Mystic Ballet Orientation:
So two days ago I made my way through the back woods of Connecticut, just an hour and a half drive, up to the seaside destination of Mystic. I arrived at my housing site, a stones throw away from the harbor and just down the road from the center of this perfectly quaint town.
I will be living in a shared space (thankfully with my own room) set up with members of the Mystic Ballet company and second company dancers. What a wonderful opportunity to hear more about their perspective on Mystic Ballet and the way they execute artistic expression through dance.
After settling in I drove the three minutes to Mystic Ballet studios. A wonderful white building set back from the windy road with a circle drive and pleasingly woody surroundings. I was able to meet with the Artistic Director and brain child of Mystic Ballet, Goran, in order to discuss how we could best use the time I would be investing in this ballet company for July and August.
RIght off the bat we began bantering about the staggering task of dance management in a contemporary society like America, referencing the difficult task of balancing financial health and the artistic risk taking of an innovative dance operation. This is just one of the items we intend to discuss further in our meetings that will occur weekly throughout my time at Mystic Ballet.
We went on to discuss my teaching schedule, attending company class in the afternoon, and having an opportunity to sit in on company rehearsals in the evenings. Ending on an optimistic note, we agreed that we would be learning a great deal from one another during this experience.
Back at the studio at 4pm the Mystic Ballet second company (and myself by proxy) attended an organized orientation where Goran spoke about the company and how these dancers should expect to be integrated in the Mystic Ballet “family."
Goran strongly believes that his artistic venture is characterized by something very different than the average ballet company. He himself has only been involved in the dance world for about twenty years. Beginning as a financier in his native country of Serbia, Goran was forced to move to the United States during the political instability of the 1990’s. He eventually settled in Mystic, CT with his wife Desiree ( director of Operations at Mystic Ballet) and began the task of forming his own company.
His philosophy is based on the idea that the environment and social atmosphere function as key contributors to the success an impact of the artistic product (a work of dance). Mystic has often been called an artistic utopia, a quaint and peaceful place where dancers can hone their technical prowess and individual uniqueness to create fine artistic work. In his speech Goran did underscore the multiple contributing factors to a successful company environment. This encompasses dancers who are conscious and curious about the world around them, receptive to both their colleges and guest choreographers, respectful of their own bodies, and retain the ability to function at a high level of productivity.
Goran values an organic presence on the stage and challenged the dancers to look to the Jiri Kylian, the voice of Netherlands Dance Theatre, for inspiration. (This man is an absolute genius and one of my personal favorite choreographers - for an interesting piece by him check out Falling Angels on you tube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrfGEufD7Rs)
I felt that one point Goran made truly embodied this visionary man in a nut shell. “Your career and life are too short, ultimately you want to be affiliated with something good."
It is his personal definition of “good" that makes his hard efforts to create world class ballet in Mystic Connecticut so intriguing. I cannot wait to find out more about his fiery passion for dance.
Very Beautiful
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