February Newsletter- Anne Mueller and Garrett Anderson choreograph in harmony, plus a Q&A with soloist Justin Hughes

Photo features company artist Lydia Acker and soloist Elizabeth Kanning

Photo by Quinn Wharton

Creative Synergy

The compatibility of Anne Mueller and Garrett Anderson

by Cassie Mrozinski

Sometimes, you just have to trust the process. Especially if it is a new one.

Artistic director Garrett Anderson and Associate Artistic Director Anne Mueller are no strangers to working together. But what happens when the creative process is different and... surprising?

Last year, the two collaborated on Swan Lake, staging and choreographing their version after Marius Petipa’s and Lev Ivanov's iconic choreography.

“We knew from Swan Lake that we complimented each other in terms of our lens and focus, and the things we tend to enjoy," Anderson says. “We appreciate the same things but our individual careers were different so we bring different sensibilities to [choreographing] in that way. And doing Swan Lake, we also learned that we work well in terms of process.”

For their new work in this year’s Anthology, that process was unique.

“Swan Lake has a very clear template, so it was just a different approach because we knew the story, we knew the characters, and we’d say, okay, ‘Black Swan pas de deux, who’s working on that? You’ve got it? Awesome.’” Mueller remembers. “Whereas this work was a brand new abstract piece when we started it, we had selected the music, but beyond that we didn’t have a larger concept that we were working from.”

Choosing the music, it goes without saying, is very important. Once that was decided, a big piece of the puzzle that is the creation of a new work was in place. Set to the music of contemporary composer Marc Mellits and performed live on stage by cellist Jake Saunders and violist Aubrey Holmes from the Treasure Valley String Quartet, the score is both stirring and kinetic.

“Basically, we sat backstage during Nutcracker and listened to the music repeatedly and chose who was going to take which piece and then mapped out the score, just like we did with Swan Lake," Mueller explains. "And we would just pause and ask each other ‘what did you hear’, and we had a spreadsheet and the time codes and would say, 'okay, this sounds like when a duet would start, and this sounds like an upbeat section.'”

Then the choreographing began. But entirely separately, this time. Anderson started on his duet first, casting the couples and tackling the cello piece, along with other sections. Two weeks later, Mueller created her piece, the viola section, also a duet. Finally, the two got together in the studio and had what Mueller called a “show-and-tell day.” From there, they finished the rest of the piece together, choreographing the remaining parts and finishing the vibrant finale. And the result is simply joyful.

“It's interesting," Mueller says. "Garrett’s natural inclination for movement is very lyrical and lush and adagio, and mine is very allegro and punctuated.” We laugh together at this, her description depicting not only their choreographic styles but their inherent personalities.

With less than a week to opening night, both are excited. “I always enjoy choreographing,” Mueller says. “It's a different way of working with the dancers and it's more freeing for me to know that I’m not responsible for someone else’s work, which I take really seriously. I can be creative. And have fun.”

“The idea of creating this with Anne was so appealing because of our two very different brains and there’s a balance to working with her that I feel in many various ways,” adds Anderson. “But it really comes through in creations because it is an outward expression of one's values. The reasons I enjoy working with her in general, on a day to day basis, really come out in the choreography.”

The two struggled on a title for the new work until just recently, when they harmoniously agreed to name it Congruence. Aptly named, the word’s definition states “agreement or harmony; compatibility," making the title perfectly synonymous with the duo’s creative and cherished working relationship.

Anthology opens February 8 and runs through February 11, and is performed in the intimate BSU SPEC theater. Tickets can be purchased here.

We "heart" our donors

As we pirouette into the month of love, Ballet Idaho would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to our year-round Valentines – our cherished donors.

Your unwavering support continues to be the driving force behind the magic of Ballet Idaho, enriching our community and elevating the art form.

This February, we reflect on the recent success of our End of Year Appeal, where your generosity soared to new heights. Together, we raised an incredible $25,800.76, which was far beyond our goal to raise $15,000, a testament to the passion and dedication of our incredible supporters. Your contributions resonate beyond the stage, enabling us to continue creating awe-inspiring performances and fostering a deep appreciation for ballet throughout our community through our free outreach programs.

As we take center stage in the month of love, we want to express our deepest gratitude to each and every one of our donors. With your ongoing support, we look forward to another year filled with grace, beauty, and the love of dance.

Thank you for being the heartbeat of Ballet Idaho and helping us dance towards a brighter future for all.

Academy News

Congratulations to all of the BIA students who competed in the Youth America Grand Prix in January! Academy students attended both the Salt Lake City and Las Vegas competitions.

"The way they score is not important, it’s the experience. The dancers involved in Grand Prix receive one-on-one coaching for months and then get an opportunity to perform challenging soloist/principal variations in front of peers and superiors.

It gives them an invaluable opportunity to hone their ability to stay composed in a high pressure environment which is something they will all need to do in order to take their ballet training to the next level," said Ballet Idaho soloist and coach Madeline Bay.

Ballet Idaho is so proud of these dedicated students and their training!

Top photo shows BIA students Beatrice Hurwit and Maria Bounds

BIA students (and sisters!) Scarlet and Dahlia Fields

BIA student Isabella Sullivan

Youth Company Performance

Support the next generation of dancers by attending Ballet Idaho Academy's Youth Company Performance on March 1, 2024 at 7:00 PM at the BSU SPEC. These young dancers have been hard at work for this annual performance. The Ballet Idaho Trainees will also perform a piece for this year's program. Tickets are $20 for students and $25 for adults and can be bought here .

Trainee News

The Ballet Idaho Trainees have had some renowned guests in the building, including Glenn Edgerton, who taught an amazing Kylian workshop and is an annual highlight of the Trainee Program, Meredith Webster, who choreographed a striking group piece for Emergence, and last but certainly not least, Brett Perry, who is working on a piece for Emergence as well.

On Tuesday, February 6, Meridian’s Initial Point Gallery will open its latest

exhibition, Dance Studies, showcasing artists of the Boise Open Studios Collective (BOSCO). The exhibit will open with an artist reception and feature performances by dancers from Ballet Idaho's Trainee Program. The artwork will feature Ballet Idaho dancers in the hope that this exhibition, along with the trainees' performance at the reception, will give the community an opportunity for a unique, inside view of both the visual arts and dance.

Ballet Term of the Month

Check here every month for a new word!

The February ballet term is: Romantic Tutu

But aren't all tutus romantic? This term denotes the length of this particular tutu, which typically hits below the knee or at the ankle, and carries a bell shape with its layers of tulle. In 1832 in Paris, the premiere of La Sylphide starring Maria Taglioni was the beginning of the romantic tutu, and tutus in general. Taglioni, swathed in bobbinet (tulle) seemed to float onstage, eliciting awe from the audience (and some outrage due to her exposed ankles).

Justin Hughes

lives in the present...

by Cassie Mrozinski

Photo features soloist Justin Hughes

Photo by Quinn Wharton

CM: How did you get into ballet?

JH: My mother was a ballet dancer and she put all of her children in ballet classes. She was still dancing with the first two kids. When we moved to California, we found our local dance studio and all of us would take class there and she would teach every so often. Sometimes I had her class. And my family would all do Nutcracker together. My mom was usually Frau Stahlbaum and all of us kids would be party kids or various roles and it was this big family thing.

CM: So, it was expected that you would do ballet?

JH: I would do other activities besides ballet. My dad enjoyed baseball so I ended up doing baseball. And then during baseball season, I'd have to stop ballet, but then I'd come back and do it at other parts of the year. I also did karate. And then in high school, I actually stopped dancing completely and started running track- my brother was doing track, my dad ran track- and so I got into it, too. At the time, I wasn't married to dance, so I stopped pretty much entirely except in the summers when I would do a summer program or intensive or in December when I'd do Nutcracker.

CM: I'm curious, because you're this big guy doing track and baseball, did you ever feel like you had to justify why you danced ballet?

JH: Everyone in my grade and all my friends came and saw The Nutcracker when I was younger and when I was Fritz. I was a very good actor, too, and they felt more sorry for me than for Clara. In that version , we would get in a staged tug of war and then rip the nutcracker doll in half and I would look so sad- I can cry on demand- so the tears would just well up, and Clara would walk over and snatch the nutcracker from me. But the audience loved me. It was great. So if anyone was ever surprised that I did ballet, someone else would beat me to a response and say "Everyone knows Justin does Nutcracker." I never had any negative feedback about it.

CM: And then you stopped dancing completely?

JH: I did. I went to Principia College in Southern Illinois and majored in physics. My family came to check out the campus and visit me and then my mom, of course, finds the dance director and starts talking to her, telling her that I used to dance. So then everyone at college found out and my friends said "come take class, we need guys." And I said "no, no, I haven't danced in years. That's not even who I am anymore." But then after a year of peer pressure, I broke down and said I'd come back and suddenly, I'm in the dance production and taking ballet class again.

CM: Did you switch majors?

JH: I didn't, I got my BS in physics with a math minor. But as far as pursuing a career after college, I thought, maybe I should try this dance thing. You can't do dance later in life, but you can always do physics later. Someone told me I should audition for Oregon Ballet Theater which I took to mean that I would be auditioning for the company. And I didn't make it into their professional division, which would be like our training program. And I didn't make it into the top level of the Academy, level six. I was put in level five. That was... one could say.. humbling. But I did it. And then I moved up.

Eventually, I decided to move back East and I started doing the New York cattle calls.

CM: What's that like?

JH: (laughing) Oh, they're great. You get your number and you're at barre and you're doing your combination and someone will come up and put the camera right in your face and you say your name and just keep going. For one audition, Devon Carney from Cincinnati Ballet was there and he came right up to me and asked my name and looked at my number. And I fell in that audition. Got right back up. And I got the job. Later I learned that his checklist included "biggest guy in the room."

CM: That was Cincinnati Ballet Company?

JH: Yeah, Second Company. And on day one, I see the other two new dudes in the company and we all looked at each other and realize what we have in common. We're all giants. And I thought, "what's going on here?" And then we're told that we're doing a brand new production- King Arthurs' Camelot- new score, new costumes, new set, the whole thing. And we were hired because the production had these ladies of the lake and they had this giant parachute fabric and our job was to lift them over and over out of the "lake" and the current. And we were the undercurrent and would be underneath them and lift them up on our shoulders. Our job was to squat down and pick up a lady as she was standing, and then she sits on our shoulders and then we'd lift her off our shoulders for extra height and then set her down and then pick up and repeat. The company needed big strong dudes. So that's what started my career.

CM: How did you come to Ballet Idaho?

JH: After a year at Cincinnati Ballet, they liked me, and offered me a contract the following year at the Second Company again. But I kind of wanted to go out and audition, which was a crazy move. Wow. Crazy. For a person who had no offers his entire life in the field of ballet, zero, and I still wanted to see what else I could get. And I had a friend who told me a spot was opening at Ballet Idaho and he would put a good word in with Peter [Anastos] and I came out and auditioned and got the job. I'd be doing myself and God a disservice if I didn't say how much I was trusting in God's plan for me and how much I was praying that the place I was looking for was also looking for me. I'm very grateful to be in Idaho. I like it here.

CM: Is there anything you feel like you haven't had a chance to do yet that you're just itching to do?

JH: In my life, I try not to look too much ahead or behind. If you don't do something, it leaves regrets. I like to live in the present. I will say that I was very grateful to do Swan Lake. It's iconic. And I love classical ballet, it is my favorite. The classical story ballets. It's what people care about as human beings. You have these sets, the costumes, the live music, a beautiful score. And then you add in the beautiful, refined dancing. So it's not a mystery as to what made ballet catch on in the first place. It was designed to look supernatural and more graceful than humans should be able to move. It doesn't look pedestrian or mundane. It doesn't look like something anyone can do. That's why it's special. Ballet.. it's just my favorite.

Opera Idaho

Roméo et Juliette

By Charles Gounod

Based on Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

He’s a Montague and she’s a Capulet — families who have hated each other for centuries. Yet when Romeo meets Juliet, they fall instantly and rapturously in love. Secretly, they marry — but Shakespeare’s famed young couple is ultimately doomed. Everything that could have been is lost as they die tragically in each other’s arms.

The world’s most celebrated love story finds new dimension in Gounod’s deeply romantic music. This is passion personified, from tender intimacy to ecstatic grandeur, including five iconic love duets and soaring music for the chorus and orchestra.

Sung in French, with English surtitles

Friday, February 23, 2024 • 7:30 pm

Sunday, February 25, 2024 • 2:30 pm

The Morrison Center

Click here for tickets.

Boise Phil

Encore Ball

Tickets on sale now!

Encore Ball is a unique fundraising event where you will enjoy an elegant night out with delicious food, fun, libations and entertainment, all of which are all included in the price of your ticket. Savor the sights, sounds and flavors of this distinctive event with like-minded individuals who share your passion for supporting the mission of the Boise Phil, all while having a memorable and enjoyable evening together.

Click here for tickets.

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