This Thursday through Sunday, the Chamber Dance Project presents three world premieres by guest choreographers Victor Adebusola, Jennifer Archibald, and the Artistic Director of the company, Diane Coburn Bruning, at its production of Ballet & Brass at the Lansburgh Theatre in Washington, D.C. This production combines the worlds of ballet, modern, and hip-hop style dancing with the musical stylings of the street band Brass Connection into something that is completely original and full of artistic energy. I spoke with one of the company dancers, Luz San Miguel, about the joys and challenges of performing these works, and what audiences should be expecting.
Anna Mae Kersey: What excites you most about Ballet & Brass?
Luz San Miguel: The fact that we have live music is always very exciting. The quartet right on stage with us. That is a wonderful experience, always. I’m very excited to push my body to do hip-hop. It’s been a fantastic experience-the first time I’ve ever done hip-hop in my life. So that’s what I’m excited about, and performing with the brass band.
AMK: What is the most challenging aspect of performing this work?
LSM: It’s a small group of dancers so we all do all the pieces, and we dance a lot, so that’s probably one of the hardest parts; and we change styles. It takes an adjustment to change from hip-hop, to modern, to even pointe shoes... We go from pointe shoes, to socks, to hip-hop shoes in one evening. It shows the diversity of all the dancers and how much we can do. So that’s the challenge, going from style to style.
AMK: What should audience members expect to experience at Ballet & Brass?
LSM: They should expect to be thrilled and entertained and enjoy our music and high energy; and appreciate the different kinds of dances.
Anna Mae Kersey: What excites you most about Ballet & Brass?
Luz San Miguel: The fact that we have live music is always very exciting. The quartet right on stage with us. That is a wonderful experience, always. I’m very excited to push my body to do hip-hop. It’s been a fantastic experience-the first time I’ve ever done hip-hop in my life. So that’s what I’m excited about, and performing with the brass band.
AMK: What is the most challenging aspect of performing this work?
LSM: It’s a small group of dancers so we all do all the pieces, and we dance a lot, so that’s probably one of the hardest parts; and we change styles. It takes an adjustment to change from hip-hop, to modern, to even pointe shoes... We go from pointe shoes, to socks, to hip-hop shoes in one evening. It shows the diversity of all the dancers and how much we can do. So that’s the challenge, going from style to style.
AMK: What should audience members expect to experience at Ballet & Brass?
LSM: They should expect to be thrilled and entertained and enjoy our music and high energy; and appreciate the different kinds of dances.