Dance - Classical foundation

Atlanta Ballet gets modern with New Horizons Program

Each year, the Atlanta Ballet presents New Horizons, a highly charged evening of contemporary choreography in which short set pieces by some of the world’s most visible choreographers are presented — and sometimes premiered — in stylish juxtaposition. This year’s showcase features two Atlanta Ballet audience favorites, Fernand Nault’s staging of Carl Orff’s “Carmina Burana” and Stanton Welch’s “A Dance in the Garden of Mirth,” joined by a world premiere created especially for the company by noted New York choreographer Laura Dean.
“Astral Journey” is Dean’s first work specifically designed for the Atlanta Ballet, but the commission came out of the company’s 1998 staging of her piece “Earth,” originally written for the Ohio Ballet.
“I loved the way the Atlanta Ballet did ‘Earth,’” says Dean. “Afterwards, John McFall asked me to create a new work for his dancers and gave me complete freedom to do what I wanted.”
Offered her choice of composers, Dean selected Atlanta Ballet music director Robert Chumbley, supplying him with guidelines as to meter and tempo. The resulting score for “Astral” was, according to Chumbley, inspired by the German romantic composer Johannes Brahms, who often composed commissions according to similar guidelines.
As a young dancer, Dean first trained at the School of American Ballet before going on to New York’s High School of the Performing Arts. Early training in a mix of styles — classical ballet and modern dance — strongly influence her choreography.
“I was at the School of American Ballet for four years,” recalls Dean. “Afterwards, at the High School of Performing Arts, I continued both styles for the first two years — you’re not allowed to declare your major until your junior year. By then, they expected me to focus on a classical career, but I was hooked on modern.”
From there, Dean went to the Paul Taylor Dance Company, a troupe on the cutting edge of American modern dance. By the time she began to choreograph in 1966, modern choreograpers were coming into their own.
“Robert Joffrey opened doors for us — the avant garde choreographers,” says Dean, who went on to create pieces for Chicago’s Joffrey Ballet, as well as New York City Ballet and the Royal Danish Ballet. In 1972 she founded Laura Dean Dancers and Musicians in New York.
Dean has gained a reputation for maintaining a classical ballet discipline, which she uses to underscore uniquely modern figures. “The actual dance vocabulary is not the same,” she admits, “but some modern choreographers use only their modern training. In my case, there’s a strong distinction. I think it’s unusual to utilize the two different styles the way I do. But the beauty of classical ballet is that the training is so strong, you’re able to do everything.”
The same could be said of Dean. The 55-year old dancer/choreographer recently moved to a rural area on the outskirts of Durham, N.C., where she pursues an early love — painting. She plans to start exhibiting soon, which is something she was never able to do because of the demands of her performing career.
“Running a dance company absorbs all your time,” reflects Dean. “Life is so short, and we have to make choices.”
The Atlanta Ballet presents New Horizons, featuring “Carmina Burana,” “A Dance in the Garden of Mirth” and “Astral Journey,” with the Georgia Tech Chorale and the Mays Choir, March 15-18. Performances are Thurs. at 7:30 p.m., Fri. at 8 p.m., and Sat.-Sun. at 2:00 p.m. and 8 p.m. at the Fox Theatre, 660 Peachtree St. 404-817-8700. www.atlantaballet.com.