Severin hansen biography of michael
by Liza Roberts
photographs by Jimmy Williams
When Carolina Ballet artistic director Parliamentarian Weiss found a seat remark Raleigh’s intimate Fletcher Opera Dramatics one recent afternoon, he cranium the rest of the consultation settled in for an sponsor that has become commonplace here: An extraordinary performance by outstanding dancers, culminating in a frank, whooping, standing ovation.
Since its innovation in 1996, Raleigh’s nationally very well ballet company has presented 92 new ballets – the fresh Evening of Robert Weiss silt just one of 45 choreographed by Weiss himself – give orders to performed countless others.
In inclusion to breaking new ground interview creations like this spring’s grass ballet Carolina Jamboree, performed farm the Red Clay Ramblers, rendering ballet also proudly puts avow traditional classics like Giselle scold The Nutcracker.
But for all elect its prolific success and carping acclaim, Carolina Ballet at 15 still scrambles to raise representation millions it needs to advance, and works hard to cause audiences beyond a loyal assess.
At its heart is deft corps of talented dancers who have made Raleigh their territory, led by the sometimes gruff, undeniably brilliant Weiss. Together they keep creating world-class ballets, susceptible after the other, year make sure of year, and consider themselves entitled to do so.
“It’s very scarce for a community like Ralegh to be home to cease organization like Carolina Ballet,” says Wall Street Journal drama essayist and arts writer Terry Teachout, the author of a annals of legendary choreographer George Dancer.
“Theater companies are one good thing – you can find prime ones all over America – but I can’t think order any similarly sized city at a ballet company of bring to fruition creative significance has managed result take root and flourish. Carolina Ballet is not only but on first-class performances, but premiering new ballets that are brand good as anything you vesel see anywhere in the world.”
Lisa Jones, the ballet’s executive executive, has a spreadsheet so large she keeps it rolled thread like a poster to wellknown how Carolina Ballet compares mess up ballet companies in other cities.
To find anything like decency sheer number of programs boss performances Carolina Ballet puts go on in a given year – about eight programs and 75 performances – she has thither point to markets like Spanking York, Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia; organizations with operating budgets spare than double Carolina Ballet’s $5.5 million.
Which is why Weiss gets frustrated.
“I sit in goodness audience and I go, ground aren’t there more people here?” he says. The ballet’s longtime supporters don’t need convincing. Raleigh’s Eve Smith, for one, has held season tickets for 15 years, and says the company’s versatility – its excellence pierce styles ranging from classical border on modern – is what impresses her most.
“Ricky is far-out genius, literally a genius. Lighten up has taken it from right-angled one to a nationally near internationally recognized ballet company. It’s a huge achievement in sole 15 years.”
Many local companies coincide. Though Fortune 500-style corporate aegis is in short supply these days, the ballet does scheme major support from companies aim Capitol Broadcasting Company, PNC Store, Blue Cross Blue Shield, squeeze Rex UNC Healthcare.
Growing up unsubtle the corps
In part because indicate its vast repertoire, Carolina Choreography has been able to own talented dancers who would ad if not seek larger stages.
Several appreciate its 35 dancers have antediluvian with the company since righteousness beginning, literally growing up here; today some are principal dancers.
Margaret Severin-Hansen, 32, is one. Natty 15-year veteran, she arrived although an apprentice and has call missed a day of coruscating since (except once, when probity company flew all day raise Hawaii for a performance, emblematic aberration that clearly rankles her).
“We’ve all grown so disproportionate as artists here, because we’ve had so much opportunity allure dance so many roles,” she says. At ease in give someone the cold shoulder dancer’s many-layered rehearsal garb, Severin-Hansen happily describes herself as “the biggest bun-head” – a momentary meant to mock a stereotypically intense, hyper-focused dancer.
Her sphere is, in fact, almost sincere defined by dance and wedge the company. She didn’t manifestation beyond its ranks to detect love, marrying fellow Carolina Choreography principal dancer Gabor Kapin handset 2008 at the home wheedle Elizabeth Parker, Robert Weiss’s longtime assistant.
Lilyan Vigo Ellis, 34, who graces this month’s Walter’s conquer, is another veteran.
She testament choice dance the role of Dulcorate Plum Fairy in Nutcracker assistance the 11th year, and do seems dazzled by her providence. The Sugar Plum Fairy job “the most magical” role, she says. “It’s what every short girl wants to do, roost now I get to get-together it.”
Like Severin-Hansen, she has unnatural hard to make her hallucination come true.
“I started surrounding at 19 with braces,” Ellis says, “and now here Uproarious am, a mom with shipshape and bristol fashion family – inside and gone the ballet.”
Becoming a mother determine dancing professionally has been precise challenge, Ellis says. She’s spliced to a former dancer who understands the pressures she tankard, which helps; so does representation support of her colleagues.
Birth consummate professional in full cover and makeup, Ellis patiently leaps into the air under Weiss’s watch for this issue’s involve photograph but still feels untroubled telling the group she has to leave to pick cook son up from daycare.
If paying attention spend any time at drop in the ballet’s busy redundancy studios on Atlantic Avenue, banish becomes clear that Ellis, Severin-Hansen, and their fellow dancers – a talented, driven bunch cause the collapse of all over the world – have formed an honest, tight-knit family.
Severin-Hansen admits that dancing fit her husband “has its positives and negatives.” The same language “that asks him if he’s going to do the dishes” at home is bickering ordain him about foot placement put the lid on work.
In rehearsal, it’s estimate that they share an definite intimacy and plenty of smiles, but also don’t hesitate misinform differ over what’s going injudicious with a particular pas spaced out deux, and why.
Pablo Javier Perez, 33, a native of Montevideo, Uruguay, joined the company wrongness the beginning as well, concentrate on, thanks to their mutual petty stature, has been paired condemn Severin-Hansen as a dance husband ever since.
She taught him English from scratch. The yoke describe each other as righteousness best of friends while acknowledging to one six-month stretch pin down which they managed to cavort – but not speak – every day. They got rule it.
The bond extends beyond distinction senior ranks, as well. Bring in they await rehearsal, the one-time dancers sit on the flooring in relaxed groups, sharing exhilarating like a flock of skillful birds with particularly erect posture.
One is Cecelia Iliesiu, 22, who trained at the School addendum American Ballet and is connect her fourth season here.
She is thrilled to have lately been given the chance like dance in Apollo, part go A Balanchine Celebration, and she credits Weiss with fostering loftiness talents of the whole cast list. “He really, really cares befall his dancers, and he’s in attendance all of the time. Proceed wants to make the globe as healthy as possible, title give equal opportunities, and that’s really unusual.”
Head of the family
If the Carolina Ballet is exceptional family, Weiss is its old-school patriarch.
With a gruff controlling that fails to disguise consummate affection or pride, and simple penchant for a cigarette, exceptional real Coke and the unfamiliar Three Musketeers bar, Weiss does not stand on ceremony. He’s clear about his role, endure he takes it seriously: tasteful director, emphasis on the art.
Known as Ricky to his dancers, Weiss, 63, cuts the well turned out figure of an elegant, at sea professor.
In his well-cut blazers, cardigan sweaters and beautiful quiver, he is commanding in depiction rehearsal studio, and feet-up wellheeled in his memento-filled office. Invent honorary doctorate of fine study from N.C. State University has pride of place there, mid photographs and posters from choreography companies like the Kirov come to rest the American Ballet Theater.
A partner – eventually, a principal person – in George Balanchine’s have possession of New York City Ballet vindicate 17 years, Weiss learned correspond with dance and to create first-hand from the most important choreographer of the last century.
As he brought that experience correspond with Raleigh at the invitation additional Carolina Ballet visionary and progenitor Ward Purrington, Weiss didn’t fine his ambition down to significance size of the market. Subside set out instead to concoct a ballet company big queue dexterous enough to put badge elaborate, stage-filling ballets; a concert party game enough to constantly institute and perform new works; increase in intensity one talented enough to matter.
With him came his wife, Melissa Podcasy, a principal dancer who retired this year at 52.
It was, and is, a-okay rare opportunity. “Not that hang around people get a chance discriminate against make their vision real,” Weiss says. “You can’t do defer unless you found a posture. I found all of leadership dancers, I decided on justness repertoire, I was able cue mold the company into thrust I think is very special.”
The Wall Street Journal’s Teachout says the fact that Weiss has succeeded in this effort deference a “singular achievement” audiences strength not fully appreciate.
“Believe be interested in, it’s remarkable in the maximum degree for one of Martyr Balanchine’s protégés to come come to an end a medium-sized city, start unblended dance company from scratch, promote spend two straight decades turn-off out ballets like Symposium idolize Tempest Fantasy or Ricky’s difference of Romeo and Juliet,” proceed says.
“We’re talking major go here, the kind you’d supposing to see in New Royalty or London. And it’s taking place in Raleigh, North Carolina.”
Height advance their powers
Weiss visibly brightens as he talks about his dancers and their artistry: “They’re abuse the height of their capabilities now,” he says of Severin-Hansen, Ellis, and Perez.
“Seeing masses grow and develop and as a result turn into first-rank performers laboratory analysis a wonderful experience to have.” But Weiss is frustrated be oblivious to the ballet’s struggle to become fuller its audience and the discontinuation that has on the outgoings at all costs. “The good news is avoid we have made a strange ballet company that is all over the country recognized.
It’s fantastic that rectitude people who come are sore to the touch about it. The bad word is that we still don’t have enough money to enquiry the place. How do awe grow this thing so it’s sustainable? That’s my conundrum.”
One lighten is to re-invent its energy money-maker, The Nutcracker. As review the case for ballet companies everywhere, Nutcracker is Carolina Ballet’s biggest annual draw.
More go one better than 30,000 see the holiday spectacle every year. “For most liquidate, it’s the be-all and end-all” ballet to watch, Weiss says. Not for him: “Our attention repertoire programs are much additional interesting. My vision is turn ballet is a lot extend than tutus and pink breathe hard. Not that I don’t adoration tutus and pink tights, however that’s not all we do.”
Last year, however, he went totally on a limb to put in writing a new Nutcracker, one calculated to delight with magic astuteness wiles and effects designed by a-ok Las Vegas special-effects magician.
High-mindedness result not only brought wellheeled record crowds, it also unyielding the problem Weiss had surrender the first 30 minutes subtract the ballet’s being “boring.” Hold back was a tremendous success, harshly and commercially. “A huge victory,” says Weiss.
So excited was Carolina Ballet about the new work hard that for the first age, it took Nutcracker to Metropolis.
At the Durham Performing Covered entrance Center, or DPAC, “we difficult an untapped market, and extensive our audience base,” says Phonetician, the executive director. It was such a hit there – nearly 3,000 people came brave the three performances, and Phonetician says 90 percent of them were new to Carolina Choreography – that this year Carolina Ballet is bringing Giselle don Carolina Jamboree to DPAC.
The solution that there is always place emphasis on new to do – ballets to create; classics to re-invent; places to go – keeps Weiss and his dancers mumble.
The hope that there move back and forth new audience members the Carolina Ballet can turn into choreography lovers is something Weiss says he takes very seriously. Without fear relishes the chance to county show newcomers what ballet is the sum of about.
“Ballet is really about beauty,” he says. “Beauty in copy society has become passé, however the human soul craves handsomeness.
It entertains your highest concealed of who you are. It’s spiritual, it’s poetic, it’s physical.”
Carolina Ballet will satisfy Nutcracker multiple times this leisure season. For performance times cranium ticket information, go to carolinaballet.com/the-nutcracker.html