Chloe Horne and I rehearsing the "Juliet's friends dance."
When I first found out I would be dancing with Sacramento Ballet this season, I was thrilled that we would be dancing my favorite story ballet, Romeo and Juliet! When I was 14 years old my mother took me to New York City to see my very first production of the ballet, and as it was for Romeo and Juliet, it was love at first sight! With drama, love, intrigue, (and of course swords!) this ballet truly has it all. I have really enjoyed watching it come together here in Sacramento, especially since I danced a version of this ballet at my previous company just last year! Its wonderful to see new dancers and new choreography come together to tell this classic story. And though there are subtle differences between productions, the one thing that brings it all together has stayed the same: the music.
The composer, Sergei Prokofiev
After seeing that first production as a teenager I immediately went out and bought a CD of the score, and from then on it has always been my favorite ballet music. I can't imagine what a daunting task it must have been for composer Sergei Prokofiev to try and capture the complexities of this tale when he was commissioned by the Kirov in 1935. And as far as I'm concerned, he did it perfectly! That's why, when researching the score, I was shocked to find that perhaps Prokofiev wouldn't agree with me! As it turns out, this was not the original version he composed. He, in collaboration with a Soviet dramatist named Sergei Radlov, decided to give Romeo and Juliet a happy ending! His reasoning? "Living people can dance, the dead cannot." They wanted the story to focus on the struggle between young love and the feudal traditions of their families, and to show that love can overcome oppression. Unfortunately for Prokofiev, Soviet cultural officials did not appreciate the changes to Shakespeare's story, and he was forced to change the score, cutting out some sections and adding others, in order to ever see the production staged. It was only recently that the original score was found and used for the first time in a production of Romeo and Juliet by choreographer Mark Morris.
Despite Prokofiev's original reservations, this music has certainly stood the test of time. It has been used in productions all over the world, and is one of the most iconic pieces of ballet music. From the drama of the ballroom scene to the passion of the balcony pas de deux, it is always a joy to have Prokofiev's music fill the ballet studios each and every day!
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