By
Dr. Wilson Triviño
Ballin Ballet
When I think of ballet,
I am reminded of my yearly outing to the
Nutcracker.
In
this timeless tale ballerinas use the human
form of expression to tell a seminal
Christmas story.
Throughout the year the Atlanta
Ballet does a fabulous job in producing a
wide variety of shows for an eagerly
awaiting public.
Like combining two
greats like peanut butter and jelly, the
Atlanta Ballet has successfully merged the
new world of hip hop with the old world of
ballet.
The collaboration of rapper Antwan
“Big Boi” Patton, director John McFall, and
Choreographer Lauri Stallings presented
Big
at the Fox Theatre in
Atlanta
from April 10-13.
Not knowing what to
expect, an eager audience dressed from chic
urban to Sunday best awaited the curtain
rise at the Fabulous Fox Theatre.
This diverse audience came together
in a high energy show mixed in with the
traditional glories of ballet and a hip hop
beat.
Big Boi effectively
used his stage persona to connect with the
audience with chart topping hits while
weaving colorful abstract visuals and
choreographing traditional ballet dance
moves.
The show felt part
music concert, Broadway show, and dance
recital.
It was broken into two chapters that
seamlessly took the audience into a world of
hip hop rap and traditional ballet.
The first scene set the tone when two
dancers in traditional ballet costume
knocked on a door that led them into a
forbidden land.
This
journey took them through dance, prose, and
rap about life in the “ATL” (Atlanta).
Dalton
native, Carmen Cavanaugh best captured the
night, “It is rare yet refreshing to see
such a collision of diversity in culture.
In addition to this inspiration, the
ballet was a high-energy treat of music and
dance that left me wanting more.
I danced all the way to my car.”
This innovative
performance successfully showed that
regardless of the tempo, dance, and music
beat, these mediums ride on the stream of
creativity.
Political Scientist Dr. Wilson
Triviño resides in Marietta,
Georgia and is a
speaker and writer for ABC Vision. A consulting
firm that focuses on leadership, change, and innovation. He may be
reached at abcvision@gmail.com
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