Resident Choreographer Sasha Janes, called a “choreographer to watch” by the Washington Post, is creating a world premiere for the entire first company of Charlotte Ballet set to a lesser known Bernstein score, Facsimile.
Sasha’s mother, Jennifer Janes, is designing the unique and intricate costumes for this new work. Check out the renderings below, along with quotes from Sasha and the dancers about the piece!
“The music really is big and broad, but it is very much has a narrative line which lead me to create a short narrative piece rather than doing an abstract ballet. When I listened, the music created an atmosphere of a carnival which is what inspired me for the piece.”
“I have two lead characters, a male and female, but I also have another protagonist, a ringmaster from the circus – maybe it’s his story.“
“Every time I listen, I find something else in the music so I try to pull each detail out with movement.”
“I really love the physicality that the music brings out in the dancers, so I am perpetually doing things that are very physical.”
“The ballet is supposed to be a carnival, so we are always working on finding the notes in the music that represent each unique character.”
“My goal is to leave the audience at the end of the evening wondering if it was a dream or if it was real.”
“This time around it is challenging because Sasha has to tell a whole story in 18 minutes, so he has created little vignettes popping out of the ensemble to highlight the different characters. It is really going to be like a circus.“
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