Kansas City Ballet dancers Naomi Tanioka and Paul Zusi in George Balanchine’s “Stars and Stripes” (photo by Kenny Johnson)
The program features George Balanchine’s ‘Stars and Stripes’ and Agnes de Mille;s ‘Rodeo and a world premiere by Caili Quan
With patriotic bombast and the nuance of diverse cultural heritages, the Kansas City Ballet celebrates the 250th anniversary of the United States with the program “Stars and Stripes,” featuring the work of three vastly different American choreographers.
Patriotism is at the heart of the program, as the company honors America, but what patriotism is — or how it’s exhibited — is a matter of perspective.
“This program is about America in various forms,” said Devon Carney, Kansas City Ballet artistic director.
What is America, in essence?
If America is bold statements and exuberant razzle dazzle, then it is encapsulated in George Balanchine’s “Stars and Stripes.”
“It’s just a blast to do,” said Carney. “It was made to honor this country, made by a Russian immigrant, who wanted to create it as a tribute to America.”
Balanchine, who immigrated to the United States in 1933 and became a naturalized citizen in 1940, is considered the father of American ballet.
His challenging work requires a large, technically advanced cast. “It was a dream of mine from the day I interviewed for this job, to be able to have enough dancers to be able to bring that to life,” said Carney. “It’s giant … and you have to have a good depth of field to pull it off.”
Premiered in 1958, the ballet is in five parts (or “campaigns”) and the company is divided into three “regiments,” along with soloists, each with their own militaresque uniform. The original costume designs were by Karinska and David Hays, and KCB uses Balanchine’s original set design ideas as well.
The ballet is set to the music of John Philip Sousa, who led the United States Marine Band in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was known as the “March King,” for his prominent and popular military marches. His “The Stars and Stripes Forever” is the National March of the United States, with its thundering brass and iconic piccolo solo, and is the music for the finale campaign, when the full force of the ballet company commands the stage at Muriel Kauffman Theatre.
It’s the closing number of the evening. This finale, said Carney, “gets the blood pumping.”
If America includes concepts of freedom and visions of the grandeur of the West, then Agnes de Mille’s “Rodeo” [pronounced ro-DAY-oh] fulfills that dream. It fulfills another of Carney’s dreams, too, another on his wish list for the company.
He danced in “Rodeo” early in his career with the Boston Ballet, but the ballet isn’t performed often in the 21st century. “I’m thrilled that I’m getting to introduce ‘Rodeo’ to a new generation of dancers,” said Carney.
This was de Mille’s breakout role as a choreographer, establishing her as a choreographer of consequence in 1942. (The first performance received 22 curtain calls.) The ballet is set at a cattle ranch and tells the story of Cowgirl as she tries to catch the attention of Head Wrangler. Like Balanchine’s work, the story is told in five sections.
Finding the right Cowgirl can be difficult. De Mille choreographed the lead role for herself, and it’s a very different part from those in traditional ballets.
“That Cowgirl, she is a cool person,” Carney said. “They’ve got to have strength. They’ve got to be awkward, yet they’ve got to show confidence. They’ve got to be vulnerable. They have to have some sort of femininity dressed up in this girl who wears jeans and cowboy boots. It’s really a very fascinating role.”
“They’ve got to have really fast footwork, really fast,” he continued, “and you’re wearing cowboy boots while you’re doing it!”
De Mille commissioned Aaron Copland to write the music, though she had some very exacting ideas. According to Carney, she practically had the ballet choreographed before the music was ever written. At de Mille’s behest, Copland incorporated American folk songs into the score.
If America is about the melting pot, a celebration of cultural influences and honoring heritages, that is represented in a world premiere by Caili Quan.
Choreographer Caili Quan grew up in Guam and identifies as Chamorro (the Indigenous people of the Mariana Islands) and Filipino. As a teenager, she moved to New York City to study ballet and danced in a number of companies, particularly BalletX, in Philadelphia, where she also got her start choreographing.
“She’s got this incredible mix of cultural backgrounds in her life, which she brings to her dance,” said Carney.
He has been a fan of Quan’s works for many years and is excited to bring her to Kansas City Ballet. Kansas City audiences had a chance to see her work with Owen/Cox Dance Group last fall, in Midwest Trust Center’s New Dance Partners performance.
Quan sets her ballet to the music of Czech composer Antonín Dvořák, using the first and last movements of his “American” Quartet (String Quartet No. 12 in F major, Op. 96) and his Waltz, Op. 54, No. 1, all arranged for chamber orchestra.
“I fell in love with Dvorak’s American Quartet after listening to it for the first time,” said Quan. “It sounded like wonder and hope. It reminded me of growing up as a child and getting that first taste of independence. The feeling of running forward with your eyes closed and an open heart.”
Dvořák came to the United States in 1892 to serve as director of the National Conservatory of Music of America in New York City. While there, he wanted to learn about American music and, as he had studied the folk music of his native country, he turned to the traditional music of Native Americans and Black Americans. His American Quartet was written while he was on vacation in Iowa and incorporates these influences indirectly, as well as birdsong he heard outside his window. His three years in the United States changed the way many Americans, so concerned with European ideals, valued their own musical heritage.
In discussing the vision for this work, Carney stressed the idea of life and youth in America but said it was a “very wide-open idea.”
This “wide-open idea” carries through to the entire program. Though Kansas City Ballet shares three ideas of America — as a welcoming new home, a place to freely express yourself, and a blending of cultures — the program also creates space for audiences to examine their own concepts of America’s essence and how to honor that vision.
The Kansas City Ballet presents “Stars and Stripes” at 7:30 p.m. March 20-21 and 27-28, and at 1:30 p.m. March 22 and 29 at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. For more information visit kcballet.org.
