‘Like a great Rembrandt’: KC Ballet presents work that took Paris by storm 181 years ago
Many ballet companies around the country present “Giselle,” but it’s hard to imagine that any of them have an artistic director as steeped in Adolphe Adam’s ballet as Devon Carney.
His Kansas City Ballet will present an authentic production of “Giselle” for six performances, beginning Oct. 14 at the Muriel Kauffman Theatre.
Carney has an intimate knowledge of “Giselle” like few others. He’s been involved in this quintessential work of the Romantic era since he was a young dancer of 16 attending an arts high school in New Orleans.
“I was able to dance the peasant pas de deux on the school cafeteria floor with squished peas and brownies, and that was tons of fun,” Carney said. “And the New Orleans Ballet, which was connected to the school, performed the ballet a few times during my educational years. I think we did it twice.”
At New Orleans Ballet, Carney learned “Giselle” from Harvey Hysell, who was taught by Vincenzo Celli, who in turn was taught by Enrico Cechetti, famous for his work with the Imperial Ballet in St. Petersburg, Russia and developer of the Cechetti Method. It is this great ballet lineage that Carney brings to “Giselle,” as well as a long history of actually performing the work himself when he was a principal dancer with Boston Ballet.
“When I got the job with Boston Ballet, gee, I don’t even know how many times we did ‘Giselle,’ but I danced every role there is that a guy can dance: a peasant, Hilarion and, of course, Albrecht,” Carney said.
“Giselle” was first performed in Paris in 1841, when the Romantic era was in full swing. Romanticism was a reaction to the Age of Enlightenment and its overemphasis on science and rational thought. With its supernatural plot involving Wilis, the ghosts of women who were betrayed by their lovers and died unmarried, “Giselle” definitely appealed to the Romantic taste for the fantastic.
“When it was premiered, there was a hairstyle that was used for the role of Giselle and for other women in the show that was nicknamed ‘The Giselle,’” Carney said. “Within two days, every hair salon in Paris was being asked to do that hairstyle. I would have loved to have seen what that was like. Just imagine women going to the hair salon saying, ‘I want a ‘do like that girl that played Giselle.’”
In Carney’s production, all of the women have their hair done in a chignon, the true name for the low-bun hairstyle. The female dancers also wear distinctive longer tutus.
“When we get to the Romantic era, we’re getting to this dreamy sort of quality, and those dresses are one of the things that epitomizes Romantic ballet,” Carney said. “They are actually called Romantic tutus because they are from the Romantic era. Regular tutus, like those used in the later 19th century, in works like ‘Swan Lake,’ are called classical tutus.”
Carney’s quest for authenticity extends to the way the dancers move.
“I’m literally having to reteach the dancers how to lift their arms, how to approach an arabesque,” Carney said. “It was considered rude for women to lift their legs 90 degrees. Another probable reason for the Romantic tutu was to cover themselves when their legs were lifted higher. So I’m always telling the dancers, ‘Please, legs lower, legs lower. No high arabesques. And also arms lower. There was a much more subtle movement quality in the arms, which you will see from the women, especially in some of the waltzes in the first act.”
Usually for story ballets, Carney alternates two casts during the run of the show. This time, he decided to go with three casts because, as Carney says, “‘Giselle’ is an extremely great opportunity to give our dancers an opportunity for artistic growth.”
The title role will be danced by Kaleena Burks, Emily Mistretta and Amaya Rodriguez. “Giselle” is a ballet that is preserved in amber, but Carney says that each dancer will be able to bring her own interpretation to the role without “going off the rails.”
“Emily comes from Boston Ballet, where she saw ‘Giselle’ a lot, but never had a chance to perform the lead role, but she certainly did the supporting roles,” Carney said. “Amaya danced Giselle with the National Ballet of Cuba, where Alicia Alonso was. She has her own unique interpretation. Then there’s Kaleena, who has been with the company one year longer than me, so we’ve been together for 10 seasons. She was an understudy when we did ‘Giselle’ the first time in 2015.”
To help the dancers fine-tune their performance, Carney is bringing in Elaine Bauer, who was a principal dancer with Boston Ballet, where she was especially noted for her Giselle.
“Elaine was born in the wrong century,” Carney said. “It’s very important to me that the women get the experience of being exposed to somebody who has a rich, rich history of that particular role. And, of course, the men get me.”
“Giselle” is a rarefied cultural experience, and Kansas City is lucky to get such an authentic production, but how will a 21st century audience used to reality television and short TikTok videos respond to such a strange, almost surreal ballet?
“When we get down to it, it’s about emotional content and having an audience able to connect with a variety of different feelings in the course of an evening, and ‘Giselle’ kind of hits them all,” Carney said. “To me, ‘Giselle’ is like a great Rembrandt or a beautiful Renoir or Monet. It’s pretty phenomenal that we still have the opportunity to see a ballet like this.”
7:30 p.m. Oct. 14, 15, 21 and 22 and 2 p.m. Oct. 16 and 23. Muriel Kauffman Theatre, Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. $34-$143. 816-931-8993 or kcballet.org
Marin Alsop
A lot of people have been waiting for the Kansas City debut of Marin Alsop, and now it is at hand. The Harriman-Jewell Series will present Alsop conducting Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo on Oct. 10 at Helzberg Hall.
The centerpiece of the program is Rimsky-Korsakov’s orchestral showpiece “Scheherazade,” but perhaps even more exciting is the selection of works by Brazilian Heitor Villa Lobos, an important and fantastic composer whose music seems to be rarely heard in concert.
7 p.m. Oct. 10. Helzberg Hall, Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. $15-$85. 816-415-5025 or hjseries.org.
Maxim Vengerov
It’s a busy week for the Harriman-Jewell Series. On Oct. 16, it will present Russian-born Israeli violinist Maxim Vengerov in recital at the Folly Theater. With a slew of awards and honors ranging from a Grammy to a Crystal Award from the World Economic Forum, Vengerov is considered by many one of the greatest living violinists. His program will include music by Bach, Beethoven, Shostakovich and Tchaikovsky.
6 p.m. Oct. 16. Folly Theater, 300 W. 12th St. $15-$85. 816-415-5025 or hjseries.org.
Kansas City Chorale
The Grammy-winning Kansas City Chorale conducted by Charles Bruffy starts its new season with a journey to the Far East. “Travels of Marco Polo” Oct. 14 at Helzberg Hall will feature a real rarity, Missa ad te levavi by the Renaissance Spanish composer Bartolomeo Escobedo, as well as Chinese Folk Songs by Chinese-born Kansas City composer Chen Yi.
8 p.m. Oct. 14 at Helzberg Hall, Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. $23.50-$38.50. kcchorale.org.
Musica Sacra
Timothy McDonald and Musica Sacra deserve plaudits for presenting sacred works hardly ever heard in concert. For example, on Oct. 16, they will perform the Mass in G, D. 167 by Franz Schubert and the cantata “Alles was ihr tut” by Dietrich Buxtehude at Arrupe Hall at Rockhurst University. McDonald, an engaging music professor, will present his always-enlightening live program notes at 6:45 p.m.
7:30 p.m. Oct. 16, Arrupe Hall, Rockhurst University, 100 Rockhurst Road. Free. tinyurl.com/3pbwsddd.
You can reach Patrick Neas at patrickneas@kcartsbeat.com and follow his Facebook page, KC Arts Beat, at www.facebook.com/kcartsbeat.