From Classical ballet, to rock music

So this one is pretty wild... The idea is a full length ballet production set to one of my favorite rock albums. Let me start from the beginning…

I have danced most of my life. I started out in ballet and tumbling at around four years old and rounded out my skillset on pointe in high school. Pointe is the traditional ballet form, with the women all the way on the tip of their toes in flat toed pointe shoes. I did every type of dance offered, except tap. I learned early on that even as a mildly talented dancer, I do not possess the rhythm required for tap. HA! I enjoyed most every form of dancing, but I LOVED ballet. The world felt different when I practiced ballet. It still does. My mind slows down. I’m focused in intently on each individual muscle, the way it needs to hold or move, the shape of my arms and the tilt of my head… ballet is the most natural form of mediation of for me. When I am fully present and in my body only and the racing thoughts in my mind disappear. My deep admiration for classical ballet has never wavered. I love the dichotomy of the structure and the softness. The strength and the gentleness. Ballet is a physical representation of 2 opposing forces at once. It’s the result of working unbelievably hard to make your movements look indescribably effortless.  It’s magical. It’s just magical.

I took many years off from dance, dabbling only a few times a year for most of my 20’s. What I hadn’t realized until I got back into dance, was that many of the internal struggles I dealt with for many years were a direct result of not honoring my soul’s attachment to ballet.  

Fast forward to early 30’s, when a military Permanent Change of Station (PCS) brought us to a tiny town in North Dakota, I emailed a local dance company looking to see if they’d trade some classes for some work around the studio. My thought was something like cleaning the studio after hours. After a three-hour conversation with the studio director about my experience, what I was looking for, and what I was able to offer, I ended up as an instructor for their competition team leading their ballet technique classes and assisting with choreography classes.  

What I had stumbled upon was my heart. I could feel myself coming back to life! Everything about the studio family and being able to actively practice and teach ballet lit a spark in me I had forgotten was there.  

I started to regularly dream of producing a large-scale stage production. I didn’t really have a direction for this idea. That was until the day I heard THE SONG.  

Like many people, I became pretty obsessed with new albums from my favorite artists. This particular album however, was a different kind of attachment. I could SEE the ballet. I would drive around town listening to the album and just dreaming of the choreography, sets, and what the dancers might look like.

THE VISON & WHERE WE ARE

Not so surprisingly, the four-person choreography experiences of my youth have not given me much of a head start in this project. I’ve never done any sort of production to this scale. So right now, we are building the basics.

I’ve obviously kept a lot of details quiet at this stage in the game. Most importantly, the album that inspired this whole thing. Music licensing is a mountain I have certainly never climbed, and I don’t want to get too far ahead of myself. While I have my heart set on a specific album by a specific artist, if for some reason that doesn’t work out, the Rock Ballet dream will not die! I have a few back up options in mind. If things go even semi-to-plan and we are able to produce the original idea, those back-ups may just end up new productions of their own.  

The story has been outlined and is being tweaked and perfected on a regular basis so we can create the most amazing final product. I have an idea of dancers I want in lead roles, at least the type of dancers. I’m currently working on scouting potential choreographers as well. I know the feeling I want for this production so finding the right choreographers will play a huge part in achieving this. My vision is a true classical inspired ballet, on pointe, set to rock music.  

I’ve gone back and forth on the scale of the stage you’ll see in the final show. I’m preparing for all contingencies. As I’ve said, this is my first true stage production. So, while I’m dreaming up the biggest options, I’m also preparing if we decide to keep it smaller scale.  

This is the basics of where we are in production at this point. The very baby beginning part. I’ll keep updating on this journey as we grow and finalize more pieces.  

WHERE WE ARE GOING

The big vision for this Rock Ballet is a full stage production. Think the scale of George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker in New York City. I want the fast paced feeling of Balanchine’s style of American ballet. The show will be built around the dichotomy between the soft-yet-quick movements of the classical American ballet you see with your eyes set against the harsh and heavier feeling of the music you’re hearing. 

Here’s a quick list of some of the things we’re going to need to make this production happen: 

• Money. Lots of it. 

• Legal teams for music licensing, contracts, etc. 

• Production teams for every aspect of the show including costumes, sound & lighting, costumes, etc. 

• Choreographers, dancers, set designers, stage hands, hair and makeup, etc. 

• Locations for final performances, practice, and rehearsal spaces. 

• Advertising and production paper products (flyers, programs, mailers, etc.) 

And that is just the beginning. A production the size I am envisioning will easily be in the six-figure total price tag. Money will obviously be one of the biggest factors in how quickly and how big we are able to make this show. But as Husband likes to say “it’s just money, we’ll get more". So we are going to keep dreaming big and keep following the inspiration to see this show in real life just how I see in my mind. 

how to help 

Would you like to be involved? Because I would LOVE to have you! 

If you see anything from the list above you’d like to be involved in follow the link below and fill out the quick form. We’ll be in touch as soon as possible to get you involved!