The piece features seven men which also demonstrates the growth of our company, that we can feature seven men in a piece now. That is remarkable, given that less than 10 years ago, the ballet had to hire from outside the company to fill the role of Sugar Plum Cavalier.
Aside from Italian Suite and other Arpino pieces featured in the fall performance over the years, the Sagami and Joffrey connections have led to another important and poignant connection β Edward Stierle. Stierle died of AIDS in at the age of 22, but despite his short years on earth, Stierle left behind a huge legacy, one that has been shared in this community in the last few years with some of his best pieces having been performed on the Arts United Center stage.
In addition to anecdotal assistance provided by both Worton and Sagami, the former also provided additional insight into the original performance of Empyrean Dances thanks to a notebook of photos, handwritten notes, and other memorabilia she had saved from the Kennedy Center and Joffrey performances, giving still more depth to what Fort Wayne Ballet will bring to the piece. But none of them was exactly what I was looking for. Then it dawned on me. I have someone here who is perfectly capable of doing that.
For Tritz, who last fall contributed the dynamic choreography for Bolero, the opportunity to stage Dracula was as irresistible as the character himself.
Putting together a brand new piece of choreography is more than reading the book and starting to dance. Conveying the story also requires some judicious editing because, as Tritz points out, to do an entire book of that length would require days. But trimming content to meet the time needs and bringing the story to life through dance and pantomime is not only a challenge but a delight to the talented Tritz who can bring her love of arts and literature together and bring a new story to life.
