Young dancers to offer audiences ‘something to connect with’

The Commonwealth Ballet is bringing a “less predictable” kind of performance to Acton this week.

At a recent rehearsal, dancers moved quickly through choreographed movements before pausing as the group’s artistic director, Melenie Diarbekirian, called out prompts such as, “I don’t believe you; I don’t believe the anxiety.”

Diarbekirian said emotion is a major part of the upcoming production called “Shift.” Instead of the stricter traditions of classical ballet, this performance will focus on contemporary dance. 

“It’s less predictable,” Diarbekirian told The Acton Bridge. “You’ll see familiar aspects but not necessarily in the same way that you have been either trained to see it before or are used to seeing it.”

Three works 

The non-profit company, now in its 34th season, operates as a pre-professional program for dancers ages 14 to 18 from across the MetroWest region, including Acton. Students audition annually and train throughout the year.

The upcoming program will be performed at The Umbrella Arts Center and features three works by New England choreographers — “Through the Keyhole: The Art of a Solo” by Juliana Utz; “Ebb of the Invisible” by Zackery Betty; and “Shed” by Chantal Kelleher.

Unlike the company’s annual “Nutcracker Suite,” this production showcases contemporary dance, which blends ballet technique with more experimental movement and structure.

“Sometimes we will be doing something with our bodies that feels so foreign as ballet dancers,” said dancer Evelyn Mudge, a Acton-Carlisle High School senior. “But then we will watch back video, and it will look so cool.” 

That unfamiliarity is part of the appeal, dancers said, as they adjust from portraying set characters to expressing broader ideas and emotions. CCHS senior and dancer Nika Lysyj said the program pushes dancers into new territory.

It’s “more neoclassical, contemporary, and modern,” she said. “It’s a different portion of our skill sets.”

“You’re feeling an emotion or thinking of some kind of quality,” Mudge said. “Like for one of the pieces, we are thinking of wind, and then for another we are shedding out emotions. It’s different from being the Governess in ‘The Nutcracker’ or playing a character like that.”

Up to interpretation

The dancers said “Shift” also changes how audiences experience the performance compared with classical ballet. Without a defined storyline, viewers are invited to interpret the movements for themselves.

“I think it’s cool for the audience to make sense of it,” Mudge said. “Just like how we have to interpret it, the audience is also interpreting that.”

Lysyj said that interplay can make the performance more personal.

“It’s a collective experience for the dancers and the audience together,” she said. “When someone brings in their past experiences, it can be more touching.”

Dancer MiKaela Feinberg, a CCHS sophomore, said the variety within the program is one of its strengths.

“There is such a huge range of contemporary styles,” she said.

With a much broader range of style, Feinberg said, the performance goes beyond technical execution.

“It’s not just something to look at,” she said. “It’s something to connect with.”

Performances will be held at The Umbrella Arts Center on Friday, April 3, at 7 p.m., and Saturday, April 4, at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Tickets are available at commonwealthballet.org.