Ricardo Graziano: Choreographing with Love

Dancer Kristianne Kleine walks backward gracefully toward the front of the studio as her dance partner, Juan Gil, watches from a distance. The accompanying piano music is simple, like a slow heartbeat. She pirouettes to a forward-facing position as Gil gently lifts her and affectionately carries her to the front of the studio. Faint orchestral music joins the piano. The rhythm and movements swell, and the heartbeat gains intensity. It’s as if the dancers are demonstrating the act of falling in love.

Love is precisely the message Ricardo Graziano intends to send with his abstract ballet, “Before Night Falls.” It’s the second week of February, and the first full week of rehearsal for the world premiere by the 27-year-old choreographer, whom most would know as a principal dancer of Sarasota Ballet. The dance will make its debut in the fifth program of Sarasota Ballet’s season, Feb. 28 through March 3 at FSU Center for the Performing Arts. This particular pas de deux, or partner dance, they’re working on today is the second of four pas de deux and three partner dances in the 30-minute ballet that incorporates seven couples.

After nearly two minutes, Graziano stops the music; the dancers have not learned the choreography past this point. He demonstrates the next section counting an eight count as the dancers follow behind him. Once they get the move down, they perfect it — trying different hand positions for the lift or separating the legs at the perfect angle. He puts himself in the place of Gil to work with Kleine on how to best achieve his vision, then he even puts himself in place of Kleine and works with Gil. Along the way, he makes sure nothing feels strange and that everything looks and feels right. If something does not work, they change it.

This portion of the slightly more than two-week process of staging his ballet is like watching the inner workings of Graziano’s brain. He explains his process following the rehearsal. For the most part, he does a lot of the choreographing before he gets to the studio. He only adapts moves when they might not work as planned.

“Things might be one way in my head and then when they try it, it’s like, ‘Oh, I forgot I don’t have a third arm or that I’m not The Hulk,’” Graziano says with a laugh.

But, for the most part, the music (which he has listened to hundreds of times) gives him the cues. It always starts with the music.

For this piece, he’s using various contemporary instrumental compositions by the Icelandic composer Ólafur Arnalds. After selecting the music, he played it for his friend, fellow principal dancer, Ricardo Rhodes. Rhodes said the music made him feel like living life to the fullest. Graziano liked that concept; that’s what “After Night Falls” is about.

“You have to live 100%, love 100% and dance 100%,” Graziano says. “You never know what might happen tomorrow or even if there is a tomorrow.”

But, as of today, he has his choreographing process down. This will be his fourth choreographed piece for Sarasota Ballet. It started in October 2011, when he made his debut with “Shostakovich Suite.” Graziano intended to create something for the dancer-choreographed program at the end of the 2011/12 season, when Iain Webb, director of Sarasota Ballet, asked him if he’d like to open the 2011/12 season instead.
Webb was taking a risk. Graziano had never choreographed before, and all Webb had to go on was the idea for the concept (a neoclassical piece with tutus, no plot and movements with long lines) and the music. It was spring 2011, so Graziano had the summer to prepare.

“I spent all summer on it in my bedroom in Brazil,” he says. “My parents saw me jumping around the house, and I said, ‘Don’t bother me I have to create something!’”

He wanted it to be good.

And it was good. One woman told him after the performance that his piece taught her how to love ballet again. And it wasn’t only good according to the audience, the process worked well for him — he enjoyed creating it.

He choreographed his next piece, the contemporary, abstract “Symphony of Sorrows,” in May 2012. It portrayed the stages of grief. Webb was so smitten with the piece, he told Graziano it was a treasure. This gave Graziano the idea that it would resurface another season. And it will — April 4 and April 5 in Program 6.

So, what’s next for Graziano? For the immediate future, there are no set plans for his choreography. But, if he’s asked, he hopes to do something classical again. It’s likely that this is not the last Sarasota will see of Graziano’s work.

“If the opportunity is there and if the inspiration is there, then I think I’d love to choreograph in the future,” he says.

IF YOU GO 
Program 5: Graziano, Ashton and DeMille
Featuring Ricardo Graziano’s “Before Night Falls,” Sir Frederick Ashton’s “Monotones I & II” and Agnes DeMille’s “Rodeo”
When: 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 28; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, March 1; 2 and 7 p.m. Sunday, March 2; and 7 p.m. Monday, March 3.
Where: FSU Center for the Performing Arts, 5555 N. Tamiami Trail
Cost: Tickets are $28.50 to $100
Info: Call 359-0099 or visit sarasotaballet.org