5 Questions with Julianna Slager on Ballet 5:8’s ‘Scarlet’
There are classic American novels that every high school student will leaf through in their academic careers. But if you are or were like most high school students, you read the book, scratched your head, and rallied through your assignments, often without fully grasping the gravity of the story at hand. Instead of relying on Wikipedia and Spark Notes to understand Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, consider seeing it on stage through Ballet 5:8’s full length, original ballet, Scarlet. Choreographer and Artistic Director of Ballet 5:8, Julianna Slager, has spent years meticulously researching and fine-tuning her choreography in preparation for Scarlet to return to the stage this February at the Hemmens Cultural Center in Elgin, IL. DancerMusic’s Kristi Licera sat down with Julianna to learn more about her research, creative process, and the importance of taking time to edit an artistic work:
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Kristi: Scarlet is based on the novel, The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Can you tell us what struck you about this piece of literature and how it inspired you to create Scarlet?
Hawthorne’s ability to embody a characters inner turmoil lends itself brilliantly to dance. Ballet speaks the language of physicality by its nature.
Julianna: I first read The Scarlet Letter in high school, and to be honest, it was a tough read. Nathaniel Hawthorne has a complex and descriptive style that requires more attention than I was ready to give. But when Hawthorne wrote about the puritanical legalism, I felt, in certain ways, as if he was writing about me. Hawthorne paints a bleak (yet honest) picture of the Puritans and touches on a thread of hypocrisy woven into much of the fabric of organized religion. Hawthorne’s critique reminded me of the passages in Scripture where Jesus condemned the hypocrisy of the Pharisees during His life on earth. He showed mercy, forgiveness and justice while the religious leaders of the day were ready to kill for sins that they deemed “worse” than their own. Christian faith depends on mercy. I found that The Scarlet Letter revealed a tendency in my own heart to stray from mercy into merciless legalism. Dimmesdale exemplifies this, as he refuses to forgive himself, or ask the community for forgiveness. This hypocrisy rots his soul and darkens his mind, manifesting in the physical illness that leads to his death. Hawthorne’s ability to embody a characters inner turmoil lends itself brilliantly to dance. Ballet speaks the language of physicality by its nature.
I believe ballet is a rich medium for retelling this timeless story because it can capture the descriptive and detailed style of Nathaniel Hawthorne by transforming the internal dialogue into physical movement that transcends words.
I believe ballet is a rich medium for retelling this timeless story because it can capture the descriptive and detailed style of Nathaniel Hawthorne by transforming the internal dialogue into physical movement that transcends words. The characters have such depth and dimension it provides an endless supply of choreographic inspiration. Though this project initially overwhelmed me, as I started to dive into it, it’s inspiration has proven limitless.
Kristi: We’re also curious to learn more about your research process. Developing an original, two and a half hour original story ballet is quite an undertaking. What was your research process like, and how did it inform your choreography?
Julianna: The research process has been very fulfilling but extremely intense. I spent two years before the 2017 premiere reading, writing notes, adapting the story-line and creating the film element of the production. Reading Hawthorne’s book for the first time since high school was a long process, and I went slowly so that I could take notes. That process of getting to know my source material intimately gave me a great springboard to begin the choreography.
I had to get to know the personality and the language of Hester, Dimmesdale and Chillingworth, in order to choreograph for them. What steps would they use? What degree of technique and what degree of lyricism would fit each scene and storyline?
The choreography began to take shape about a year before the initial premiere. I worked with Antonio Rosario and Lauren Ader-Cumpston with some very early ideas (most of which were not used in the final product). I had to get to know the personality and the language of Hester, Dimmesdale and Chillingworth, in order to choreograph for them. What steps would they use? How would they relate to the music? What degree of technique and what degree of lyricism would fit each scene and storyline? How could I create a stark, rigid community of Puritans, while still revealing their inner turmoil? Those questions swirled in my mind for months as I spent time in the studio getting to know the key characters and their movement styles.
I also did quite a bit of research on Kenneth MacMillan and his choreography. One of the best ways to learn is to get inspiration from the best in the business, when it comes to real-world narrative work, MacMillan is one of the absolute best. Petipa, Perrot and other choreographers created work that centered around princesses and fairies, but MacMillan’s characters are real-world, imperfect humans. He pioneered a great deal of what narrative ballet could be, aside from simply telling outdated fairy-tales. I watched everything of his that I could get my hands on, and feverishly took notes on his use of line, dynamic, physical paradox and juxtaposition of staging in order to gain more knowledge about creating a full scale narrative work.
One of the best ways to learn is to get inspiration from the best in the business, when it comes to real-world narrative work, MacMillan is one of the absolute best. He pioneered a great deal of what narrative ballet could be, aside from simply telling outdated fairy-tales.
Kristi: Once your research was complete, how did you move into curating the sound for Scarlet?
I love to have music that relates historically to the ballet I’m creating. Whether it’s music from a similar time period, or music exploring similar themes, when you don’t have an original score, you have to find a way to tie the work to the music.
Julianna: I love to have music that relates historically to the ballet I’m creating. Whether it’s music from a similar time period, or music exploring similar themes, when you don’t have an original score, you have to find a way to tie the work to the music. I spent time listening to several great classical composers, including Dvořák, Charles Ives has a dramatic–almost dark–style of orchestrating his symphonic works. The music has bits of American folk music and old hymns interwoven with sweeping musical landscapes that can stand up to the drama of Hawthorne’s story. Ives was actually a deep admirer of Hawthorne’s work, and composed the 2nd Movement of his Concord Sonata after Hawthorne’s book, The Celestial Railroad. Hawthorne says that The Scarlet Letter is “set between a dream and reality.” Ives’ music embodies that dreamy, transcendent world that I have worked to create with the choreography. There are moments of levity, moments of despair, moments of longing and moments of evil embodied in the score which fit hand in hand with the ebb and flow of Hawthorne’s writing.
Kristi: In speaking to you prior to this interview, I learned that Scarlet also includes an element of film. Can you share with us your experience working with mixed media? What was the most challenging aspect of incorporating film into the ballet, and how did you overcome it?
Julianna: The film element of Scarlet was a really fun and inspiring process! Preston Miller, director of short dance film Enemy Within, was the director for the film sections, and he and I collaborated closely to create the final piece. The videos are windows into the past experiences for the characters, and the onstage dancing tells the story in the present day. With such a complex story and so many story lines, film gave us the ability to streamline and inform the audience of key “flash backs” without having to create a 5 hour ballet! I dearly love ballet, but it is not known for being the most efficient vehicle for storytelling! Ballet can give you an experience that allows you to live through the emotions with the characters, while film can give you a large amount of story in a short excerpt, allowing us to maximize our audiences understanding of the past, present and internal dialogues happening simultaneously in the story.
Ballet can give you an experience that allows you to live through the emotions with the characters, while film can give you a large amount of story in a short excerpt, allowing us to maximize our audiences understanding of the past, present and internal dialogues happening simultaneously in the story.
Mixed media is tough, because you have to make sure there is a flow and a pace that supports the use of all the media. You don’t want one to “outshine” the other, and you have to make sure that there is a substantial reason supporting your use of additional mediums, besides just wanting to tweak a trend. The film and the ballet in Scarlet are woven together so that the film gives you facts and information, while the dancing informs the internal dialogue of the characters. This use allowed us to have a specific purpose for both mediums, and so they compliment rather than compete.
Kristi: Scarlet originally premiered in March 2017. How has the work developed since its premiere? Can you give us some insight into its development and your editing process?
Julianna: The editing process has been one of the biggest parts of the work, and I’ve spent an entire year thinking, experimenting and gathering information in order to continue to hone the work. My goal as a choreographer is to take the huge complexity of Hawthorne’s novel and make it simple for my viewers. Making the complex simple, in my opinion, is the apex of good narrative dance works. Being clear in an art form that can get bogged down in generalities takes a huge amount of concerted effort.
Being clear in an art form that can get bogged down in generalities takes a huge amount of concerted effort.
Pilar Garcia, mime coach to Gelsey Kirkland, was introduced to me by Antonio Rosario, and has become a good friend of mine. Antonio, Pilar and I have gone through the videos of the premiere in a slow, painstaking frame-by-frame process, in order to find where Scarlet could gain more clarity, better transitions and more seamless storytelling. Pilar’s incredible knowledge of stage craft, and of mime in classical ballet has been a gold mine. Working with her has been an extraordinary privilege! Antonio has helped to notate her comments, and we’ve worked together to apply her notes to the re-staging process.
I feel like the editing has been a crucial component in creating a work of substance that will stay in the Ballet 5:8 repertoire for years to come, rather than just a one off for a single season.
I also took critique from the 2017 premiere from two dance critics, and followed up on their questions and comments, in order further polish the work. Critique is the bedrock of growth! As the director and choreographer I have to stay true to my vision of the work, while still keeping an open mind to the critique that can allow the work to advance to the next level. In one sense, I feel like the editing has been a crucial component in creating a work of substance that will stay in the Ballet 5:8 repertoire for years to come, rather than just a one off for a single season. I am very excited for the 2018 premiere of Scarlet, and to see how the edits will continue to simplify and clarify the complexity of Hawthorne’s work.
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Ballet 5:8 will be performing Scarlet at the Hemmens Cultural Center in Elgin, IL, February 17 at 7pm. For information, ticketing, and additional performance engagements, visit www.ballet58.org/performance-calendar.
