Ballet Today show explores the artist’s strength

By Casey Gillis

Published: May 28, 2008

One of the pieces in Dance Theatre of Lynchburg’s latest show is all about the strength of artists.

“I’ve always thought of dance as being one of the main arteries of the arts,” says Artistic Director Keith Lee.

The piece, called “Anatomy of a Dancer,” is set in an ancient Greek city.

“I love the feeling of Sparta, and the dancers’ strength and what it takes to endure the arts,” Lee says. “You have to be so strong to be an artist. You have to be so strong to stay in this field.”

Lee, who choreographed the piece, set it to the music of Richard Wagner, including “Entrance of the Gods into Valhalla” and “Ride of the Valkyries.”

“At the end (of the dance), we’re left with these two main people,” he says. “With every army, there’s always a commander and a second-in-command. (At the end), they just take these strong dance poses, with their army of dancers around them.”

“Anatomy of a Dancer” is one of several pieces in Dance Theatre’s Ballet Today, which is scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday.

Lee’s “Double Exposure,” another new dance, is a play on a double exposure captured in a photograph.

“Basically, that is what I wanted to express in movement,” he says. “I have two dancers who look almost identical. They move in a similar way, but have a different dynamic.”

The piece features three characters: exposure one, exposure two and the transparency, which Lee describes as the blur between the first and second exposures.

Lee wanted to incorporate some type of photograph into the actual dance. But he eventually decided to use a painting instead and approached local artist Ann van de Graaf about it.

“It was a surprising idea,” says van de Graaf. “But it captured my imagination.”

She watched a few rehearsals and took photographs of various poses. Then she and Lee chose one to use in her painting.

“At the very end (of the piece), the transparency carries the painting into the center of the space, and the two double exposures sort of drift with her for awhile and slowly exit,” Lee says, adding that the painting “puts the period at the end of the sentence.

“We’re very lucky that Ann has done this for us.”

Ballet Today will also feature a revival of “The Dying Swan,” Lee’s interpretation of dancer Michel Fokine’s original choreography, as well as Dance Theatre favorites “Trilogy” and “Freedom Songs.”

IF YOU’RE GOING:

—WHAT: Ballet Today
—WHEN: 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday
—WHERE: Dance Theatre of Lynchburg, 722 Commerce St.
—TICKETS: $10 for adults and $7.50 for students
—INFO: (434) 846-6272