Fun at the Opera!

The past two weeks I, along with three other Tulsa Ballet 2 members, have had a unique experience of performing with the Tulsa Opera in La Traviata. There are many things that differentiate this performance from our ballets, such as Swan Lake: the costumes, the stage and the props, the audience, and the atmosphere in general.

Since we have to move around in our costumes, ours are less restricting and lighter in weight, but the women of the Opera have heavy dresses that reach the ground. Our long, curly wigs, the big earrings, the thick bracelet, the corset, and our character shoes all help us portray our gypsy character. It has been amazing working with Ma Cong, who choreographed the piece and so clearly describes how we should interact with the other people onstage. He has pushed us to keep exploring our character and to never lose the focus in our eyes. We are gypsies, so we have to be very sensual. We don't just smile with our mouths, but we have to tell a story with our eyes. In the Opera, we don't only have the audience watching us from the front of the theater, but we have an audience onstage. We are the entertainment of the party, performing for the party guests around us, so it is important to constantly be interacting with them.

Next is the raked stage. Originally, we were going to be dancing on the circle platform that is a step up from the stage and is angled towards the audience. It was not until theater week that we saw this stage and realized it was much to steep to dance on. Ma rearranged some of the choreography and we were able to move our dancing to the floor in front of the platform. We just have to be careful, because, with a limited space, sometimes we are at the edge of the orchestra pit! Yesterday, we were warming up onstage, while the crew was setting up the props and we realized the glasses were actually full of water. This was neat because in our performances, we just pretend.

The people of the Opera have been so great to us. We were surprised with letters wishing us luck through our run of Traviata when we arrived for the first performance yesterday, along with flowers at the end of the show. Above anything else, I have really enjoyed seeing the passion these opera singers have for their art. We are all artists. These singers express themselves through their voice, the same way we express ourselves through our movements. Both require a great amount of time and dedication. It has been fun to see the appreciation they have for our art form, as we admire them in the same way. It is a wonderful collaboration for the Tulsa Ballet and the Tulsa Opera.

I have really enjoyed this opportunity and hope you all are able to come experience the Tulsa Opera's production of La Traviata, if you have not already. I'm looking forward to our next performances on Friday, October 15th and Sunday, October 17th!