Star-crossed lovers, sword fighting, and a masquerade ball. Is this the plot of the latest action film? 

No! This is the plot of the ballet Romeo & Juliet, which Fort Wayne Ballet will be bringing to the Arts United stage April 19-21. 

Choreographed combat

“The ballet is exciting for a lot of reasons,” Artistic Director Karen Gibbons-Brown said. “It’s a beautiful ballet, but one of the things that is really fun about it is the action that takes place on stage. There is a lot of sword fighting and there are a lot of strong male roles.”

While many ballets highlight female dancers in lead roles, Romeo & Juliet provides an opportunity for the men of FWB to display their skills with virtuosic choreography.

“It’s fun to see the men in the company get to be highlighted in a different way than they usually are in classical ballets,” Gibbons-Brown said. 

She also explained the combats are something the men really enjoy. These types of scenes require a different kind of preparation than is typical for a ballet performance. 

“We bring in a combat coach to help construct the fight scenes,” Gibbons-Brown said. “It’s important for the safety of the dancers. There are some basic rules that they have to learn, and then the choreography is layered on top of that.” 

Incorporating legitimate combat training and technique into the preparation for this show adds a layer of complexity to the choreographic process. 

“We have our dancers start with the basic sword-fighting technique, and then we consider how to build that into the choreography,” Gibbons-Brown said. “For example, if a dancer needs to be at a certain place on stage by a specific time in the music, then we have to figure out how to get them there during the sword fight. The combat choreography starts to become just as important to the ballet as the regular dance choreography.”

Iconic Scenes

William Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet is timeless, but the ballet has developed a reputation that stands on its own, including many iconic scenes. 

One such scene is the masquerade ball where Romeo and Juliet meet. When the curtain opens to reveal the ensemble of dancers in their elaborate, royal costumes, and the grand music fills the theater, the audience inside Arts United Center is sure to have their breath taken away. 

“It’s such a grand section of the score and to have that many people moving in unison is quite impressive,” Gibbons-Brown said. “The music really tells the story all by itself. We as the dancers are just trying to visualize the story for people.” 

With the music being such an integral part of this ballet, it will be a special privilege to have it performed live. FWB will be joined by the Fort Wayne Philharmonic for the Friday and Saturday performances. 

“There are certain places where the music really carries the choreography and other places where the choreography carries the music,” Gibbons-Brown said.

This union of the two groups may lead audience members to recall their 2022 collaboration where FWB dancers performed an excerpt from Romeo & Juliet on stage during a Philharmonic show. 

“That performance was a very contemporary version of Romeo & Juliet,” Gibbons-Brown said. “It was a bit different than the traditional choreography. David Ingram did that choreography. 

“This performance of Romeo & Juliet won’t resemble this excerpt much. It will be much more in line with the traditional choreography.” 

Of course, there is also the balcony scene where Romeo and Juliet profess their love for one another. While this scene is a touching demonstration of the two dancers’ ability to convey such tender emotion, it is also a great display of set design. 

Gibbons-Brown said Romeo & Juliet is one of the largest sets FWB works with aside from The Nutcracker. 

“We use somewhat of a stationary set,” Gibbons-Brown said. “The balcony, for instance, is an add-on to the base set that’s there. We don’t get to use the set until we get in the theater for tech week, so that’s the first time the dancers are really able to get used to working with the set pieces.”

Making This Version Their Own

Just as many versions of iconic ballets like The Nutcracker and Swan Lake exist, the choreography for Romeo & Juliet has evolved with each rendition. 

“There are so many lovely versions of this ballet out there, and I think the version we will perform is an amalgamation of many existing versions,” Gibbons-Brown said. “We aren’t changing the story. We are using it as a baseline and building upon it with some of our own choreography.” 

Robert LaFosse, Lisa Sundstrom, and Gibbons-Brown herself will be responsible for the majority of the choreography. 

Each will be bringing their personal experience to the table as they have all performed this ballet at some point in their professional careers. 

“We are absolutely using our experiences to inform our choreographic choices, but we as a team have tried to hone in on some of the places that we can expand the choreography and make it for our dancer,” Gibbons-Brown said. “It’s a great way to grow your artistry, to have something that is catered to you and your skill.”

In addition to the Friday and Saturday performances with the Philharmonic, there will be a sensory-friendly show without the live music Sunday, April 21. 

The sensory-friendly show, as a gift from the AWS Foundation, will be free for those attending. If you have a ballet fan with special sensory needs, send an email to ttritz@fortwayneballet.org for details.