A New Standard
Trey McIntyre Project taking American ballet in a fresh direction
By Augusta Olsen
Imagine stopping by Midtown Crossing for happy hour this week, and as you enjoy your view from a patio or window seat, a strange and unique scene unfolds before your eyes. Ten young professionals suddenly break into dance on the sidewalk. They take to flight, with soaring limbs and gravity-defying grace – a veritable ascension. It’s not just a dance-lover’s fantasy, it will happen at Midtown Crossing this Wednesday at 4:45 p.m. when Trey McIntyre Project unveils its acclaimed dance style to Omaha.
Trey McIntyre Project is one of the most buzzworthy contemporary ballet troupes in America. Formed in Washington, D.C. in the summer of 2005 as a summer workshop, McIntyre expanded the troupe to a full-time project in 2008 after massive success with their summer programs. Trey McIntyre Project comes to Omaha this week as part of its 2010-2011 tour, before they travel to Columbia, South America next month. The troupe was recently chosen to serve as cultural ambassadors by the U.S. State Department, and will tour and perform in several Asian countries next year.
Their success is based in McIntyre’s original, contemporary approach to ballet, which embraces a variety of music styles, impressive physicality and choreography that is not afraid to delve into emotion. Trey McIntyre project will present several performances in Omaha. In addition to the show at the Orpheum Theater Friday night, they will execute two of their “SpUrban” projects, or spontaneous urban performances. The first is the Wednesday performance at Midtown Crossing. Thursday, the troupe will perform in the Old Market at 5:30 p.m.
Trey McIntyre Project also performed in the children’s ward at the Nebraska Medical Center on Tuesday, and they will present master classes to Omaha Public School students at Beveridge magnet school this week. “If the community is not going to come see us perform, at least we can come to them,” said Jason Hartley, a dancer with Trey McIntyre project.
Hartley, a professional dancer for 18 years, is a Des Moines native. He left Iowa as a teenager to attend the North Carolina School for the Arts, and he later met McIntyre while dancing with the Washington Ballet.
“The dancers all have eclectic backgrounds,” said Hartley of the troupe’s style. “It’s a melting pot of dance. It seems to push ballet ahead to the 21st century.” McIntyre is often noted for his musical selections, which often include contemporary and rock music.
The performance the troupe is presenting at the Orpheum Friday night captures and reflects the mood and energy of New Orleans culture. The first piece and the last piece were choreographed to the music of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, the prestigious Dixieland jazz band of New Orleans.
“The first piece is a nod to voodoo culture, with skeleton costumes and skeleton masks. It’s akin to a funeral march through the city, and afterwards there would be a big celebration of life,” said Hartley in a telephone conversation from his hotel Monday. “The last piece with the New Orleans jazz band is more of a post-Katrina release of the city’s energy. The piece starts with dancers being marked with a red “x,” like the marks the Red Cross put on houses with dead animals or bodies left behind,” he said.
“The middle piece is to Roy Orbison’s music. He [McIntyre] is very rooted in American music. It is all genuinely American, I suppose,” said Hartley.
A common theme to the troupe’s work is “high energy,” said Hartley. “It’s very much a roller coaster of emotions. He’s not afraid to delve into the emotional content of dance. His signature seems to be speaking to the human element,” he said of McIntyre’s approach and passion.
For a taste of the troupe’s contemporary ballet, visit their website, treymcintyre.com. There a collection of video podcasts showcases the talent of the troupe and the visionary direction of McIntyre. The videos capture the surprising SpUrbans and imaginatively produced sequences filmed everywhere from motel rooms to ballrooms. Through these performances, Trey McIntyre Project is defining a new standard for a new century of American ballet.