First year company member Cindy Case provided insight into the first two weeks of the Season.
This is Cindy Case, chiming in about the beginning of the season at San Diego Ballet. Just like the first day at any new job, when you start dancing with a new company you’re not sure what to expect. The temptation is to hang back and take it easy; but for me and the other new faces here in Point Loma, our busy rehearsal schedule pushed us to dive right in. Within the first week, the company had begun not only Javier Velasco’s Homegrown and Matt Carney’s My Blue Heaven, but also Nutcracker rehearsals for our tour in November. Mixing the contemporary movement of our first show with the classicism of Nut has kept each day fresh, and helped us feel at home here. We newcomers may not be as homegrown as the two pieces on our first bill, but it has been a pleasure helping to bring them to the stage.
The music for our November show comes from a variety of sources. While all of it is enjoyable to dance to, the songs have wormed their way into our heads! Entering our third week of rehearsal, a number of us are already singing along. I take the songs back to my apartment with me at the end of the workday, to the point that my non-SDB roommate joins in where she’s picked up the words.
In Javier’s piece, each song gives a shout-out to a different area in or around San Diego–Logan Heights, Mission Beach, Chula Vista, and more.* This variety extends beyond the subjects, though, as each song is the work of a different 70s band. Rock, disco, folk, even jazz music pop up throughout the piece. This makes it appealing for an audience member. If a song we’re dancing to isn’t to your taste, just wait! Something entirely different is about to happen.
Matt Carney’s My Blue Heaven also uses an assortment of music, with some of the tracks drawn from the Great American Songbook. The 40s style, evoked by the musicians who will accompany us live, is perfect for the story that Matt is telling. Boy meets girl, boy dances with girl on train platform, boy goes off to war, and then…
Well, you’ll just have to see the show to find out.
Our opening performance of Homegrown is almost here, and not even the recent heatwave can keep us from the rehearsal studio. To all those lovers of San Diego and wartime love stories, we hope to see you there!
*Which, coincidentally, is helping this particular newcomer learn the ins and outs of the area. Thank you, San Diego Ballet!