On October 24th, 2014 at 8:00pm the houselights dimmed, the band began to play. The first piece on the evening’s program was The Fun Police, a contemporary ballet choreographed by Donna Crump. Five dancers in black and white stalked and flew about the stage accompanied by a tenor sax and jazz violin. Twenty minutes later the dancers were “apprehended,” the piece ended, and the audience broke into applause. The Marigny Opera Ballet was born.
On December 5th this year at 8:00pm the Marigny Opera Ballet’s 12th season begins.
Things are quite different 11 years on, but some things have been constant. We’ve produced a season of original dance every year, even during the COVID crisis. We continue performing to live music. Because of our small stage, the number of dancers remains more or less the same: this year, it’s eight. And, happily, Diogo de Lima ––one of our choreographers from the very beginning–––is still with us today as Artistic Director.
The DNA is still there. Our dancers can and will do just about anything. They’re as comfortable dancing an avant-garde piece as a conventional story ballet. They have an overall camaraderie that seems rare in a professional dance company, and that carries across the footlights.
I think the biggest change we’ve seen is a clearer sense of continuity. There was a certain naiveté back in the beginning, a “Let’s Put on a Show” existence that was charming but chaotic. Sometimes we didn’t know what we were doing for the following program, let alone the following season. Costumes materialized at the last possible minute (and sometimes not). Funds were scarce, and fundraising was sporadic. We had no subscribers, no major donors. In fact, the Company was launched on the proceeds of a Kickstarter campaign.
Over time we’ve become more sophisticated about financing, planning and producing our seasons. What we’ve lost (if anything) from the improvisational whimsy of those early days has been well compensated by a firmer foundation. We’re dancing now on solid ground. Our past can give way to our future, and our future looks bright.
What’s ahead? Better and better choreography, music and dancing. Each of the past years has been an exponential improvement over the last. I hope that will translate to touring opportunities as soon as next year. I hope it will also result in bigger audiences, especially new audiences of men, women and kids who have yet to discover the beauty and joy of dance.