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CALIFORNIA BALLET’S THE GREAT GATSBY! ON POINTE WITH TRYSTAN MERRICK
by lisa lipsey It was an English class discussion of F. Scott Fitzgerald’sThe Great Gatsby
(1925) that forever made me rethink all things extravagant. I was sure I wanted to be the observant Nick Caraway, who can spot when souls are empty, despite wallets being full. I wanted to always be authentic and see value in everyday people, to have a modest “American Dream.” But, I’ll admit, I still love the flashy Jazz Age and the nostalgic view of the Roaring Twenties: The music, the dancing, the sparkle, the champagne. It is always a treat to see a classic reimagined into another art form. No doubt the California Ballet has brought full heart and soul to their adaptation of Fitzgerald’s thought-provoking tale. The show is back by popular demand. It first appeared in San Diego in 2015. Locals loved the fiery and sexy dance numbers. The 2015 production starred Jared Nelson, who originated the role of Jay Gatsby. Nelson was appointed to the position of Associate Artistic Director for California Ballet in 2016. He will be the one to restage it again for this year’s April presentation. Washington Ballet Choreographer Septime Webre initially developed the visionary choreography that fuses contemporary ballet, jazz and tap with nar- rative and a live jazz band. Webre’sThe Great Gatsby ballet first premiered in Washington D.C. with the Washington Ballet Company in 2010. The Kennedy Center premiere received critical acclaim and popular success, soliciting an encore production the very next year. One of the most exciting aspects is the ballet’s score with original works by composer, arranger, musicologist and early 20th century music expert Billy Novick. For the San Diego production, Novick is coming to town with his Boston-based jazz band, The Blue Syncopators. A ballet company tasked with interpreting Gatsby requires a diverse mix of
The company is
ballet-based, but we are expanding into codified
steps from modern dance. We are speaking with a broader vocabulary.”
as Myrtle Wilson, Trystan Merrick as Tom Buchanan and Jeremy Zapanta as Nick Caraway. Lead dancer Trystan Merrick, studied ballet under the tutelage of Ahita Arda- lan. He has performed in the works of such great choreographers as Twyla Tharp, Robert Cohen, and George Balanchine, as well as many of the classics. He joined California Ballet as a principal in 2014 and previously appeared with such companies as the Nevada Ballet, Malashock, Owen Cox Dance, Concept Zero, and Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo. He regularly appears with Jean Isaacs San Diego Dance Theatre and is an instructor at the California Ballet School. Last year he ventured out on an international tour with
Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, the revered all-male travesti troupe that has men dance on their toes.
“I am tall, and I wear the largest standard size that Bloch makes,” Merrick says. “I had to build strength and change my technique, because you’re on a smaller point, you have to stack your bones. The shoes are slippery. With the ‘Trocks,’ I had to
lift bigger guys, because I was tall, but I love dancing with a partner, male or female.” Upon his return to San Diego, he danced the Spanish and Arabian sections
of City Ballet’s Nutcracker, “I’d love to be Mother Ginger someday. Lots of companies have drag queen mothers, but nobody has asked me to do that yet.” Merrick also dabbled in the choreographer role and joined with Nelson on the San Diego Ballet’s newer concept, ‘Beer and Ballet’ which enters its third innovative year in 2018. There is a lot going on at the California Ballet. In the new year, they welcomed their new Executive Director, Michael Currey. Merrick says, “The company is ballet-based, but we are expanding into codified steps from modern dance. We are speaking with a broader vocabulary.”
classic and contemporary dance. Imagine the rigorous Charleston, for instance, danced en pointe, or a romantic pas de deux that exemplifies the smoldering sexuality of the Jazz Age. Appearing on the Civic Stage in lead roles are Zachary Guthier as Jay Gatsby, Reka Gyulai as Daisy Buchanan, Ana da Costa
The California Ballet’sThe Great GatsbyrunsFriday, April 6 through Sunday, April 8 at the San Diego Civic Theatre. For tickets and more information call 619.570.1100 or go
tocaliforniaballet.org.
MARCH 2018 | RAGE monthly
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