So what was happening in the world in 1922?

So what was happening in the world in 1922?

• The year begins with the British Empire at its largest extent, covering a quarter of the world and ruling over one in four people on earth.
• Christian K. Nelson patents the Eskimo Pie
• Knickerbocker Storm: Snowfall from the biggest-ever recorded snowstorm in Washington D.C causes the roof of the Knickerbocker Theatre to collapse, killing 98.
• Pope Pius XI (Achille Ratti) succeeds Pope Benedict XV as the 259th pope.
•  Irish American film director William Desmond Taylor is found murdered at his home in Los Angeles; the case is never solved.
• President of the United States Warren G. Harding introduces the first radio in the White House
• Mohandas Gandhi is arrested in Bombay for sedition.
• Joseph Stalin is appointed General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Soviet Communist Party.
•  In The Bronx, construction begins on Yankee Stadium.
•  A 20-ton meteorite lands near Blackstone, Virginia, USA.
•  Sergei Diaghilev, James Joyce, Pablo Picasso, Marcel Proust and Igor Stravinsky dine together in Paris, at the Majestic hotel, their only joint meeting.
• U.S. President Warren G. Harding makes his first speech on the radio.
•  Louis Honoré Charles Antoine Grimaldi becomes Reigning Prince Louis II of Monaco.
•  The Hollywood Bowl opens.
•  A typhoon hits Shantou, China, killing more than 50,000 people.
•  The highest temperature in recorded history is taken in at 136.4 degrees F (58 degrees C), in El Aziziyah, Libya in the shade.
•  Hungary joins the League of Nations.
•  Benito Mussolini becomes the youngest ever Prime Minister of Italy at age 39.
•  Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon become the first people to enter the tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamun in over 3,000 years.
•  The California grizzly bear becomes extinct.

- Oliver

Gatsby and Who Cares as an Apprentice

Let me start by saying that I am having an absolute blast with this repertoire. George Balanchine's "Who Cares" and Ron Cunningham's "The Great Gatsby"  have challenged me more than any other show I've performed with the Sacramento Ballet. Not only is the choreography in each ballet physically exhausting, each piece has really put me to the test mentally. The music in Ron's "Gatsby" is fabulous and perfectly emblematic of the "roaring twenties". When it isn't slow and sexy, the music is lightning fast and must be matched by highly energetic and intricate footwork. I think that audience members are going to enjoy seeing how Ron has so creatively meshed together two forms of dance- classical Ballet and the Charleston. I also believe that patrons are going to enjoy the music in each Ballet. The fun, high-energy big-band music in "Gatsby" is paired with some of George Gershwin's most famous songs in George Balanchine's "Who Cares" which I have no doubt that the audience will love the choreography for as well. Much like Ron's choreography for "Gatsby", Balanchine's choreography for "Who Cares" is very high-energy, intricate and difficult. I personally have Mr. Balanchine to thank for a sprained ankle last Tuesday which I am finally almost fully recovered from. All jokes aside though, this repertoire has been really good for me as a dancer. It has challenged me both physically and mentally and I'm thrilled to soon include each of them in my dancing credits!

-Alex Stewart

The Great Gatsby; Inspiration from an Era of Extravagance 

For over a month now, the staff and dancers at Sacramento Ballet  have been working hard to design, create and perfect Ron Cunningham’s “The Great Gatsby”. As you can imagine, our studios have been booming with big band jazz music as dancers bustle from rehearsal to rehearsal, learning to “Charleston” in pointe shoes. Honestly, it has been an absolute blast! I can’t think of a better way to spend my day than dancing my heart out at an extravagant 1920’s blow-out party! But what’s a “roaring twenties” prohibition bash without fringe, feathers and flashy finery?! Thanks to our wonderful costume department, all of the dancers will be decked out in dazzling 1920’s costumes, complete with long strings of pearls and sparkling headbands. 

Now, all of this time spent emulating such a luxurious era has truly inspired a lot of the dancers! This past weekend, me and two of my friends, Maggie and Karina, decided to have a twenties themed girls night in preparation for not only the upcoming show of Gatsby, but also the “Prohibition Party” hosted by Sacramento Ballet (which is sure to be a night to remember!). The three of us spent our Saturday evening scouring the mall for twenties style dresses and accessories. We found ourselves astonished at how intensely the 1920’s affected modern fashion! What we expected to be a struggle for suitable costumes, turned out to be a struggle to decide what to purchase out of the abundance of “twenties-esque” accessories! After we had thoroughly exhausted ourselves with shopping (and Cinnabons...) we headed back home and watched “Midnight in Paris” to continue our vintage theme.

Needless to say, we had an amazing night filled with excitement and anticipation for our upcoming production. I think I speak for all of us when I say that I can’t imagine a more thrilling and exhilarating job than the one that we have the great fortune of doing. Working on “The Great Gatsby” has been an absolute joy and I can hardly wait to move into the theater and start performing! Come join us February 7th through 10th and find yourself inspired by “an extraordinary gift for hope” amidst the glamour and frivolity of the fabulous 1920’s! 

Sarah Hicks

Fun, fun, fun!

This being my first year in a professional ballet company, I am especially excited to be performing in Ron Cunningham's newest ballet, The Great Gatsby. To not only be able to see, but to be a part of, a brand new production as it's being choreographed, is amazing. Slowly, all the scenes start to make sense and you can really see a fantastic story being put together right in front of your eyes and I get to be in it! It's such a blast to rehearse and I can't wait to perform it! The Great Gatsby promises to be full of drama, energy and the best party dance ever created, the Charleston!

- Jarrett

What inspires me?

We're all so very excited for the premier of Ron Cunningham's "The Great Gatsby"! I had read the book in high school, so when I heard that Ron was creating a ballet for it, all the knowledge I had once held came rushing back, and not only was I enthralled by the fact that we would be doing Gatsby, but also because I've not gotten to be apart of Ron creating a new ballet, seeing as this is my first season here at Sacramento Ballet! If I could choose any era to be from, I would definitely choose the roaring 20's. Everything was over the top, fancy, and the music was big and loud. The women were so well put together and dressed to the nine's, and the men were dapper and distinguished. Before knowing we'd be doing Gatsby, I had recently watched the movie "The Artist" which is a brand new silent film set back in the 20's. Seeing this movie sent me into a whole new mind filled with inspiration. The arts were so important, whether it was dancing, singing, being a musician or an actor. I'm in complete awe of the class that this era had, everything just seemed so chic and divine. So now that I get to be apart of "The Great Gatsby" and dance in a bunch of party scenes that have been a blast to work on with Ron, I get to pretend that I'm from my favorite era. The first time I heard the music for this ballet, it gave me chills! It's sort of like a dream come true, having a job that allows me to pretend to be things that I'm not. Everyday in rehearsal since we've started working on Gatsby with Ron, he'll give us things to try to see if he likes them, and then will watch it and maybe tweak where he wants us to look, or how to hold our arms slightly different which changes the entire feel of the whole step, which is incredible! Dancing like you're from the 20's and doing the Charleston, makes me feel so fresh and free! Not only am I super excited to be dancing in all of the party scenes and have carefree fun with my awesome dance partners like they did back then, but I've also have been privileged enough to get to understudy the role of Daisy Buchanan, though I still have much to learn, I am excited I was allowed to do this because learning such a heart felt role allows me to develop as an artist. The book broke my heart, made my heart feel light and happy and everything in between (I mean, what girl wouldn't want to date Jay Gatsby?) and I am thankful I get to be apart of something so large, a ballet that you'll know, recognize, and love! Come have a good time with The Sacramento Ballet as we gear up to knock your socks off with The Great Gatsby, February 7th- 10th!

-Maggie

Fitting in with American Tradition

The Great Gatsby; Fitting in with American Tradition

By: Mate Szentes

Over the past few weeks our studios have been filled with the purely American sounds of big-band jazz songs and the exuberant melodies of George Gershwin’s original composition as we rehearse Ron Cunningham’s adaption of “The Great Gatsby” alongside George Balanchine’s “Who cares?” After moving to the US from Hungary just seven months ago, so much has already changed in my life. Everything is new for me and being a part of these two masterpieces is such an amazing and exhilarating experience. I’ve never ever had as much fun in the studio as I’ve had in these past few weeks. 

To be honest, the 1920‘s “jazzy” American style is not totally natural for me but I try my best to learn it and make my body comfortable with the movement. Watching other dancers adapt to this style so naturally and with such ease makes me jealous at times,  but I also find it really inspiring. 

I have also really enjoyed watching Ron creating in the studio and I think I speak for all the dancers when I say that we really love bringing his ideas to life. 

As we near the end of the creation process and we all watch as “The Great Gatsby” comes together, piece by piece, I find myself more and more excited to move into the theatre. With the energy of a live jazz band and traditional “roaring twenties” costumes, I am thrilled be a part of this truly American masterpiece.

Sometimes Photos Are Better Than Words

By Alexander Biber 

Having danced for the Sacramento Ballet for four years this is the first time I have gotten to be a part of a new ballet of Ron’s. When we rehearse a ballet that has been set before there is already an expectation to be like the dancer who the roll was originally created on.  It’s exciting to be the first person to perform a part because it can reflect more of your own personality and accommodate more to your strengths as a dancer. It has been great to watch the company create their roles and see how they interpret their characters. Early this week I decided to stay and watch the principal run of the ballet, It was amazing to see the story coming together from start to finish and see how far it has come. Here are some photos from the run I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.

Alexander Biber

 

Me & Gatsby

The Great Gatsby is a completely brand new ballet for me because having been raised in Japan,  I didn't know the Great Gatsby story nor did I know the Charleston or the old-style american dancing from this time period. So, because both the dance style and the story and the time period are all really new to me, it's wonderfully exciting and completely brand new! Also, during rehearsal Ron takes the time to explain all the steps one-by-one and also the feeling of the time period in which The Great Gatsby takes place, which makes it  not only a really fun dance to learn but also a real education as well. At my house I have an record player with lots of old jazz and swing records. So I listen to them often and because they have these kinds of steps that were danced during that period, it's really fun!

On a personal note, my mom is coming from Japan to watch The Great Gatsby and Balanchine's "Who Cares?" and I am really excited to be able to show her these uniquely American-style ballets. These ballets are something we could never have the chance to see in Japan.  

Kaori★

I’m always “In the Mood” for some jazz.

Learning The Great Gatsby has been so much fun. One of the main reasons I have enjoyed it so much is my connection to jazz music. I have always played a musical instrument and then in high school I followed in my brothers footsteps and learned the bass guitar and upright bass. I was surprised how easily I took too it. I loved playing the jazz music. It is just so much fun!

To make things more fun, my high school’s musical production is 2 weeks of a 1930’s night club. It isn’t just a show for people to watch. They are literally walking into a nightclub. Four course meal, with the live jazz band, singers, a drama, a dance team and patrons can also dance on their own on the dance floor. I played in the band and danced on the dance team. I was privileged to learn all sorts of ballroom styles, Charleston, Swing, Rumba, Samba, Waltz, compete with lifts, flips, and tosses. It was definitely the best part about high school so getting to return to this era and dance the Charleston to jazz music is so great! It’s always fun to do a different style other than ballet and I feel dancing the dances from this era helps remind us what dancing is about; having fun and expressing yourself

-Christine

being part of a new work

This is my very first time being part of the creation of a new work! It is so exciting to see how a choreographer, especially Ron, works, and how the pictures in his mind become a reality on the dance floor. As we are now in full swing Gatsby mode, I have been able to see a bit more of the other rehearsals. And being someone who has never read or seen The Great Gatsby, it has been extremely interesting to watch the story unfold as Ron creates it. Being part of this has been unlike any other dance experience I have been apart of. For example, when Ron asks us to do something he sees in his mind, although it might sound crazy, you give it a shot, and even though you might not do it exactly the way he explained, it is now what the step is, or something in-between. Because nothing has been set in stone yet! Its great! Currently Ron is creating a "fight" scene, it's so much fun, he tells us what moves to do, and then we put a little of our own twist on it, it's really fun! If you want to see this "fight" scene, you can find tickets at http://www.sacballet.org/index.php/season/420/

See you at the after party in the roaring 20's

Mila

Ready, Set, GATSBY!

In less than three weeks time, the dancers of the Sacramento Ballet will be at the Community Center Theater preparing for a weekend of shows...It's very hard to believe, especially since this week is the first time we will be fully focused on Gatsby! Since the new year, we have learned a piece by Jared Nelson for our Modern Masters show (in May), and last week was devoted to learning George Balanchine's Who Cares, which will be performed alongside The Great Gatsby. I am very eager to see the ballet be pieced together this week, because aside from the fun duet I dance with Ava Chatterson (we play twins!) I have seen very little else of what Ron has choreographed for my fellow dancers! Be sure to check back later this week for my "behind the scenes" video of Gatsby rehearsals!!

Also, if you want to hear more about the making of Gatsby and get a first look at this world premiere, mark your calendars now for the Inside the Director's Studio on January 25 at 6pm!
http://www.sacballet.org/index.php/upcoming_events/

~Katie Miller

Meet Daisy

Watch this clip from the classic 1974 film version of The Great Gatsby to get to know what kind of gal Daisy is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8zeMXCxlmE

What do you think?

A fun analysis of The Great Gatsby characters and themes:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xw9Au9OoN88

Happy Monday!

Learning the Charleston

Today we had an open rehearsal at our studios for Second Saturday.  Along with watching a rehearsal of one of the scenes of The Great Gatsby, people could go in our second studio and take a short lesson in learning the Charleston!  I was one of the dancers who got to learn this classic 1920's dance, and it wasn't easy.  Although dancers are trained to turn out their legs, in the Charleston the turn-out is used in quite a different way.  It was hard to coordinate the timing of turning in and out the legs while stepping forward and backward.  Also we were told to keep our legs and arms fairly loose, a hard thing to adjust to when we ballerinas work all day to achieve very specific positions of our limbs.  Although it was sometimes tricky, it was a lot of fun and what I liked is that the Charleston is really about making the steps your own--nothing is really "set" and you're free to try lots of different things (as long as you stay on the music!).

Here's a fun clip of a Charleston dance/lesson (and if you pay attention, you'll hear some of the music in our very own Gatsby!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJC21zzkwoE


--Ava

Rum, whiskey and moonshine. Oh my!

Just about everyone knows the story of The Great Gatsby. Well, everyone except for me. I was never required to read it in school so I decided to check out this “great American classic”. As I was reading I wondered what the 20’s must have been like with the 18^th Amendment and the prohibition of alcohol. In the book, Daisy’s lover, Jay Gatsby, is a man made wealthy by the illegal distribution of alcohol. The plot was very interesting, but the idea of prohibition seemed to intrigue me more since we are going to portray people living in that time period.    

In 1920, it was made illegal to manufacture, sell or transport alcohol over a 0.5 percentage. Since there was a one year period before the Amendment was put into action, citizens had time to stock up on soon to be illegal booze. For everyone else, there were speakeasies. These were secret underground type clubs where liquor was as prominent as in any other bar and the law was frequently paid off the leave them in peace. As it turns out, there was a loophole in the 18^th Amendment. Nowhere did it state that citizens were not allowed to consume illegal beverages. This created a huge demand for alcohol and people began to smuggle rum for the Caribbean and whiskey from Canada. Since most people get a sense of satisfaction of getting away with doing things that aren’t particularly legal, I can imagine the parties of the 1920s were quite fun.

Though story of The Great Gatsby left me feeling a bit sad, I think it’s a rich story line with a fantastic plot. I’m beyond excited to perform it. The music is fun and flirty, just like many of our dance moves. Ron has done a fantastic job creating organized chaos on stage and I’m sure it will excite our audiences as much as it does me. I’m glad I researched the prohibition period to get a better perspective on what the time period was like. Come join the fun at out Prohibition Party at the Memorial Auditorium on February 10^th!  

-Evelyn

Sofa Rehearsal

Since I am a new apprentice with the company this season, The Great Gatsby is my first experience working with Ron on one of his brand new ballets.  What a blast we are having!  Before winter break he had set a couple of dances for Gatsby's big party scenes, and now we are working on stringing everything together.  Monday was our first day back after the holidays, and my first rehearsal for the day was titled "Sofa."  We had no idea what that meant.  Ron explained to us that we were guinea pigs for a scene that was going to be all centered around a couch in the middle of the stage.  So a big sofa was brought out and we started doing all sorts of fun tricks...jumping over the back, tumbling off the front, cartwheeling over the sides, bouncing off cushions, kicking over each other's heads... and a few humorous innuendoes as well that I won't give away.  We were having so much fun that we didn't even realize till the rehearsal was over that we were sweating.  I think we are all looking forward to our next sofa rehearsal.  Get your tickets now for The Great Gatsby so you can see for yourself what we come up with!

-Karina       

Adult Adolescence - The Characters of Gatsby

The Sacramento Ballet is set to premier Ron Cunningham’s “The Great Gatsby” in one month!  The company has been working very hard learning there various parts and I am anticipating seeing more and more choreography from my fellow dancers through the next few weeks.  I am a huge fan of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel and have read it at least a dozen times – always feeling a special connection since it is set on Long Island, where I am from!  In “The Great Gatsby” I will be playing the character of Tom Buchanan (along with Rick Porter).  He's the type of guy you pretend to like because he's athletic, rich, and powerful…but secretly you wouldn’t mind if he was hit by a car.  Although Tom might be a hedonistic snake his character and actions are comparable to the rest of the cheats and cons that comprise of the characters within the story.  The novel itself begins with a preface, which clearly highlights the nature of the people you and situations you will read about: “The Great Gatsby does not proclaim the nobility of the human spirit; it is not politically correct; it delivers no fashionable or comforting messages. It is just a masterpiece.”

The other day after rehearsal I was able to speak directly with artistic director Ron Cunningham to get some inside information on his portrayal of these 1920’s personas of the ballet.  He explained that during the holiday break he had continued research on the “The Great Gatsby” and read a biography on author F. Scott Fitzgerald.  He had learned  that Fitzgerald himself was quite an eccentric character – who like the people in his novel were adults, with endless amounts of money, who acted like children – getting caught up in the carefree lifestyle of the Jazz Age and taking no responsibility for their actions.  He also had said that Fitzgerald was a man who consistently felt as though he had to overly express his masculinity and created a great amount of tension with literary contemporaries such as Earnest Hemmingway.  I feel that in “the Great Gatsby” Tom may represent the author’s portrayal of that unattained sense of extreme masculinity, which Tom ostensibly displays in his relations with others, especially women. 

I included a clever character map of “The Great Gatsby” so everyone can start knowing who’s who!  It’s the cat’s pajamas.

 

Working with a new Prop

For Ron Cunningham's new ballet after the classic novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby, I play his character of Jordan.  Jordan Baker is a professional golfer, with a stubborn attitude and a strong self-centered mentality.  She cheated in order to win her first golf tournament.  This is where I've started…with my character development…adding a cynical and arrogant, but cute air to her actions, knowing she can bend people her way because of her beauty.
    I've created a variety of ballets with Ron.  The process has always been relaxing, chill, and fun.  Though they've never involved a golf club! Part of the cast began rehearsing and creating movement with Ron at the end of last season and intermittently throughout the recent months.  Now we are able to focus on the creation process.  Presently Oli and I are continuing work on the dance for Jordan and Nick.  First off, the weight of the club adds a whole new factor to every movement and most noticeably to partnered steps.  All three of us fiddled around turning with the club - on our shoulders and in our hands, then partnered spins together with the club set around our lower backs.  The extra weight would either spin me on a crash course taking Ron or Oli out, or in-fact help and square-off my technical position and aid in balancing. Having a golf club for the whole pas de deux is as similar as adding another appendage to your body that you have to be aware of and control. Coordination, appropriateness, and presentation with such an awkward prop makes for new interesting choreography, some new types of "war wounds", but also some fun times! Stay tuned for more Gatsby blogs and make sure to book your calendars February 7th, 8th, 9th, or 10th to see the final outcome of Jordan and Nick's dance! ~Isha

"Yes, WIGS!!!"

I walked up to the board after class today and saw a notice instructing the women to go see Caitlin, our Production manager so that we could have our heads measured.  My first thought was, "Yes, WIGS!!!".  We wear wigs occasionally for roles such as Party Mom in The Nutcracker and in Septime Webre's Fluctuating Hemlines, but I have never had the opportunity to dance for an extended period of time while wearing a wig.  I cannot wait to wear a wig for The Great Gatsby!

There are lots of reasons that I love wigs.  First, it makes getting ready for a performance really easy, just tuck your hair up and pin on the wig.  Another reason is that wearing a wig helps transform you into a different person, which makes developing a character much easier.  

As dancers, we are use to going to our costume shop to get measured and fit for our various costumes, but we have never before been fit for wigs.  Caitlin took at least four different measurements of our heads to make sure we got wigs that would fit our heads properly.  Then came the hard part, which hair color did we want? Of course everyone wants something different than their natural hair color, thats part of the fun of wigs, but I know when the time comes Ron and Carinne are going to have the final say!  I am not sure exactly what the wigs will look like, what color and style I will receive, but I highly anticipate my wig's arrival to help further my character development.

Hope to see you around the studio soon!

Lauryn Winterhalder

A Gatsby Diversion...

While you're waiting for the next post from the wonderful dancers of Sacramento Ballet, a way to pass the time:

It's The Great Gatsby, in video game form!

http://greatgatsbygame.com/

A Charleston Connection

One question I've been asked many times throughout my career is whether or not there are any other dancers in my family. Well, while there are no other ballet dancers, there is a charleston dancer!  My grandmother, Eva, was born in 1912.  Though she was only a teen in the 20's, she used to steal away to dance in charleston competitions... and she won!  I was never able to meet my grandmother, but her dancing past has always been one of my favorite things I've learned about her since its the only dance connection I have in my family.  Perhaps she is the source of my love for dance!  Because of this I've been looking forward to the charleston section of The Great Gatsby the most, since now I can experience dance like she did!  Ron started working on this choreography during Nutcracker, but because of an injury I had to sit out of rehearsals.  I'm not worried about catching up though... I'm pretty sure the charleston is in my blood!

-Lauren Breen

Gatsby: Under Construction

Alexandra Cunningham and Stefan Calka in a car provided by the California Automobile Museum, photo by Keith Sutter

After a well deserved holiday break from The Nutcracker, we returned to the studio yesterday for our first rehearsals of 2013.  Refreshed and full of energy, we launched into Jared Nelson’s new work for Modern Masters and I continued to work on The Great Gatsby. 

Returning to the music of the ‘Roaring 20’s’ is exhilarating and I can’t think of when I’ve had more fun working on a new ballet.  The delightful ‘Jazz Age’ score is inspirational and the dancers are totally immersed in the mad cap spirit of this wacky era.

F. Scott Fitzgerald perfectly captures the hedonistic atmosphere created by the Volstead Act, where booze was the national drink and sex the national obsession. 

The music plays an insistent tattoo on my brain and I awake many times during the night imagining the twists and turns of bringing Gatsby to the stage.  Time is of the essence and the distance between now and opening night seems to shrink from yards to inches by the minute.  So far, I’ve created a patchwork of prohibition style dances waiting to be sewn together into a cohesive whole.  In a way, the making of dances is the easy part, telling the story is the challenge.  Stefan as Gatsby, Alexandra as Daisy, Isha as Jordan, Oliver as Nick, Amanda as Myrtle, Richie as George, and Chris & Rick alternating Tom complete an idyllic cast.  I’m lucky to have such gifted artists interpreting these complex and multi layered characters.  Lots to do, much to accomplish, but we'll be ready.

Ron Cunningham

Artistic Director

Being Daisy

I am incredibly excited to play the role of "Daisy" in Ron Cunningham's brand new ballet - The Great Gatsby - based, of course, of the famous novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald.  While today was considered the first official day of rehearsal for this new work, we actually have been in the process of creating sections/experimenting with ideas for movement since last Spring.  (Thank god for video recording, or else it would be very hard to remember all the steps we came up with almost one year ago!)  Now however, it is our main focus in our daily rehearsals and it's time for me to really develop my character with the careful coaching of Ron and Carinne Cunningham.

I read the book in High School, again this past summer, and also brushed up on a few passages over our Holiday Break...so the novel is very fresh in my mind.  What I find most intriguing about being Daisy is that by the end you really think she is a very despicable person.  Daisy is incredibly shallow, careless, bored, and so engulfed by easy access to wealth that she feels she can retreat behind her money whenever she's made a mess out of a situation.  Why does this excite me?  Because I've never gotten to portray such a selfish character!  Other roles I've been fortunate to dance such as Juliet, Cinderella, Alice (in Wonderland) or even the Sugar Plum Fairy are pretty much the exact opposite of Daisy.  It's thrilling to pretend to be someone so beautiful and charming on surface and cold, base and corrupt at heart.  It's unlike anything I've experienced before.  The main reason I love my job is because, not only do I get to exercise my body to music, but I get to act, play and pretend to be people I'm not nor would ever want to be in real life.

A friend of mine recently asked me what my back story was for Daisy as, in the book, she is only characterized through Nick's and Gatsby's eyes.  I enjoyed this inquiry because it made me realize that I get to come up with my own interpretation of why Daisy is the way she is.  There really is no early history of her so her morals, or maybe better said, lack thereof (!) are for me to make up.    The Great Gatsby is a fantastic story examining people's values in a time where passions took precedence no matter the consequence.  As I begin to mold my version of Daisy feel free to find me on facebook and twitter and message me about your ideas and suggestions.  Until then, back to the studio for some more jazzy fun!  Don't miss this show - it's gonna be the cat's meow!

Alexandra Cunningham
@alexandrajklc