, and it changed my approach to Bolero.''
When Wistrich returned to San Diego, he asked Gonzalez to help him add the sound of heartbeats to Maurice Ravel's sensual works.
“The heartbeat enhances the energetic beat of the music,” she added. “There are 17 dancers, and the women wear white, black, and red flamenco skirts, and the men wear red and black costumes.''
Rehearsals for Wheeldon's physically demanding “Morphoses” began last year when former New York City Ballet dancer and repeater Michelle Gifford traveled to San Diego to set up the complex, kinetic work for the four principal dancers. It started when I did.
“Morphoses” premiered in 2002, and it is no exaggeration to say that it requires a high level of technical skill.
The choreography was accompanied by avant-garde composer György Ligeti's Quartet No. 1, and after rehearsals Gifford explained that Wheeldon wanted to create a musically challenging atmosphere.
“The story is that he went to Tower Records and chose music and composers he had never heard. This challenged his brain and choreographic instincts from the melodic sounds he had been drawn to. It was the hardest thing he could have found to do,” Gifford said. “It made him stand out and changed the way he looked at his movements.”
In rehearsals, the four principal dancers moved in a shape-shifting unit, then separated into duets, then united as they contracted and expanded to the music.
“There's a sense of disorder, but there's a clear vision throughout, which is quite extraordinary,” Gifford noted.
“The biggest challenge is that there are only two couples, and they have to literally imitate each other, without looking in the mirror, with the exact same arms, the same concentration and energy. Electricity like a magnet. They have to be conscious of their partners and other couples.”
Gonzalez said this season's “Americans in Paris” program is at the cutting edge of contemporary dance presentations.
“We always strive to present classical ballet of the highest quality,” he stressed.
“This show allows us to showcase a different side of the art form.”
San Diego City Ballet “An American in Paris”
when: Saturday, March 16th at 8pm. March 17th 2pm
where: Balboa Theater 868 Fourth Ave., downtown.
ticket: $39-$99
when: March 27th 7:30pm
where: California Center for the Arts, Escondido, 340 N. Escondido Blvd., Escondido
ticket: $35-$99
online: cityballet.org
Latrell is a freelance writer.