Ballet Vero puts best foot forward for ‘exciting’ 12th season

As Ballet Vero Beach heads into its 12th season, the nonprofit arts organization continues to grow at an impressive rate, with inspiring performances and an ever-increasing number of community outreach initiatives.

“It’s exciting,” says Adam Schnell, BVB artistic director and CEO. “We’ve gotten to the point in 12 years where there’s a structure.”

The troupe size also continues to expand. In addition to Camilo Rodriquez, BVB ballet master, there are now 10 dancers in the company: four professionals and six fellows. The latter are enrolled in the BVB Fellowship Initiative for Dancers in partnership with Indian River State College and the Learning Alliance.

Adding to an expansive lineup of performances at the Vero Beach High School Performing Arts Center, they have formalized an Interpretive Dance Series at the Vero Beach Museum of Art, with pieces playing off VBMA exhibitions.

“Classic Heat,” Nov. 16, in the Leonhardt Auditorium, presents interpretative dance reflections on the Roadside Reverie: Glass Works by John Miller exhibition.

“It’s exciting in that we’ve been able to open it up to some of the dancers in the company who are aspiring choreographers,” says Schnell.

Inspired by the “colors, charisma and culture of the ’60s,” the program features two new works choreographed by BVB dancers Marlyse Noble and Darien Santos. And Schnell reworked a dance he choreographed 20 years ago.

“Joie de Vivre,” Feb. 8, at the VBMA, reflects the French Moderns: Monet to Matisse, 1850-1950 exhibition. That program premieres works by dancers Darien Santos and Abriella Mauldin, showcasing movements with a French flair.

“Because the exhibits are always changing and we have varied interest in terms of our staff and choreographers from year to year, the museum series allows us to be more flexible and spread out opportunities a little more,” says Schnell.

“Dancers that you might not see in a lead role on the main stage get a chance in that space to either choreograph or take on a lead role. And so it has become really exciting for our audiences.”

The season officially kicks off with “Nutcracker on the Indian River,” Dec. 30 at the VBHS Performing Arts Center.

It’s BVB’s own unique spin on the classic holiday ballet, with such local flora and fauna as mangroves and manatees, rather than candy characters and nutcrackers. There is also a Dec. 14 performance in Palm Beach Gardens.

“I always need a deep breath. It’s just such a big, big production in terms of how we integrate kids from the community, kids taking dance at Riverside, the professionals. It’s a huge production,” says Schnell.

Upwards of 80 children will perform, many who have never appeared on stage before, paired with professional dancers from BVB and their sister company, Dimensions Dance Theatre of Miami.

Additionally, there are hour-long Nutcracker for All, Accessible, Family Friendly performances on Dec. 29 and Dec. 31 that cater to families with young children and people with differing abilities.

On Jan. 17-18, BVB presents Program One: Seasons.

“It’s anchored by a new production of Vivaldi’s ‘Four Seasons’ that I have wanted to choreograph for a very long time, so I’m really thrilled to finally be able to do that,” says Schnell.

“The scenery is Art Nouveau and for the costumes, the girls are in long, chiffon-y dresses, like the art deco art posters of Alphonse Mucha,” he says, referencing the famed Czech artist known for his stylized theatrical posters.

“And that gets paired with our latest work by George Balanchine, which is called ‘Glinka Pas de Trois,’ a trio to some music by Mikhail Glinka. And then our latest acquisition, a duet from Christopher Wheeldon, is the central duet from a ballet called ‘The American’ to Dvorak’s ‘American Symphony.’”

Schnell stresses how special it is to have works by such renowned master choreographers in Vero Beach.

“You otherwise have to drive at least to Palm Beach to see Miami City Ballet or Sarasota Ballet to see these choreographers. So you can see it right in your own backyard, which is super fun.”

Program Two: Latines, on March 14-15, features commissioned works by three choreographers with Latin backgrounds.

“I have a huge affinity for Latin culture, and I wanted to put several really talented choreographers that are of Latin heritage on the same program to see what we got. I’m really inspired by the Latin energy that is South Florida,” says Schnell.

Camilo Rodriguez is choreographing a spirited work with musical themes from his Puerto Rican homeland, and Chloé Watson, a former BVB dancer, is choreographing a new work based on memories of Saturday night dinners at her grandfather’s house.

The third is choreographed by Yanis Eric Pikieris, a Dimensions dancer and their company manager. Of Colombian and Cuban background, he is working with a Cuban composer on a new score.

“It’s a program of three brand-new works, which is really, really cool. A lot of companies can’t do that because it’s expensive to produce something new.”

Program Three: Choreographer’s Notebook, on April 11-12, follows their trend of ending the season on a comedic note, presenting three works by Peter Anastos.

“I like to call Peter the godfather of comedy ballet,” says Schnell.

The Emmy Award-winning choreographer was one of the founders of the all-male, classical ballet parody group, Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo.

“He just has such a depth and knowledge that makes him the perfect person to skewer the human condition and at the same time sort of skewer the hierarchy of classical ballet,” Schnell explains.

“We’re bringing back one of my favorite pieces of his, ‘Go for Baroque,’ which is a parody of George Balanchine’s work. It’s about two bitchy ballerinas competing and the poor four girls that are cast in the same piece with them just can’t keep up,” he adds with a laugh.

The other two works, “La Trovatiara Pas De Cinq” and “Ecole de Ballet,” are equally entertaining.

“It’s campy, it’s madcap, it’s crazy, and yet the comedy is different in each of these three. So you’re laughing in a different way, and at the end of the day, you leave feeling good. We hope that is always the case with our performances, but when we’re doing a comedy program, you’re almost guaranteed.”

As one of their many outreach initiatives, the BVB Stage to Page program offers free Friday matinee performances to all public, private, charter and home-schooled first-, third- and fifth-grade students, serving 1,500 children overall.

This year, the fifth graders will attend a performance of Seasons, the third graders will go to “Firebird” and the first graders will see “The Sleeping Princess.”

The other Accessible Family Friendly Sunday matinees are “Seasons” on Jan. 19, “Firebird” on March 16 and “The Sleeping Princess” on April 13.

“People with young children or folks with differing abilities can come in every time we’re in the Performing Arts Center on Sunday at 2 p.m. and see a unique show throughout the season,” says Schnell.

For more information, visit BalletVeroBeach.org.

Photos by Joshua Kodis