The excitement of opening night settles into the audience as the velvet curtains rise and the lights of the auditorium dim as the Alberta Ballet begins its opening night performance on February 12.
Shakespeare’s renowned Romeo and Juliet, choreographed by Francesco Ventriglia, debuted this month at the Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium.
ACT I
The ballet opens with a full stage, setting the scene for the Initial Brawl between the Capulets and the Montagues.
The hustle of the market is evident in the abundance of props and the rhythmic movement of the dancers.
The clash features a swordfight that captivates the audience from the start, with spotlights following the dancers’ focused footwork.
The Capulets donned red costumes in opposition to the blue suited montagues as their swords clashed to the beat of the music
Mercutio Montague, a close friend of Romeo, was quickly identifiable by his exuberant movements in close proximity to the surrounding dancers, allowing his fanatical demeanour from the play to carry over into the ballet.
Shortly after Juliet’s parents set her up with a Capulet suitor, Paris.
Portraying their relationship through their dance, such as how their eyes never fully meet, is just one way the dancers bring the story to life.
ACT II
The next scene begins with a note being delivered from Juliet to Romeo.
Making interesting use of the stage space by having the dancers collect into a crowd and run from side to side.
Parallels to Shakespeare’s original play are also included, such as boys lifting the nurse’s skirt.
I have also never seen a man do a pirouette over a love letter.
The balcony scene is when Romeo and Juliet fully commit to one another.
It was gorgeously lit by a sombre blue light and kept completely empty with the exception of Juliet’s balcony. Although this is the emptiest the stage was all night, it felt the most full.
Later in the act, after Romeo and Juliet convince Friar Lawrence to marry them, Juliet appears in a simple purple dress, signifying her hopeful commitment to their love and the resolution of the two families.
As the stage is set for the final fight, on-stage tensions could be felt amongst the crowd. Tybalt, Juliet’s cousin, gets into a heated battle with Mercutio.
When Mercutio is fatally stabbed by Tybalt, he is granted a long and passionate death, demonstrated by a beautiful dance belonging solely to him. Although his death is imminent and inevitable, he continues on.
In a rage, Romeo kills Tybalt.
ACT III
After Juliet is unable to reach Romeo, she takes the poison, showing courage through her fear.
Her funeral was filled with silky white fabrics and petals.
The scene between Romeo and Juliet’s dying moments was perfectly executed, with emotion and grace.
A light-hearted component of the dance included intoxicated people standing on the sides of most of the ‘public’ scenes, who would watch, mock, or offer booze to the dancers.
All about the ballet
Francesco Ventriglia created this version of Romeo and Juliet specifically for Canadian audiences, calling it his “love letter to Canada.”
Before the performance began, he joined the audience outside the theatre to answer some questions.
The ballet also featured the two young children of Kelley and Reilley McKinlay, both retired Alberta Ballet dancers.
Kelley made an appearance in Romeo and Juliet as Lord Capulet, and their young children held lanterns to signal the change of scenes.
One of McKinlay’s kids neglected to look out at the audience, not out of fear but out of infatuation for the dancers’ utter beauty and strength before her.
As the Alberta Ballet wraps up their performances for Romeo and Juliet, they are gearing up to perform Swan Lake on March 20th and 21st.