Monday, 7/7/97 Golden oldies Dennis Nahat of the Cleveland San
Jose Ballet explains why Elvis Presley’s songs are the ideal
backdrop for a truly American ballet.
By Cheryl Klein Daily Bruin Senior Staff When Elvis Presley
first shook his infamous pelvis on "The Ed Sullivan Show" in 1956,
he horrified parents everywhere, made star-struck teenagers swoon
and gave the nation a new way to dance. So what would he do if he
knew that the Cleveland San Jose Ballet will be performing – on
pointe – to his music at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion beginning
Tuesday? Roll over in his grave? Maybe. Or perhaps the King would
offer artistic director and choreographer Dennis Nahat a hearty
"Thank ya very much." Because what Elvis did for rock ‘n’ roll,
Nahat and company are attempting to do for the somewhat static
world of traditional ballet in "Blue Suede Shoes." "A lot of the
ballet in America is based on Russian Imperial and French dancing
traditions," Nahat laments. "The attraction of ‘Blue Suede Shoes’
is that it’s an American topic, a largely American cast, creators,
music, everything." Everything is right. Though an Elvis fan since
childhood, Nahat strives to turn what is potentially no more than a
dance down memory lane into a metaphor for the American dream. "The
ballet is not about Elvis – you never see him on stage," Nahat
says. "It’s about what he symbolized, which is having dreams come
true; growing up, going to high school … taking your life into
your own hands." The ballet follows three rather archetypal buddies
– a jock, a nerd and a kid from the wrong side of the tracks – from
high school on. The young men have little in common and life’s
trials repeatedly draw them apart. But their matching blue suede
shoes remind them of their shared past and the ballet culminates in
a "Gold Finale" that leaves everyone happy, dancing, reunited.
"Dance is at its best when it’s positive," Nahat says. "Because
dance is about energy and movement." Nahat worries, in fact, about
people who shy away from the ballet because of its artsy
reputation. A veteran Broadway choreographer, Nahat brings the
characterization and easy-going fun of musical theater to his more
than 70 ballets. But the influence goes both ways. "If you look at
any of the big names in musical theater – Jerome Robbins, Agnes de
Mille – they’re all major choreographers who happen to also make
movies or produce plays. The choreography is what makes those
productions a hit," Nahat observes. Nevertheless, "A lot of times
audiences haven’t seen the stand-alone art of the individuals who
create theater." Hence, "Blue Suede Shoes." Nahat stresses that art
is meant to be entertaining, and Bob Mackie’s 280 costumes and 17
sets seem to reiterate this. The three main characters twist and
shimmy in various shiny combinations of stripes and checks, while
the female jailer in the "Jailhouse Rock" number sports a
dominatrix-esque ensemble, complete with thigh-high black vinyl toe
shoes. "It’s like a Broadway show and … well, it isn’t like a Las
Vegas show, but it is very produced," Mackie told Scene Magazine.
Mackie reached into his own imagination as well as the pages of
American history to craft the borderline-surreal sets. "It’s like
when I was in school and reading about the turn-of-the-century.
Everything seemed so colorful and different," the designer told
Scene. "I took designs of ’50s cars and made my own fantasy
designs." Nahat sings Mackie’s praises, but asserts that the heart
of the ballet is the dance itself. "Even if he didn’t design the
costumes, the ballet would still be what it is," Nahat says. Proof
of this came during the first four or five performances of "Blue
Suede Shoes." The costumes were trickling in a few hats and boots
at a time. "I said, ‘Well, we’ll wear the hats and boots and black
leotards.’ I told the dancers, ‘No matter what you were wearing,
you’d want to go out and dance your heads off anyway,’" Nahat
recalls. "Slowly the costumes came, but by then the dancers already
knew who their characters were." The 48-member Cleveland San Jose
Ballet includes dancers from as far away as England and Vietnam and
the female lead is a native of Cuba. But conveniently, Nahat says,
the obsession with Elvis is worldwide. And more importantly, the
professionals caught on to the trademark American steps quickly. "A
lot of them came into it not knowing what the twist was. But
they’re well-trained dancers and therein lies the secret. They’re
artists," Nahat says. Soon they were jitterbugging on pointe. "You
couldn’t just bring a bunch of Broadway gypsies up on stage and
expect them to capture these moves." "They bring dreams from their
countries, because the dreams are all the same," Nahat continues.
He returns to metaphor to make his point. Recounting one of the
ballet’s glitziest, if not most poignant, moments, he describes
gold-clad dancers throwing gold records across the stage. "It’s all
about gold – ‘go west, young man’ and all that. People came to
California to find gold." Nahat says. "Elvis was the epitome of
that entire way of thinking." Such dreams got a would-be truck
driver from the South an unofficial position of royalty, and
they’ve certainly helped Nahat keep his company on the cutting
edge. Their repertoire includes everything from tap to ballroom,
turn-of-the-century to 1970’s rock ballets. "Blue Suede Shoes,"
Nahat says, "came to me when I was daydreaming – worrying about the
company’s repertoire and program and casting. I thought we should
be doing things that relate to our culture." "Blue Suede Shoes"
does. And it just may be the daydream that struck gold. DANCE:
"Blue Suede Shoes" runs from July 8-13 at the Dorothy Chandler
Pavilion. Tickets range from $15 to $60. For more information, call
(213)972-7211. Or call Ticketmaster at (213)365-3500. (left) (l-r)
Ramon Thielen, Raymond Rodriguez and Matthew Gasper dance with
their "Blue Suede Shoes." (below) Karen Gabay dances to "Tutti
Frutti" at the Hot Dog Drive-In. Cleveland San Jose Ballet
Cleveland San Jose Ballet (l-r) Ana Lobe and Raymond Rodriguez
dance to "Teddy Bear" in "Blue Suede Shoes." Related Link SCENE
Magazine, story on the production