IU Ballet Theater shows its versatility, virtuosity

Just weeks after performing the ballet “Cinderella” to nearly sold-out audiences at the Musical Arts Center, the IU Ballet Theater is back with a quieter, more off-the-radar show that is sure to be as pleasing.\nThe annual Choreography Project, which features the original choreography of 13 ballet majors, will take place tonight and tomorrow at 8 p.m. at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater. The shows are free and open to the public.\nPreparation for the show began about three weeks ago, as interested dancers submitted proposals explaining what they envisioned for their pieces and what music they wanted to use. Once the choreographers were selected, they picked the dancers and began work.\nAlthough the show is very different from the rest of the ballet season, which also included the fall ballet “From Balanchine to Baker: An International Evening of Dance” and “The Nutcracker,” rehearsals were just as serious and frequent, said freshman Ben Delony, one of the choreographers. \n“One could think that (the choreographers) picked their best friends to be in the pieces, but we all took on a professional mind-set and picked the dancers who fit best,” Delony said. \nThe choreographers, many of whom are also dancing in other pieces, received choreography credits for participating in the show, but Delony said that is not his motive.\n“My overall goal is to be a professional choreographer, so this show is very important to me,” Delony said. “It’s a stepping stone for what I ultimately want to end up doing.” \nBesides having full control over who they wanted in their dances, the student choreographers also picked the lighting cues that would best serve their pieces. Working with 13 choreographers with different concepts tended to get a bit complicated for stage manager Joseph Morrissey, but overall he found it to be a great experience. \nMorrissey, who is getting his master’s degree in arts management, is a 2005 graduate of the ballet program.\nHe said that the audience can expect “variety and virtuosity” from the program and the music. With styles that range from techno, to classical piano, to jazz, it will be impossible for anyone to get bored, he said. Three of the pieces will feature live music performed by students in the IU Jacobs School of Music.\n“This show has not been treated as an amateur production,” Morrissey said. “I’ve been watching these dances for a couple of weeks, and it’s amazing to see how far they have gone. I think this is by far the best workshop.”