Dream Roles

My birthday was this past Wednesday and in light of the celebration and introspection that comes with birthdays, I would like to share some of my dream roles.  The various roles in dances already created that I would love to dance.

The Bluebird Pas de Deux from Sleeping Beauty

Neither the choreography nor the role are particularly interesting in terms of great pas de deuxs in the classical ballet canon, but there is something about this role that attracts me.  Maybe it's the pure classicism of the choreography or perhaps the iconographic status of the pas de deux, either way it is a part I want to dance.

Dancing on the Front Porch of Heaven by Ulysses Dove

I think Dove is one of the greatest under-rated choreographers.  His work is incredibly technically demanding and aesthetically stunning while still containing honest and interesting emotions and relationships, a challenge that very few contemporary ballet choreographers have been able to meet.  Danced to an evocative score by Arvo Part, Dancing on the Front Porch of Heaven is one of my favorite ballets.

The Bronze Idol from La Bayadere

This is one of my all time favorite male variations.  The music, the costume, the choreography, I love it all.  It is difficult to believe that it's less than two minutes because every second packs a punch that makes it feel wholly realized and complete.

Afternoon of the Faun by Jerome Robbins

I think this is one of the best re-conceptualizations of an already famous ballet.  Nijinsky and the Ballets Russes made this ballet famous in 1912 in Paris, and Jerome Robbins created his own version in 1952 in NYC, changing the roles from Ancient Greece to the contemporary and having the dancers play dancers acting as though the fourth wall of the audience were a mirror in a dance studio.  It's brilliant.

Emeralds by George Balanchine

Emeralds (George Balanchine) from Ryan Wenzel on Vimeo.

Jewels is one of Balanchine's masterpieces, a non-narrative evening length work.  Emeralds is my favorite section of the ballet and I would be thrilled to dance any part in it.

Le sacre de printemps by Pina Bausch

I have a slight obsession with the history and continuing life of The Rite of Spring (more on that later), and this version is tied for first as my favorite choreography to match Stravinsky's beast of a score.  Bausch is known for using wild and at times outlandish sets in her work, and the simplicity of using soil in this work is so brilliant in its effectiveness and visibility in complementing the choreography.

In The Upper Room by Twyla Tharp

This is another one of my all time favorite works that I would relish the opportunity to dance.  This year marks the 25th anniversary of its creation and it has continued to maintain in repertory in companies all over the world.  I once read an interview with Ethan Stiefel who said that dancing this ballet was one of the greatest endurance tests of any ballet he has ever danced.  Bring it on.