Access Atlanta > Arts > Our Reviews > Archives > 2007 > February > 09 > Entry
‘Gatsby’ a major coup for Atlanta Ballet
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Atlanta Ballet’s “The Great Gatsby” 8 p.m. Friday, Saturday. 7 p.m. Sunday. 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 10. 8 p.m. Wed. Feb. 14. Through Feb. 17. $15-$80. Fox Theatre, 660 Peachtree St., Atlanta. 404-817-8700, www.atlantaballet.com.
It isn’t perfect. There are parts of it that still need major tweaking. But the basics are firmly in place: The Atlanta Ballet’s “The Great Gatsby” is a major coup. The audience at the Fox Theater last night was still on its feet and cheering by the third curtain call; can this really be the sonambulet “Nutcracker” crowd?
For that matter, can these really be the “Nutcracker” dancers?
Yes, and that is one of this troupe’s proudest stocks-in-trade: versatility. Put these willing, youthful bodies in the right choreographic hands and watch what happens, especially when the material teems with some of the most intriguing characters ever to emerge from the pen of F. Scott Fitzgerald. You remember them from high school — Gatsby, Daisy, Tom Buchanan, Nick Carraway, Jordan.
In an interview, Atlanta Ballet artistic director John McFall and his co-choreographer Lauri Stallings commented that these characters were rich in heart and “raw instinct.” As such, said Stallings, “Gatsby,” is the “perfect vehical for this company.”
No argument here. If these dancers have ever looked better on stage, it hasn’t been in the decade this writer has been watching. What Stallings does with quick, bold limb thrusts and herky-jerky head moves is so moving, so direct as to be riveting; each scene has an unmistakable mood about it.
McFall favors the long lyrical line - the romantic pas de deux are clearly his, the ensemble scenes hers. Their styles are different, but they balance and compliment each other — not to mention their dancers — beautifully. Add some gloriously colorful, borrowed-from-Broadway 1920s-style costumes (flapper hats and all), a soundtrack comprised of mostly vintage jazz recordings from the 1920s and ‘30s, and an abundance of positive physical and emotional energy emanating from the stage, and you have in “The Great Gatsby” a proud accomplishment for the Atlanta Ballet and an evening of unabashed, substantive entertainment.
Comments
Commenting is now closed for this entry.
By Libby Huffman
February 9, 2007 11:00 AM | Link to this
Without live music, Atlanta Ballet is a damn good REGIONAL company. Please don’t call them professional or world-class without the orchestra. This company was not started to go backward and regardless of whom they get to choreograph new works, without live music, that’s where they are going.
By Brent
February 9, 2007 11:22 AM | Link to this
Please. If you had seen the show you would know that there was no way this production could have been done with live musicians. What are you going to do, resurrect Duke Ellington to get the same intensity of music? Let’s not forget that ultimately it’s about the movement, not the music.
By Jen
February 9, 2007 12:19 PM | Link to this
I agree with Brent! I can not fathom the show being better with a live orchestra. Wonderful dancing not to mention the acting it took to pull off this great ballet. Wonderful cast! Well worth the 2 hour drive it took me to get there!
By MB
February 9, 2007 12:33 PM | Link to this
Ultimately it’s about both the music and the music.
Would it be ballet if a live orchestra was playing in front of a videotape of dancers?
No?
Then it’s not live ballet now.
By Lois
February 9, 2007 12:55 PM | Link to this
I agree wholeheartedly with Jen and Brent: there is NO WAY Gatsby could have been improved with the addition of live music. No orchestra -no matter how skilled - could emulate the sound and feel of the (recorded) talents of Duke Ellington et. al. from that wonderful era of jazz music. Atlanta Ballet is without a doubt a professional ballet company with untold talents; proven by their ability to transition seamlessly from the (classical) Nutcracker to the (contemporary mix) of Gatsby. This versatility speaks directly to the talents of the dancers: from tap dancing to acting to a completely new ballet style and to the vision and talents of John McFall with Lauri Stallings. I am telling everyone I know to go spend an amazing evening in the Roaring 20’s with the superb Atlanta Ballet ! If its live music patrons are missing - Atlanta also has a terrific symphony orchestra - ballet is about…well BALLET. GO SEE GATSBY !
By Jennifer
February 9, 2007 1:04 PM | Link to this
It is very important to support the arts and to expose our youth to the arts. It is great that the Atlanta Ballet is producing pieces like Gatsby that have a story that young people may be familiar with. The only way the ballet will survive this time of financial difficulty is with the support of the community. Please don’t stay away because there isn’t a live orchestra. If people do that the ballet company itself is at risk. I guarantee you that if you keep an open mind you will be just as impressed with the skills of these fantastic dancers as you would have been with live music.
By James
February 9, 2007 2:38 PM | Link to this
“Would it be ballet if a live orchestra was playing in front of a videotape of dancers?
No?
Then it’s not live ballet now.”
Really? Are there live dancers moving in time to music (or not, in some cases)? Then it’s live ballet.
How many modern dance companies do you know that use live music? Are they not a legitimate art form?
By MB
February 9, 2007 3:56 PM | Link to this
Are there live dancers moving in time to music (or not, in some cases)? Then it’s live ballet.
No, it’s dancing. It’s the karaoke of ballet.
Having to dance with a live orchestra is different than having to dance with recorded music (as any dancer knows). There is an art form created by dancing to pre-recorded music (even sounds that, as stated with the Ellington recordings, would be difficult to achieve with live musicians; of course, expecting difficult things to happen is something that’s expected of professionals), but there is a difference between the expectations of a professional dance company and a major ballet.
The only way the ballet will survive this time of financial difficulty is with the support of the community. Please don’t stay away because there isn’t a live orchestra. If people do that the ballet company itself is at risk. I guarantee you that if you keep an open mind you will be just as impressed with the skills of these fantastic dancers as you would have been with live music.
I’m not going to a single Atlanta Ballet performance until they fix their dispute with their orchestra (I don’t care who’s at fault) and I’m going to continue to advise others to stay away. That orchestra is just as important to the entire dance experience as the dancers are; I wouldn’t go to a concert of the Atlanta Ballet Orchestra without dancers, and I’m certainly not going to a dance performance without live musicians.
By MB
February 9, 2007 4:13 PM | Link to this
Also: It’s not that, say, a concert of the Atlanta Ballet Orchestra without dancers wouldn’t be a legitimate art form; a gallery of ballet costumes would also have artistic merit. It’s just that I wouldn’t advertise either of those as being full Atlanta Ballet productions (and wouldn’t charge full ticket prices).
It’s also not saying that the Gatsby performance isn’t wonderful; again, it’s saying that it’s not a production of the entire company.
There’s nothing wrong with attending spin-off (or one-off) productions; what I have a problem with is this attitude that a live orchestra is unnecessary or easily replaced. The recent Metropolitan Opera theater broadcasts have been successful, but no one would dream of suggesting that they adequately replace a live performance. (Or that the Met replace their orchestra with a DJ, as synchronizing the singing, stage direction, and music is hard.)
By KS
February 12, 2007 8:47 AM | Link to this
Dear Ms. Elliott,
Did you see the same performance the rest of us did?
The Great Gatsby proved neither a great coup nor a significant addition to the Atlanta Ballet repertoire. The small audience could barely make it through the first and only curtain call on Sunday
While at no fault of the dancers themselves, the work proved disjointed, poorly planned, and overall disappointing. If this is the perfect vehicle for the company and the dancers have never looked better, I shutter to think what the upcoming Sleeping Beauty (arguably the hardest classical rep available) will amount to.
Gatsby’s greatest problem was a lack of storytelling. What seemed like a series of individual short dances, the piece portrayed little character development. Audiences unfamiliar with the story would have left just as bewildered. Aside from the lack of narrative, the modern choreography seemed better suited to a plot-less studio workshop than a 2-act ballet. A few brief pas moments stuck out nicely against the akward and overly-choreographed “party” scenes. Static lines of dancers with the sexes separated on opposite sides of the stage lended to an awfully dull party. When they partiers did move around, the movement was so “herky-jerky” that it was difficult to remember this was taking place in the roaring 1920s.
After a raving review of an otherwise forgettable piece, one begins to question the credibility of the reviewer.
By PB
February 12, 2007 11:51 AM | Link to this
I must agree with KS’s statements. As a new resident of Atlanta, The Great Gatsby was my first introduction to the Atlanta Ballet, and the title is very misleading, as was Ms. Elliott’s review. In my opinion, it should have been titled “The So-So Gatsby”.
I felt embarrased for the dancers as they moved about the stage - several times the music ended before their steps did. The lights came up for the end of the first act before Daisy had descended - leaving the audience bewildered as to whether they should leave thier seats for a bathroom break or wait (as Daisy sat trying to stay in character) until she disappeared. There were moments when I thought for sure I was at a high school production of “Guys and Dolls”.
Not up to my standards for a professional ballet company. Susan Elliott, you should know better.