Chattanooga Ballet is proud to showcase its world-class company in their first performance of the season, “ART / Bridges”, featuring works by nationally renowned choreographers Kara Wilkes, Jamorris Rivers, and Chattanooga Ballet’s CEO/Artistic Director, Brian McSween.
McSween joined Chattanooga Ballet in 2019 and met Wilkes through a mutual colleague.
“She danced with Charlotte Ballet, and I'm from Charlotte, North Carolina, originally,” he said. “I met Jamorris when Chattanooga Ballet was on tour in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. He is a professor at University of Alabama. So, we had met then, and we had danced at the same places in the past, but not at the same time, so we had a bit of a connection.”
Wilkes and Rivers each choreographed two works that explore the theme of technology and relationships, but from different angles.
“Kara’s ballet is titled “The Return,” McSween said. “It’s about what technology does to us. Technology tends to separate us, and she's talking about using that as a bridge to return connections. Jamorris’ ballet is titled “Surface Tension.” It expresses the underlying dynamics of separation and uneasiness from technology and how you bridge this tension into relationships. It worked out to where this idea of bridges became an underlying thematic cohesion.”
McSween knew he wanted to create his own ballet.
His ballet, titled “Opus 25,” captures the feelings of community and the unique perspective the city associates with their beloved Walnut Street Bridge. This piece features a live accompaniment by the Chattanooga Symphony.
“My inspiration was the Walnut Street Bridge,” McSween said. “Our shows are always in October, and I knew they were reopening the bridge around this timeframe. So, I thought we could take ideas from the bridge and put those into the ballet. We're celebrating the physical bridge, but also what it does for people emotionally. The bridge is where you get to see people and you get our beautiful views.”
McSween said ART / Bridges is a way to bring everything together in a cultural and artistic format.
As stated in a press release, “ART / Bridges is perfect for both seasoned and new ballet audiences alike, exhibiting–– through a wide range of movement styles and storytelling through dance–– just how varied ballet experiences can be. These works will bridge classical ballet with contemporary ballet; bridge the expected to the unexpected; and create a bridge to the real–– real bodies, real emotions, and real relations from diverse experiences.”
Chattanooga Ballet is a non-profit organization whose mission is to serve their community and their students through the power of dance.
McSween has danced for more than four decades in several cities. He was the Ballet Master for Memphis Ballet, taught ballet at Grand Rapids Ballet School, was an adjunct professor for Grand Valley State University, and Associate Artistic Director for Joffrey Concert Group. He danced professionally with Joffrey Ballet, Complexions, and Aspen Ballet.
“I believe live art helps create that bridge between each other,” he said. “Those shared experiences with people that aren't like you. It will make you more empathetic, more understanding of different views. It will encourage you to feel the things that people around you are feeling. I think that's all part of the beauty of art. We also see art as a bridge to better humanity.”
Chattanooga Ballet has eight professional company members, out of roughly 300 applicants from all over the country.
“These eight dancers are the same eight dancers that were hired last year,” McSween said. “We offer a 40-week contract which exceeds most companies’ contracts in the United States and we're really proud of that.”
After meeting with McSween, I met dancers Eli Diersing, Anna Anderson, Alessandra Ferrari-Wong, Lucy Sheppard, Keira Holland, Pierceton Mazell, Mary Kate Shearer and Bishop Kaschock-Marenda. I was invited to watch one of their rehearsals and was enthralled by their dance and their athleticism. The ladies gracefully tippy toed around the stage with elegance and beauty. The men lifted the women with such strength, yet they did so fluidly. Leaps, lifts, allegros, pirouettes, arabesques done perfectly. B
allet is much more than dancing; it’s a story done with movements that require physical strength, impeccable mindfulness and lots of stamina. The breathing methods and lung capacities these performers have are incredible. I was overjoyed with emotion. It was an incredible performance. Now to imagine this performance, done in their designed uniforms, with the Chattanooga Symphony & Opera playing live on the same stage - it is going to be phenomenal.
ART / Bridges’ opening night performance on October 8 will be followed by a talk-back with all three choreographers! There is no better time to get away from the artificial and be inspired by the artistic.
Tickets for performances, October 8 – 10 at UTC Fine Arts Center, can be found here: chaballet.org/tickets