Folktale follows the journey of Prince Ivan and his brothers on a quest to free enchanted princesses
Published in the June 8 – 21, 2016 issue of Morgan Hill Life
By staff report
Photo courtesy SVDA
“The Firebird” will be performed by the South Valley Dance Arts group June 10 and June 11 at Sobrato High School.
For its annual spring ballet, South Valley Dance Arts will entertain local audiences with a story showcasing princes and princesses, an evil sorcerer, peacocks, forest fairies, firebirds, a dancing bear and other magical creatures. “The Firebird” uses dance to tell the story of courage, community and love for the whole family.
The Morgan Hill-based performing arts group will give shows of Igor Stravinsky’s classic ballet June 10 at 7 p.m. and June 11 at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. at Sobrato High School Theater.
Complete with stunning sets and costumes, and performed by more than 75 local dancers from SVDA’s company and classes, “The Firebird” is sure to be a delight to audiences of all ages, promised Juliet Smith, an SVDA instructor.
“This has been a truly collaborative project between my fellow teachers, our costume mistress Jan Lance and graphic artist Marieke Ruys,” she said.
Dominique Defoe, who plays the Firebird, thinks her character is “really interesting” because it isn’t human. However, since it isn’t just any ordinary bird but a magical one, she would describe it as other-worldly and majestic as well as fiery and powerful, she said. “In the ballet, she is in search of her husband who was taken from her by an evil sorcerer while she herself is also being searched for by princes who want to capture her and bring her back to their father in order to win the kingdom,” she said.
Defoe started ballet at the age of 4 or 5 when her mother wanted her to have a hobby so she would have a fun activity to keep her busy.
Photo courtesy SVDA
Derek Musgrove, as Prince Ivan, and Dominique Defoe, as the Firebird.
“Eleven years later, I’m still doing it, which I don’t think is something she ever really expected. But once I started, I couldn’t stop,” she said. “I’ve definitely learned a lot from my training, it’s long, complicated, and precise, which teaches you discipline and self control. You also have to take the initiative to teach yourself the small details by doing things such as practicing steps until you can do them perfectly, as well as to be able to have the confidence needed to keep going whenever you feel like giving up.”
Rehearsing for “The Firebird” has been a fun but challenging process of creating art, she said. Being around her friends and having the support of her teachers has helped her grow a lot, she said.
“I’m just really grateful because so many people have put in so much hard work to make sure the props are well done, the costumes are gorgeous, and the dancers are prepared,” Dafoe said.
“The Firebird” is a Slavic folktale that follows the journey of Prince Ivan and his brothers on a quest to free the enchanted princesses and the royal peacock from the evil Kochei the Deathless. Along the way they meet villagers, elves, a wolf, a bear and, most importantly, the mystical Firebird at the center of the story. Prince Ivan captures the Firebird, but the creature explains that she will die if she is kept in captivity. Even though Ivan is enraptured by the Firebird’s alluring beauty, he decides to let her go free. The Firebird rewards him with one of her feathers and a promise that he only needs to wave the feather and she will come to his aid no matter how grave.
“The story is about brotherhood, the power of a united community, sacrifice, courage and love,” she said. “There is romance, humor and action. Kids will love the colorful costumes and comical bear and wolf.”
Although the show retains the main repertoire from Stravinsky’s version “Firebird,” SVDA also wanted families to be able to connect to the characters, so it added back the parts of the original folktale left out by the ballet version, Smith said.
“We have a comical wolf and bear and each brother gains a lesson or love before the final battle,” she said. “As far as we know, there has never been a Firebird based on the original folktale. We kept some original repertoire but more than half is new choreography by the instructors.”
Derek Musgrove plays the role of Prince Ivan, a strong-willed young man on a quest to capture the Firebird.
“This is the most challenging role I’ve had so far,” he said, explaining it has a range of human emotions to bring into a performance. “I experience curiosity, exhilaration, fear, anger, helplessness and, finally, victory.”
Musgrove’s older sister pulled him into the dancing arts world, he said.
“I had been getting dragged along to the studio as she was dropped off for her dance lessons, and I couldn’t help but observe what was going on there,” he recalled. “When my sister suggested I join, I said no for a while because I thought ballet was for sissies. But then when they started offering Ukrainian dance, the fabulously athletic, acrobatic style that many people know as Russian dance, I had to give it a try.”
Once he started, he never wanted to stop. Eventually he added actual ballet on top of his Ukrainian practice. It helped make him more mature and allowed him through physical activity to burn off the stress, he said.
“Today I can say there is no limit to my respect for my fellow dancers, or my love for them,” he said. “I truly believe that we all have a fraternal and sororal bond with each other. It has been an incredible experience.”
