Morgan Beckwith: Southport, CT

And as if all of my queries about the lack of organic movement in Goran’s teaching program had been answered, there walked in Gabrielle Lamb. A returning choreographer and artistic visionary for Mystic Ballet, Gabrielle Lamb’s  extensive career includes highly classical and contemporary work ranging from seasons with Les Grands Ballets Canadiens and Christopher Wheeldon’s Morphoses. She has clearly be searching for and has found her own extensive expressive voice through exhibiting her work at festivals and choreographing for companies like Mysitc Ballet, Milwaukee Ballet and Ballet X ( see her website for additional bibliographic information along with some of her other ventures including incredible short film clips).

After Goran and I discussed my further findings concerning the approach of training his dancers I walked into Gabrielle’s class. She used a combination of exercises and improvisational investigations to allow the dancers to explore their own body through certain slim ramifications. I couldn’t help but be beaming the entire rest of the class. This is exactly what I felt these newer dancers were craving, an intelligent yet explorative means with which to find organic movement in their bodies. Not only did she provide this charged environment but the way in which she connected the evolution of the ideas in her class was conducive to the way she taught her choreography later on. This process is also incredibly similar to the way that I see Goran work with his dancers, I can certainly see a uniformity in their approach however, I must note the difference in means of execution

I was so thrilled so see all of these artists move using the unique undulations of their bodies. Having lived through this venerable yet exhilarating process of inquiry I can say that it is so incredibly exciting to see ideas nurtured and taken hold in the physical movement of a human being. After two weeks I already feel extremely invested in the progress being made by each of these dancers and throughout the class I began seeing a true unfolding of potential and maturation taking place.   

One of Lamb’s exercises involved a progression of spinal movement, beginning by isolating three distinct types of spinal movement: front to back, side to side, and twisting. From there she challenged the dancers to play with the initiation of these movements, finally asking them to combine an improvisation of these options into a fluid exchange of spinal movement. I remember first figuring out how such a logical movement of the body can be such an expressive avenue of possibility for a dancer and it felt so nice to hear her articulating and physicalizing this crucial concept of the multiplicity of choices a dancer has the potential to make.

This is such an incredible opportunity to be able to witness these malleable and willing young dancers evolve this week in the company of this erudite individual. I cannot wait to see what the remainder of her time here brings.

Morgan Beckwith: Southport, CT

Where does Goran want his dancers to find organic movement?

As my second week at Mystic Ballet came to a close the initial grace period of observance had passed and Goran and I begun to engage in active discussion about the ways in which he carries out the fundamental philosophy of his company.

I had witnessed him promote the use of organic and expressive movement throughout the two weeks of meetings and rehearsals, but I am beginning to wonder what exactly his master plan is for facilitating this type of movement and discovery in his newer dancers.

I came into his office with questions about the lack of modern, contemporary, or atypical training in his current company schedule at Mystic ballet. It baffled me that the dancers would transition from a classically structured class to very contemporary repertoire. I referenced my own experience with the Gaga technique (a type of movement language employed by Ohad Naharian and his studentshttp://www.batsheva.co.il/en/?iid=4 ) and mentioned how I thought it would be an effective type of tool for the way he wants  his dancers to work with organic movement. Goran is strongly against employing a stylized form of technique to facilitate discovery when he believes that the rehearsal process can accomplish the exact same thing. Rather than investing in a “marketed and capitalistic” dance workshop phenomenon like Gaga, Goran spends time working with the individual dancers as they work through the choreography stimulating their artistic process and being present in all aspects of their evolution in the company. It is obvious that Goran is passionate about molding his dancers to think and work in a specific way. Therefore, he would not take the time and the capital to use a “recipe” to do this for him. While I don’t believe that Gaga technique or various other uses of psychological and physical exploration of movement are a “recipe” for cloned dancers I do understand where he is coming from.

I decided to take a look back at my own revelation, a personal unearthing of contemporary movement style that was finally unique to me and not a larger part of an established technique that I had been trying to perfect for so many years.

After years in strict classical ballet training I continued a technical study of ballet and modern at the Southern Methodist dance program. Graham class forced my body to move in strange and new ways, proving to be frustrating yet eventually rewarding undertaking. However, this was still a continuation of a prescribed teaching model that left little room for personal discovery. It was not until the beginning of sophomore year that my good friend set a piece of her choreography and risked taking me into her fold. I performed a soloist role in this piece of pure and raw gestural movement, a type of individuality that I did not think I was capable of exuding in the intimate setting of student choreographic work. I had to completely step away from the mechanics of the steps and realize how my perception and my body needed to work to make it happen. This was the moment in my dance career where I began to understand how important it was to define movement based on my own personal investigation.

Goran is trying to find these moments for his dancers. He is trying to prod their artistic soul and draw out conceptual thought about the choreography through the ways they react physically and spiritually to the movement. This is how the dancer is able to truly identify with the movement and add multiple dimensions of individuality and quality come performance time. Personally, I think that this type of investigation requires a technical counterpart other than ballet, a full vocabulary of modern movement. I have witnessed and lived a dance that was almost always characterized by a strong technical background. But who I am to say that achieving this type of choreographic maturity in a dancer is no possible without a full dance education in multiple fields. Goran used Coco as an example. A classically trained ballet dancer who did not want to move in any sort of natural or grotesque manner is now the star of these contemporary pieces. With more intimately real movement than I often see in classically trained dancers she certainly counts as an example of Goran’s ability to mold dancers into eloquent artists.

I also have to consider that my current perspective relies on only the first two weeks of his operation. I have not be able to see how the addition of choreographers to the rehearsal will change the dynamic of the studio and the learning process for the dancers. Gabriella Lamb will be coming to Mystic Ballet for the next week teaching class and directing company rehearsal. I look forward to observing how she affects the artistic process of the budding company for the next week in order to broaden my opinion on Goran’s larger scheme.

Morgan Beckwith: Southport, CT

“ So who is afraid of water?” This question was met with a combination of blank stares and quizzical faces. After Coco translated the question for the Japanese girls a few of them sheepishly raised their hands. Everyone was wondering what on earth Goran had up his sleeve this time.

Even with this apprehension all of Mystic Ballet could be found in the pool today, experimenting with underwater pictures for the website. Goran had the idea to display pictures of the dancers suspended in water next to the headshots, in order to show a unique view of these dancers in action. Everyone had to practice gracefully moving through the water with open eyes and a relaxed mouth, and after getting in the water myself it is certainly a lot more difficult than it looks.

For me it was extremely interesting to see how a dancer could still be a dancer in an extremely different environment. Of course I have lived this myself and seen whole groups of dancers in summer programs completely out of their usual studio element. But in this case it was for a particular purpose and it meant something throwing the unsuspecting group of bodies into the water. It will be intriguing to see what characteristics and personality traits show through in the pictures. What happens when these graceful creatures are pictured completely submerged and out of an ordinary studio setting? This was obviously part of Goran’s original intrigue, to draw out those individual qualities in a setting that would create a fascinating picture quality.

This is the perfect example of Goran working effectively to originate raw and original material to use for the good of Mystic Ballet outside of the performance venue. There is so much work behind creating and maintaining a company image that happens outside of the studio and performance hall. In this case it required the dancers to be creative while being open-minded to the will of the artistic director. This is the type of innovative experiment that can only succeed with both sides (artistic director and dancers) willing to carry out an idea while responding to challenges that arise. Sometimes the dancers just have to relinquish control and trust in the artistic director’s idea. We will see how everyone faired once we take a look at the photos. Regardless, it appeared as though the company had a nice afternoon around the pool enjoying each other’s company. 

Morgan Beckwith : Southport, CT

Last week Goran and I ventured out of the studio for our interview. A tour of Mystic Ballet’s local theatre production space. The theatre is located in the midst of the specialty shops and attractions of Olde Mystic Village (http://www.oldemistickvillage.com/).

It is modeled after a vintage theatre, serving customers who are inclined to see indie movies, musical musings, and most importantly live dance. This venue caters to both the local population and the onslaught of tourists who descend annually.

This concept is blatantly reflected in Goran’s programmatic advertising in conjunction with the theatre. He has positioned two advertisements bookending the vintage Olde Mystic village sign (pictured above). This invites the residents of Mystic and to claim Mystic Ballet as part of their contemporary milieu while welcoming the many travelers to experience the work of this evolving young company. Combining the historic and established continuation of Mystic’s history as a township with current and inventive performing arts forges a cultivated relationship. These billboards work in association with the classic sign by juxtaposition, acknowledging that these two concepts of tradition and innovation can appreciate each other and work off one another to create something quite unique. The combination of antique turn-of-the-century decoration with modern amenities creates an dynamic atmosphere. While the theatre also combines new and old technologies with foot lights, illuminating the dancers in a very traditional manner while also incorporating modern recording and staging capabilities by way of the sound booth and extra facilities.

Goran has invested a great deal of capital into the technology and professional nature of this venue. It is certainly an intimate space for viewing dance, but this is arguably the most advantageous way to experience this type of contemporary work. Goran acknowledges that as the whole concept of live performance becomes even more convoluted with available technology the trend is to get audience members closer to the things they simply cannot receive through digitized information. Human passion, interaction, and vulnerability witnessed in the flesh is a completely different experience through any alternate means. Therefore, company artistic directors and venue managers capitalize on this advantage while they can.

This modest-sized and personal theatre situated in the whimsical and quaint town of Mystic has incredible potential to hold a spectacular night of stirring live dance. I look forward to seeing these dances being realized in this stimulating space.

Morgan Beckwith: Southport, CT

The Mystic Ballet Family

Mostly unlike the concerns that occur in a large-scale ballet company, the small contemporary ballet company is often plagued by issues of private life that make their way into the studio space. Goran does not feel like this is a hindrance or a curse, but rather a simple necessity for raising and training young dancers. In the dance world insecurity, low self-esteem, and other self-destructive contributing factors are inevitable and unavoidable for almost every budding young dancer. At the beginning of Goran’s involvement with dance a colleague told him, “Goran, why do you think so many people consider dancer’s to be just past the point of clinically insane?”. That would be because any other member of our society that looks at themselves in the mirror for seven to eight hours a day is bound to have some form psychotic break. If this strained and self-critical environment is reduced to fourteen dancers in a quaint coastal town, working on dances that require intense mental focus and adaptation, emotions and grievances are bound to make their way to the surface.

Goran acknowledges that the practice of adapting young dancers (such as the current Mystic Ballet two members) to such a rigorous artistic process requires an incredible amount of patience and time. He says that he would be capable of lashing out at these dancers and in ten minutes and they would never be able to dance again. But that is something he truly does not want for these young people. Ultimately, he considers his dancers, as the people who devote their time and energy to his mission, to be his family. And with a majority of these individuals coming from countries all over the world, (including Japan, Australia, and Nicaragua) they need a community of more than just circumstance to thrive as artists.

Goran says that if you really care about your dancers as artists and as human beings you have to be receptive to these issues. Not only does the presence of negative energy effect the troubled individual but it affects the entire atmosphere of the company workspace, and only has the potential to bring more negativity. Issues that range from concern about weight, to private family matters have to be dealt with respectably and on a case by case basis.

However, any business that produces their artistic product, live and in the flesh, has to be prepared for immediate crisis. It is not just the long term psychological and social issues that force a small dance company to be flexible. On one occasion Goran had a dancer injured during the first act of a ballet. Without a second thought he took the dancers and re-worked the entire rest of the show. This is not uncommon in live performance work, but it is especially difficult for a small cast of dancers to adapt quickly to these large amounts of intense choreographic material. There is no way to avoid an open and receptive mindset, and especially in a company like this one, it is simply in the job description.

Goran might have created this company to fuel his creative and innovative spirit, but when it comes to the well being of his dancers he views the company as an extension of his own family. 

Morgan Beckwith: Southport, CT

Goran Subotic: the economist to the impassioned artistic director

After his wife, Desiree, coaxed Groan to stop at the famed attraction, Mystic Pizza, (made popular by the 1988 chick flick starring Julia Roberts) he felt like he had finally come across his ideal community. The secluded, but charming seaside port appeared to him as the perfect place to establish himself in America.

The couple made the ultimate investment in 1995, signing a lease on a house by the shore, making a commitment to call Mystic/Stonington, Connecticut their home. They settled into the community and after purchasing a different plot of property Desiree opened her own ballet school. Goran describes himself backstage of one of the school’s first performances as completely mesmerized by the “operation.” The possibility of a dance company, it’s combination of careful, methodical planning and the ability to employ creative license immediately re-kindled Goran’s entrepreneurial propensity.   

Meanwhile the relations between the United States and Goran’s native country of Serbia became regrettably tense. As Goran watched President Clinton discredit his nation on national TV he decided he could act in one of two ways. He could either employ violent action on his intense emotions or show the American community the culture and respectable business Serbian people were capable of generating.

On top of being an excitingly new and creative business venture Goran thought of this company as a, “beautiful thing to leave for the future of my family, a foundation and a legacy.” Unlike the precise and unemotional act of signing a contract as a prominent businessman this company would give Goran a type of “unparalleled happiness and satisfaction.” He compared

And with a heart full of enterprising spirit, thus began the process of forming a ballet company.

Morgan Beckwith: Southport, CT

Vaneav's Swan Lake

By the end of this week the dancers have learned (or meticulously reviewed) a sizable portion of Vaneav’s ironic yet intelligent take on this paragon of classical ballet. In this step of the process the company’s social and hierarchal dynamics become tense and every dancer seems to be on the defense. The newcomers are feeling the pressure to not only perform the material they have just learned so speedily but to also adapt to Goran’s specific yet highly subjective way of cleaning choreography. The seasoned Mystic Ballet dancers simultaneously aid the newbies during their adjustment process while trying to renew and cultivate their own personal perspective on the material.  

This grotesque, sarcastic, and carnal interpretation of Swan Lake incorporates brute force with gesture to achieve a musically attentive and abstracted piece of choreography. Goran has spent the past week probing each dancer to find what it is inside of them that propagates this movement.

Goran tells his dancers to “grab it, chew it, and don’t let it go,” referring to their animalistic sensibility towards another member of the production. He often questions the dancer’s sense of focus in their role, “close your eyes and envision the material with the music.” He demands they have a “clear vision of what is happening in your[their] head, every single atom of your [their] body has to react. In this sense he asks his dancers to use the studio space as not only a place to experiment with the physical body but to utilize the room for constant psychological investigation. This is no longer the ballet school environment where one can simply agree with their superior. Here Goran could call on a dancer at any moment asking them to come up with their own elucidation of the choreographic material. Goran gives them the steps but asks that they think and move in their own intelligent and informed voice.

The environment of this experimentation is crucial. Goran begs of his dancers to “eliminate the reality around them, to keep their own focus and build on it because this ultimately a work place.” Giggles and insecure answers to Goran’s questions are meet with a stern yet patient speech about the serious mindset required to complete the difficult task of learning and perfecting choreography in this manner. There is no time to waste on individuals who are not comfortable enough to act as the choreography and sensibility of the piece requires. Creating multiple layers of meaning and sentiment for each step does not leave any time for dancers who are not present in every moment. Each person in the room must be on the same level of commitment and reasonability.

However, it is obvious that this particular approach needs to be adapted in the case of group work. For example there is one signature step that is repeated several times by dancers. In trying to determine how to best execute this with the same quality on different bodies Alex came up with the imagery of hitting a nail into a piece of wood with the side of his head. Funnily enough, this visualization made a huge difference in the similarity of the dancer’s performance of the step. So much of this work is strategic problem solving. However, in this case the artistic can never rely on a formula to solve his or her challenge.  

At the end of the day Goran acknowledges that he is a very difficult person to please. But I have to say I do not know of any artistic director who is easily satisfied.