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Joseph Watson and Katie Dehler perform in “Last,” choreographed for the Aspen Santa Fe Ballet by Alejandro Cerrudo. (COURTESY OF Rosalie O’Connor)
Last summer Hubbard Street Dance Chicago resident choreographer Alejandro Cerrudo traveled to Aspen, Colo., to create a new work for the Aspen Santa Fe Ballet. Cerrudo found the experience a bit nerve-wracking.
“When I work at Hubbard Street, I work in a situation where trust is already built with the dancers,” he explained during a recent phone interview. “I have to start from zero when I work with a new company. I have to find my way as I go along.”
Cerrudo created the piece “Last” for the Aspen Santa Fe Ballet. It will be featured during the company’s performances next weekend at the Lensic Performing Arts Center.
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If you go WHAT: Aspen Santa Fe Ballet WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 29 and Saturday, March 30 WHERE: Lensic Performing Arts Center, 211 W. San Francisco St. HOW MUCH: $20-$72. Call 505-988-1234 |
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“I don’t like talking about my work,” he said. “I don’t want any preconceived notions about what it’s about. The work should speak for itself. The audience should be able to understand the story by watching it.”
What Cerrudo is excited to talk about is how connected he felt to Aspen Santa Fe Ballet’s directors when he met them in Chicago. Familiar with his work, they approached him and asked him to create a new piece for the company.
“Lately, I’ve created work for several different American companies,” Cerrudo said. “Ballet Arizona just premiered a new work. A new piece for the Cincinnati Ballet will be premiered soon.”
Cerrudo, 32, was born in Madrid, Spain, and received his training at the Real Conservatorio Professional de Danza de Madrid. He started dancing at the age of 9 and became a professional dancer while still a teen. He participated in performances by Ballet de Victor Ullate, Stuttgart Ballet and Nederlands Dans Theater 2. Dancing, he said, has been integral to his growth as a choreographer.
“I choreographed my first dance in 2001 because I wanted to become a better dancer and I thought it would help me,” he explained. “I learned, as a dancer, how to become more useful to a choreographer. I think every dancer should try choreography at least once. It opens the mind.”
Next weekend’s program includes Jiri Kylian’s “Return to a Strange Land.” Kylian was the artistic director of the Nederlands Dans Theater for more than 20 years and is now a resident choreographer. He created “Return to a Strange Land” in 1975 as a tribute to his mentor, John Cranko. The popular and seductive piece “Like a Samba” by Trey McIntyre also is on the program.
These performances are also Sam Chittenden’s final Santa Fe appearances. Chittenden is a senior company member who has been dancing with Aspen Santa Fe Ballet for 15 years. He previously danced with the Utah Ballet and Canyon Concert Ballet in Colorado. Chittenden also is a freelance graphic designer and an avid rock climber.
