Dancing Dream

The final performances of Ballet Spokane’s second season will feature new dances, new choreographers and two guest dancers.

Amanda Diehl and Morgan Hulen will join the company for an interpretation of Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” on Saturday night and Sunday afternoon at the Valley Performing Arts Center.

Also on the program is another new work, “Incident at Blackbriar.” Phaedra Jarrett, a former Sacramento Ballet dancer who performs with Ballet Spokane, staged the dance, but Ron Cunningham, artistic director of Sacramento Ballet, created it.

“I know that Phaedra will stage this work well,” Cunningham said during a visit to Spokane earlier this month. “I’m here to assist the dancers in establishing imagery as a source for their movement and to help them build an internal monologue to develop their characters.”

“Blackbriar” is loosely based on D.H. Lawrence’s short novel “The Fox,” Cunningham said.

“It is a quasi-narrative that delves into the themes of dominance, control and the balance of power,” he said. “Both works explore the relationship of two women and the man who comes between them.”

Dancing the women’s roles will be Jarrett and Kari Jensen. Patrick DesRosiers will dance the man’s role.

“Blackbriar” was created for Boston Ballet in 1976, when Cunningham was a principal dancer there. He and composer William Sleator collaborated on the ballet.

“Bill and I had dinner and an ample amount of wine,” Cunningham recalled, “while we sketched the ballet on paper napkins.”

At the time, Sleator, now a well-known author of science fiction novels for young adults, was working as a rehearsal pianist for Boston Ballet. As “Incident at Blackbriar” developed, so did Sleator’s musical composition by the same name.

Cunningham approaches choreography as an interactive process between choreographer and dancers.

“When I create dances, I outline the dance then ask the performers for solutions,” he said. “No two people move the same way, so if the dancer helps to create the movement it is more natural-looking, more fluid. Utilizing this approach, the dancers also become more vested in the dance and the process is more enjoyable.

“This ‘Blackbriar’ will be the Spokane version,” Cunningham continued, “because I’m working with three individuals who will uniquely shade the ballet’s tone and meaning.”

Added Ballet Spokane Artistic Director Janet Wilder: “This is such a fine opportunity for the dancers – to work with Ron, to interpret a dance for another choreographer. It brings the performers to a whole new level of development.

“Besides,” she said, “I’ve always wanted one of his dances in our repertory.”

Wilder’s approach to creating dances is similar to Cunningham’s.

“I prefer to collaborate with my dancers,” she said, “but I find that approach works best with mature dancers. Frequently, young dancers are not ready to give their intellectual and creative input. They need the choreographer to develop the movement patterns for them.”

Wilder’s new work, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” is a combination of these two approaches.

Diehl, a Spokane native who dances with the Louisville (Ky.) Ballet, will perform the role of Queen Titania. Her husband, Hulen, formerly of the Louisville Ballet and the Tapestry Dance Company in Austin, Texas, will dance the role of King Oberon.

“These are mature, collaborative dancers,” Wilder said.

Ballet Spokane company members and auditioned students from local ballet schools complete the cast.

Jarrett will portray the impudent mischief-maker, Puck. The two pairs of bewitched and confused lovers will be performed by Marcy Ray and Jaime McGuire as Helena and Hermia, with DesRosiers and Ryan Callan in the roles of Demetrius and Lysander.

Bottom, the weaver whom Puck transforms into a donkey, will be portrayed by local favorite Michael Muzatko. Jensen will dance the Dew Fairy.

The program also will include additional choreography by guest artist Darla Greene and by Jensen and Ray.