2008 Woodie Awards
UMKC dancers will perform Balanchine ballet
Nicole English
Issue date: 1/30/06 Section: Culture
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"It is an amazing ballet and I am so happy we are getting to do it," said Paula Weber, professor, dance. "George Balanchine is like the Frank Lloyd Wright of dance... He took ballet and modernized the classic and romantic techniques.... He turned ballet into a neoclassical dance form, and brought it to the stage, where it is still being performed and enjoyed today."
The ballet is being staged for the company by Karen P. Brown, former ballet mistress and school director for the Kansas City Ballet. Brown has served on the guest faculties of many summer programs. She continues to work with many choreographers, stage ballets and teach master classes around the world.
"Paula was the driving force behind the idea," said Brown. "'Serenade' is one of the most beautiful ballets in the world... When she asked, how could I say no?"
Paula Weber, associate professor, dance, specializes in modern forms of ballet and initiated the project. She contacted the George Balanchine Foundation to find out what might be involved in getting permission to perform "Serenade."
"This ballet was my favorite when I danced with the Milwaukee Ballet," said Weber. "As I saw other companies and schools perform the ballet, I thought that our UMKC students were equal to the task."
The mission of the George Balanchine Foundation is to utilize the Balanchine legacy to advance the development of dance. The Foundation works through the George Balanchine Trust to make the artist's works available to the world. The trust was formed to facilitate licensing of George Balanchine's works; its aim is to preserve the artistic integrity of the works by providing Balanchine-trained repetiteurs to stage his ballets for qualified companies and requiring periodic reviews of the productions.
The first step in getting permission to perform a Balanchine piece is to get a Trust-approved Balanchine representative to appraise the dancers in the company. The representative determines whether the dancers have the necessary skill level to perform the ballet.
