Pease Auditorium is not the most ideal place for a ballet. Every year, however, Eastern Michigan University’s Department of Music and Dance makes it work to put one on. This year the performance was facilitated by a brand-new stage extension, and the magic of Shakespeare was set.
This year, they took on Shakespeare for their ballet, and recreated the fantasy world of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”
The Symphony Orchestra opened the program with two pieces. The first was named “Espagna,” after the composer, Emmanuel Chabrier’s, time in Spain. Conductor Kevin Miller chose it for its rousing “dancey” nature as the piece to open the ballet.
The second piece was a movement from Felix Mendelssohn’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” that was not included in the Ballet format. The “Scherzo” they played is one of the most famous movements of Mendelssohn’s composition, according to Miller.
As this last piece came to a close, the fairies took their places behind the black dividers that served as curtains. Graduate voice student Victoria Gentry began to narrate the classic tale. The ballet delivered some of the fantasy as mixed up lovers, fairy royalty and their mischievous sidekicks acted out the story.
“They all have a great performance quality,” said Valerie Street. Street was running a dance department fundraiser where they sold dancer’s old point shoes to be signed after the performance. “It went over really well” Street said of the performance.
“It was a nice, strong performance,” said Sherry Jerome Wilkinson, choreographer of the show.
What really makes this show a success is the collaboration. As someone who has been involved in the ballet in the past, Street said the orchestra is “always great to work with” and they “cooperate with anything we need.”
Miller, the conductor of the orchestra, said the opportunity of preparing the ballet “is a great experience, great collaboration for the department and the university.”
Miller also said “I was very proud of the all the performers since they performed three times.” The ballet had performed two shows, at 10:15 and 12, for local school children. “It’s very exciting to share this with them,” Miller said.
“I just feel it’s so important,” Jerome Wilkinson said of sharing the ballet with children.
“I love doing full term ballets,” Wilkinson said “it’s one thing to do five minutes, a different thing to do 60 minutes with character development. I like that challenge.”
