Ask My Frends - At the Ballet Part II

Part II from Brianna Harnden yesterday. I didn’t mention how much I love this girl. She is so bright and funny. When I think of the days that Neff Theatricals becomes a reality I have a couple people that I MUST have on my team and Brianna is defiantly at the top of the list. As you can tell by yesterday’s post she is much more than a talented Stage Manager. Here is the second half of her post.

"... Kat mentioned that the lifestyle of an opera stage manager is somewhat nomadic. Because one stage manager can probably do all of the shows in the whole season, it can be tricky to get a position, but once you are in, you are likely to stay for years. Ballet stage managers will probably find the easiest time of settling down and staying in one town. Of course, there is the occasional tour to Russia or China, but those are with your own company and are more like a holiday than anything (yet another reason I am in love with ballet).

I do also want to comment on how lovely dancers are to work with. Whenever I tell someone I’ve moved into ballet, they ask a question related to the “diva” attitude stereotypically associated with dancers. I have seen nothing but the opposite. These artists have been in intense physical training for probably 80 percent of their lives, and they are trained to listen to their directors and stage managers. As with any artist, if you show the dancers that you are there to protect them and do whatever you can to help them dance at their highest quality, they will clear the stage when you ask them to. I have never gotten any lip or encountered anyone thinking they are entitled to better treatment than another dancer, which I can not say of any of my experiences in regional theatre. And how can you not respect a dancer? I will gladly work all hours of the day perfecting my cue calling because I know they are always working harder than I am.

I am lucky to have found my passion in the world of ballet. For any stage manager starting out in the world, no matter the genre, the most important advice I can give you is to do the things that scare you; take those big chances. Yes, you may fall flat on your face. But if you prepare, and if you’re good, it really is the only way to get ahead. When I was on my first internship with a major ballet company, I didn’t take the big chance that was staring at me. The stage manager was training the ASM to call Giselle. I would come into the office everyday and he would be studying the tapes, the massive score open on his lap, and I thought, “I could do that too.” I could almost feel that if I asked, I may be allowed to actually call a Tuesday Matinee. But I didn’t ask, because I was terrified I would mess it up. So I missed out on a big opportunity to learn, even if I never got to call a real show.

Also, find a company with people that you love. We have committed ourselves to doing something we love instead of something expected. If you find yourself not getting along with co-workers to an unhealthy degree, maybe you aren’t in the right place. I think this was also part of the problem on that first ballet internship. Still, I fell in love with stage managing dance, and I was lucky enough to find a home with The Washington Ballet, for whom I now assistant stage manage for occasionally. My first job with them was last winter, working on their whimsical production of The Nutcracker. From day one, I knew it was going to be fantastic, and the camaraderie and respect everyone in the company has for one another was immediately apparent. Because I felt so safe, I was willing to take the risk of asking to learn to call the show (even though it still terrified me), and thanks to my amazing stage manager, by the end of the run, I was calling 4 out of 8 shows per week. I simply adored it.

In short, there is nothing in the world quite like ballet. If you haven’t seen a proper ballet, go put it on your to-do list right now. If you’re timid, go see something newly choreographed and modern; the things these dancers can do will stun you. But go see a classic and you will see an art form that truly encompasses all that we are capable of as humans."