Professional ballet dancers have babies but it is a rare occurrence at Ballet West as of late.  Well, that has changed and I asked Ballet West Artist Megan Furse to write about her pregnancy.

It’s a Baby! World Premiere May 1st, 2010

In my time as an artist with Ballet West, you might have seen some of my work onstage as a snowflake, a nymph, a swan, or a fairy.  Now I am rehearsing for a role that I’ve never had before: that of a Mommy!   My husband Devin and I are expecting a baby boy May 1st, 2010 and we are happy to share some of our experience on Ballet West’s blog.

Count back the months and you will realize that I have been performing most of the 2009-2010 season so far with a baby on board:  our tour of Les Biches to New York, The Dream, and The Nutcracker.  Fortunately, I have been in good health and my doctors have said that since I have been dancing at this level for a long time I can continue- and it’s good for baby and me both to have the exercise!  Now I am taking a break from performing for the rest of the season but I continue to dance in ballet class and cross train with our physical therapist, Kevin Semens.  As an artist, it has been interesting to take care of my body, or my “instrument”, with extra care and perception.  While I have to modify some of my movements now in class, I am becoming more in tune with my technique as I make adjustments and pay attention to my changing instrument.

If you saw me dance in The Nutcracker, you might be wondering where the baby was hiding… well, those tutus have a lot of fluff!  Also, the changes of pregnancy are gradual, allowing me to perform even longer than I originally thought possible.  I think my changing center of balance might have even improved my pirouettes initially!   I couldn’t have kept performing if it hadn’t been for the help and understanding of Ballet West artistic staff, Kevin, and the other dancers.  There were shows during Nutcracker (when I was five months along and counting) when other dancers would bring me cups of water side stage between my entrances or offer to dance one of my roles in the next performance if I was too tired.  I am fortunate to be in a supportive environment- this baby already has a lot of caring aunts and uncles in the company!  My husband Devin has also been caring and encouraging, taking on a lot of responsibility so that I could focus primarily on performing my best and on our baby.  Devin makes sure to keep me laughing:  we joke that playing Tchaikovsky’s music for our son when he arrives will either make him bawl raucously or instantly lull him to sleep.  After over 30 shows and six weeks of hearing The Nutcracker suite in the womb, he’s bound to have a strong reaction either way!

I am staying involved in the creative side of dance by choreographing a piece for Ballet West’s Innovations program, premiering a few weeks after the premier of Baby Furse.  Stay tuned for updates on the progress of both my ballet and my baby!

Megan in class with Artists of Ballet West

Megan rehearsing Les Biches with Victoria Lock at City Center in New York City

Rex Tilton as Prince Ziegfried with Artists of Ballet West in the Act I Grand Waltz

Act I - Ballet West Academy student Courtney Odum with Aaron Orlowsky

Act II - Kira Smith with Kate Crews and Allison DeBona as two Tall Swans. Photo by Beau Pearson

-Mark

Artists of Ballet West in Swan Lake Act II

Swan Lake Act III - Jacqueline Straughan, Beau Pearson and Artists of Ballet West

Artists of Ballet West in Swan Lake, Act IV

-Mark

When Ballet West’s Artistic Director Adam Sklute decided to present Swan Lake he immediately knew he would invite America’s most famous tall Ballerina Cynthia Gregory to work with the artists, especially the lead couples.

When I asked Adam ‘Why Cynthia Gregory?” his reply was something like this: Though the heights are indeed varied at Ballet West, we are notorious for being on the tall side and I want America’s most famous tall Ballerina to coach my ballerinas.

The great Cynthia Gregory was very kind in allowing me to ask her a few questions about her career to share with you.

Mark:  Who were your first or favorite teachers before you became a professional dancer and throughout your career?

Cynthia:  It’s very interesting about my first teachers because in addition to ballet they taught yoga and acting.  When I was nine years old I studied with Camelita Marraci in Hollywood.  She was very unorthodox and she choreographed her classes, so I learned how to work with a choreographer. All the steps had meaning.  San Francisco Ballet, my first professional engagement was a Balanchinesque company but again my teachers especially Lew Christiansen prepared me to tell a story thereby getting me ready for the story ballets I would later dance at American Ballet Theatre.

Mark:  Can you recall your feelings upon seeing your first performance of ‘Swan Lake’?

Cynthia:  I don’t recall my first viewing of ‘Swan Lake’, but it must have been The Royal Ballet from England.  They toured to California a lot in those days.  I know I did not see Margot (Fonteyn) in ‘Swan Lake’.  I saw her in ‘Ondine’ and ‘Giselle’.  But seeing The Royal Ballet in ‘Swan Lake’ was good preparation for the David Blair version I would later dance with American Ballet Theatre.

Mark:  Who was your role model for Odette/Odile?  Who was your most influential coach?

Cynthia:  When I was a young student I saw film of Ulanova in the 2nd act and Plisetskaya in act 3.  So I’m sure they were a starting point for me.  My coaches were DeMille, Tudor and Robbins.  Dancing their works prepared me for story telling.  They wanted a dancer to be natural, have the human component that would touch the audience in a real way.  My favorite coach of all was Dimitry Romanoff at ABT.  Though he was famous for his very strict coaching, he gave me freedom to develop the truth in my roles.  From the moment we started working together on my character for ‘Giselle’, I trusted him completely.

Mark:  Do you have any stories about your first performance of Odette/Odile?

Cynthia:  I found out that I would be dancing the dual role Odette/Odile just two weeks before my first performance.  We were  in L.A. and Lucia (Chase) called me in to her dressing room, not office, because she was still performing in those days.  ”Is it your birthday?” she asked.  ”Sit down dear I have a wonderful birthday gift for you”.  I knew the role because I was fifth understudy but I hardly believed I’d be dancing Odette/Odile on that tour so I had worked at it very little.  As it turned out there were principal dancer injuries and I was moved up to third cast.  Lucia provided opportunities for me to dance the 2nd  and 3rd act pas de deux in cities before my premiere but my only run through was not even on stage. We finally got to San Francisco, where many people knew me so I had numerous people in the audience. My family was there.  Also many of my former San Francisco Ballet colleagues were in the audience so my first ‘Swan Lake’ was not something I could try out under the radar. It was a matinee.  I danced “Two Tall Swans” that night and it was not my birthday.

from the collection of David Coll

Mark:  Did you have a favorite or ideal partner?

Cynthia:  My first Prince Ziegfried was Gayle Young.  He was wonderful.  But people always said “Cynthia is tall and she is searching for the ideal partner.”  I’m happy I never found the one ideal partner because I had so many wonderful partners.  Ted Kivett, Ivan Nagy, Jonas Kage, Peter Martins,  Rudolf  Nureyev, Fernando Bujones.  They were all ideal in their own way.

Mark:  It is wonderful watching you at work and getting to know you after all these years of being a fan.  Thank you Cynthia!

Cynthia:  You’re welcome.

-Mark

If you have not yet bought your tickets to Swan Lake here is a little bit of inspiration.

Christiana Bennett as Odette, first stage rehearsal

-Mark

The great Cynthia Gregory is here to coach Ballet West in Swan Lake.

Thank you Adam Sklute!

Cynthia Gregory coaching Christiana Bennett. Bruce Caldwell assisting.

Cynthia Gregory coaching Christiana Bennett Photo by Christopher Ruud

-Mark

iPhone picture of today’s Tribune photo shoot.

Christiana Bennett and Christopher Ruud work with Adam Sklute on a pose for the Tribune photo shoot.

-Mark