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There seems to be a growing trend lately for a mashing of the classical with the current. Take for example the recent book Metal to Mozart , moving musically through the centuries. Now there is Ballet Arizona's Alice in Wonderland. While a classical ballet, you will also see the Mad Hatter on a skateboard, the Cheshire Cat on roller blades, and singing red lobsters in scuba gear. Wait; it gets better. The music for BAZ's Alice is Bach, as in Johann Sebastain, as well as The Red Hot Chili Peppers. Roll over Beethoven.
Since coming on as Artistic Director for Ballet Arizona in 1992, Michael Uthoff has brought us his remarkable choreography. He has also acquired some extraordinary dancers. With BAZ, I no longer judge an Arizona dance performance by how many mistakes I can catch, but by the height of Alexander Pereda's leaps, the infinite number of Yen-Li Chen's pirouettes, and the depth of emotion exuding from Judith Adee.
The public agrees. The Ballet's season subscriber base has doubled this year from the 1993-94 season. Additionally,Cinderella , their season opener, was the first BAZ ballet besides The Nutcracker to sell out.
I wanted to hear from the mind of Mr. Uthoff himself, to find out what gave him his unique vision of Alice in Wonderland. Here are his words:
Ashes: Why did you choose Alice ? Was it a childhood favorite?
Uthoff: I felt it had the most possibilities for doing the unusual. My favorite story? To the contrary, I hated it. It made no sense. It is more a story to be enjoyed by adults. That is why when re-reading the work I wanted to create a world that today's kids could relate to.
Ashes: Which came first; wanting to create a ballet about Alice or wanting to use music from the Red Hot Chili Peppers?
Uthoff: Once we decided to do a creation of Alice , I had to decide how to best carry my ideas over to the audience. I wanted to use a combination of accessible baroque music, Bach's Brandenburg Concertos, and some unusual or unexpected music. The search begun by asking my daughter to acquaint me with today's musical groups. While on tour, I took some of our dancers to a record store so they could point out various musicians that might pique my interest. After listening, I decided the Chili Peppers were perfect.
Ashes: Did you have any input on sets and costumes?
Uthoff: Yes. Though I do not design the costumes and sets, the artists that design them are contacted by me to carry out my vision. Claudia Brown [costume designer] understood perfectly how to reach our audiences, convey the character's quirks and take them to a new dimension. Jerry Sirlin [set designer] carries us to an undefined world of images that puts Alice into a 20th century frame of mind.
Ashes: In Coppelia, Nutcracker and now Alice , you use humor and creative costumes to entice the audience. Is that something that comes naturally or do you feel you need to use those devices to attract modern audiences?
Uthoff: I would like to think that those qualities surfacing through my work are a part of the talent I have. I do not consciously think in those terms when creating, but I do try and make certain that I do not get bored when watching the work. MTV and fast paced entertainment have affected the way many of us work, and this is too bad because the theatrical experience is being lost. [It] seems to be permeating all facets of the art world.
Ashes: The Joffrey Ballet did a production solely with Prince music. Any ideas in the works for such a project?
Uthoff: Joffrey's ballet came after I had done Alice [at the Hartford Ballet]. I believe strongly that many of today's composers, the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Prince, are the measure that is going to be used in the future when looking at the legacy of our generation. We must treat them seriously. Yes, I do have ideas for a work to the music of the Rolling Stones and another that would take several popular pieces through each ten year period starting in the 40's to the present time.
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