Following on the heels of its successful 10th anniversary season, Ballet Vero Beach has planned an equally ambitious 2023-24 season, replete with performances, numerous community engagement and outreach programs, and double the number of dancers.
Adam Schnell, BVB artistic director/CEO, explains that in addition to ballet master Camilo A. Rodriguez, the company now has four other professional dancers – including one each from Indonesia, Cuba and the United Kingdom – and four fellows, students enrolled in their Fellowship Initiative for Dancers partnership with Indian River State College.
Additionally, some programs will again feature Dimensions Dance Theatre of Miami dancers, which Schnell says benefits both companies. “It’s like being in a bigger company while still being a small company.”
To address the fact that audiences rarely connect the beauty and majesty of performances with the herculean efforts they require, BVB has produced “A Decade of Dance,” a feature-length, behind-the-scenes documentary filmed by Lance Glenn, BVB technical director and resident filmmaker. If you act fast, you can view the film online through Dec. 17 ($10).
Otherwise, they hope to show it at the Vero Beach Film Festival.
“The story that has emerged is universal and speaks to how we all keep putting one foot in front of the other to improve the lives of others, hopefully,” says Schnell.
The 2023-24 season kicked off in August with the Terminus Modern Ballet Theatre performing in conjunction with the Riverside Theatre Dance Festival. Among the featured pieces was “The Man in Black,” a cowboy boot ballet by James Kudelka, performed to the music of Johnny Cash.
In November, BVB partnered with the Vero Beach Museum of Art for “And So It Goes,” an interpretive ballet reflective of the exhibition, M.C. Escher: Infinite Variations. Rodriguez choreographed the evening-length work set to the music of Eric Satie.
Upcoming Seasonal Performances:
Dec. 30 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Ballet Vero Beach presents its unique production of “Nutcracker on the Indian River,” which has been delighting audiences since its 2017 premiere. A twist on the traditional, this version has the heroine, Marie, taking a holiday journey from New York to Vero Beach in 1919, the year Vero was founded, where instead of sugar plums, she dreams of the flora and fauna of the Indian River Lagoon – think dancing manatees and land crabs.
BVB will take the logistically challenging undertaking on the road, packing up the extensive scenery and costumes to perform it for the second year in Palm Beach Gardens. Further complicating matters, 30 children from each location are being taught to perform with the 20 professional dancers.
Jan. 19 at 7:30 p.m., and Jan. 20 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
“Choreographer’s Notebook: CAMDAM” (abbreviated from Camilo and Adam), includes “Finch Concerto,” choreographed by Schnell; “Ritornello,” choreographed by Rodriguez; and their co-choreographed “Sonata for Violin and Piano.”
The Finch Concerto, he says, is set to a beautiful harp concerto by a harpist named Catrin Finch. “As far as I know, we’re the only company in the world that’s ever done something with it.”
“Ritornello,” Schnell says, was one of Rodriguez’s first forays into a structured neoclassical movement and is focused on the steps rather than fancy costumes. “There’s a lot of hierarchy between the dancers.”
The music of “Sonata for Violin and Piano” was composed by seasonal resident Paul Gay. It tells the story of a couple’s relationship over the years and is performed by two pairs of dancers. Commenting that it’s the first work they ever co-choreographed, Schnell adds with a laugh, “And it’s absolutely fine for you to say that we fought like cats and dogs.”
Feb. 23 at 7:30 p.m. and Feb. 24 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
BVB takes a grand jeté with “Balanchine, Graham, Wheeldon,” which features the complete “Sylvia Pas De Deux,” a captivating classical ballet by George Balanchine; “Lamentation Variations” by Martha Graham Et Al; “Je ne t’aime pas,” choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon; and “Museum Pieces,” choreographed by Rodriguez and Schnell.
Schnell says that while they performed an excerpt of Balanchine’s piece last season, this time, the dancers each have solo sections, concluding with a spirited, classical pas de deux.
“It’s such dense and challenging work, we wanted to reveal it over two seasons,” says Schnell.
He is also excited to have been granted the rights to start working on some pieces by British choreographer Christopher Wheeldon, who is known for choreographing with some of the best ballet companies in the world, as well as on Broadway, winning a Tony Award for “MJ the Musical.”
“He’s always been a phenomenal choreographer, but he’s blown up in the last 10 years or so,” says Schnell.
The Martha Graham Centennial will celebrate the 100th anniversary of her birth over the next three seasons, and Schnell says companies are being asked to feature her work as part of that homage.
“For our first foray, they have this thing called the ‘Lamentation Variations Project,’” says Schnell. The piece begins with a video of Graham dancing the now iconic solo “Lamentation,” followed by the dancers performing three interpretations of it.
“It’s just exciting to be able to bring these world-famous choreographers to Vero, and that’s been throughout our history,” says Schnell.
April 19 at 7:30 p.m. and April 20 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
The season closes with French choreographer Yves de Bouteiller’s “West Side Story Suite” and BVB’s own “The Sleeping Princess,” choreographed by Schnell.
“Finally, we’ve been promising ‘West Side Story Suite’ to people for three seasons, and I think it’s actually going to happen,” says Schnell, commenting that having additional dancers makes it possible.
“I love his version. It takes the suggestion of all the characters, and you get that journey and that dramatic arc over about 18 or 19 minutes, but parallel to that, it’s just a really beautiful exploration of Bernstein’s music,” says Schnell.
Having himself learned from de Bouteiller, Schnell calls him an amazing teacher, and he’s pleased that BVB dancers are now reaping that benefit.
“The Sleeping Princess,” with its “bravura dancing, lavish costumes and stunning scenery,” was last performed on the mainstage in April 2021. However, a “kiddo” version is performed annually for first-graders through their Stage to Page program, a partnership with the Learning Alliance that ties literacy to dance in public schools.
“It’s the classical ‘Sleeping Beauty’ but condensed to an hour, so you get to see all that beautiful classic choreography, the sets, the costumes. It’s a really important part of our repertoire,” says Schnell.
All upcoming performances take place at the Vero Beach High School Performing Arts Center. Tickets and more information can be found at BalletVeroBeach.org or by calling 772-269-1065.
Photos by Joshua Kodis
