Tallahassee Ballet's valentine to dance lovers is 'Intimate'

The other day, I spoke with Sarah Krazit, the new Artistic Manager for the Tallahassee Ballet, about her career. She told me that she had taken dance lessons for years as a child and teenager.

"Directly after high school, I applied and was hired for a position with Ballet Magnificat in Jackson, Mississippi. I danced with them for six years," Krazit said. During her time in Mississippi, she met her future husband, who's from Tallahassee. Soon after, Krazit joined the Sarasota Ballet School for six years and noted, "My time with both companies developed into me dancing professionally and becoming a Principal dancer for each of them."

The Mississippi and Sarasota positions gave Krazit great experience and preparation for her new position as Artistic Manager for Tallahassee Ballet. "My main task is to assist the Artistic Director. It's a wide-ranging position that involves making sure that all the details, including the technical aspects, the dance technique, and [the] choreography, all match the vision of each performance. Taken together, it's these details that make for a professional dance experience for the audience as well as for the dancers."

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'A new kind of dance'

When I asked Krazit what she was currently working on, she smiled and told me about an extraordinary upcoming project — "Tallahassee is getting a very special Valentine this February!"

On the weekend before Valentine's Day, the Tallahassee Ballet is presenting the premiere of a new ballet, "Intimate."

The "multi-part dance is created just for Tallahassee Ballet's professional company by our own group of nationally esteemed choreographers. I'm really thrilled to be a part of this exceptional project," Krazit said.

She noted that "Intimate" is not only a new dance; it's a new kind of dance. "Unlike the 'story' dances, such as "Sleeping Beauty" or "The Nutcracker," that Tallahassee Ballet performs at FSU's Ruby Diamond Auditorium and Opperman Music Hall, the audience for "Intimate" will not be sitting in an auditorium, and the dancers will not be on a stage.

Bringing the audience closer

Instead, the various parts of "Intimate" will be presented at the Tallahassee Ballet facility in two of our large practice studios, with the audience seated around the edge of the space and the dancers performing just a few feet from them. Using our dance facility as a performance venue in this way is a very exciting first for us."

When asked how this would work for multiple performances, Krazit shared that the two large practice studios will be transformed into performance spaces by draping mirrors and installing special lighting. After each set of dances, the audience will move between the two studios, with plenty of time to socialize, enjoy the fine food and beverages available, and view a fabulous display of colorful tutus and artwork.

"Intimate is a new concept for us that highlights the high level of skill and a very fine range of talent in our professional dance company," Krazit said. "Featured will be solos, duets, and several pieces for multiple dancers in a variety of styles, including classical ballet, jazz, and contemporary. Almost all of the dances will be performed to a variety of live music. There will also be live musical interludes in between sets, adding an additional spark of magic to the evening."

Members contribute choreography

In addition to her duties as Artistic Manager for this project, Krazit has choreographed a solo lyrical ballet accompanied by cello and piano.

Other dances created by Tallahassee Ballet company members for this beautiful program include Holly Borelli's Jazz Quartet, "Out On the Town," with live music by the Oscar Pettiford Modern Quintet; Jasmine Burelsmith's contemporary piece for eight dancers, with spoken word and piano; Eleanor Stewart's neoclassical dance for 10 dancers, music by Billy Joel, sung by Vonzel DeSean; Meagan Helman's solo dance, accompanied by piano music; Hope Eltomi's contemporary partnering duet, accompanied by a Bach suite for cello; Mackenzie "Z" Payne's contemporary ballet for 10 dancers, "Sailing the Solar Flares," with music of the same title by Dirtwire; Christopher Miller and Carri Britt's partnering duet, "Pulling Back the Curtain," Christopher Huggins's partnering duet and "Ave Maria," with music by live singer and guitar.

Holly Borelli also choreographed the spectacular finale, a jive that includes the entire group of dancers, accompanied by Barry Manilow's "Bandstand Boogie."

I noted that this sounded fantastic, unlike any dance performance I'd attended.

"Our goal with this project is to give our audience an up-close look at what we do and how we do it,"Krazit said. "It's also a wonderful opportunity for our audience to sample a variety of dance styles by highly skilled professional dancers in what might even become an annual event for Tallahassee Ballet and for Tallahassee!"

If you go

What: "Intimate," An Immersive Arts Performance Experience

Where: Tallahassee Ballet Studios, 2910 Kerry Forest Pkwy.

When: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 9, and Saturday, Feb. 10; 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 11

Cost: Tickets $75 | limited availability for each performance; visit tallahasseeballet.org/intimate

Contact: 850-224-6917 ext. 21 | 10 a.m.-4 p.m.  

Cynthia Hollis is a guest feature writer for the Council on Culture & Arts.  COCA is the capital area's umbrella agency for arts and culture. (tallahasseearts.org)

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Tallahassee Ballet presents 'Intimate' valentine to dance lovers