A Midsummer Night's Dream

 

Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon, Ballet Embody performed the locally-choreographed version of Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream".

This was the first time I'd been on stage since college, and the first time ever dancing in a ballet. Although I had but a supporting cast role, and was on stage for only about 5 minutes, I was understandably nervous.

The first act of Midsummer is all set-up for the second and third act. Although this is a comedy, the audience was rather subdued.

Act Two opens with the Actors Troupe "rehearsal" in the woods, which is choreographed to be nearly slapstick comedy. The character of Bottom is a know-it-all pain, tormenting the troupe director. Bottom was brilliantly danced by our choreographer/director. My role as troupe director is basically the straight man in this comedy duo. This started audible chuckling from audience. When Puck transforms Bottom into a donkey, the audience started laughing. When Queen Titania, under the spell of the magic flower, swoons over Bottom the donkey, the audience lost it

Act Three resolves the mess, with Oberon and a chastised Puck putting things to right. All ends happily, of course. 

The finale begins with the dancers coming out in small groups. The "actors troupe" group started with me running out on stage and signalling for the others to follow. As each dancer reaches me she jumps, which I transform into a lift and carry to the side. All except Bottom, of course, who pulls up short as I signal "No!". We form a line for a brief dance together, during which we follow Bottom around in a circle before bowing individually. Bottom, ever the ham, continues bowing and dancing as the others leave, which I interrupt and force Bottom off the stage with a kick before leaving myself.

Then we come out in different small groups for a bow, slowly filling the stage as we accumulate. My group is second to come out, which gives us attention before we retreat to the rear of the stage. When everyone is present we do a final group dance and take a company bow before the curtain closes.

All in all, I found the experience both scary and rewarding. I'm finally able to do something with my ballet training, even though the only true ballet move I do is a soutenu turn as part of the opening to Act Two. The professional cast and the other supporting cast members were nothing less than supportive.

The other side of such an experience, of course, is introspection. It's impossible not to notice the apparent ease with which the professional dancers learn long sequences, and compare it to the difficulty I felt memorizing my own few minutes of stage time.