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Guiding lights: ballet masters from ABT, PNB, The Joffery, and Kansas City Ballet talk frankly about the challenges of having the repertoire and the dancers under their wing.

Article Excerpt
Ballet masters are the backbone of the ballet world, but they don't get much credit for the grinding work they do. They schedule and direct rehearsals, teach company class, coach dancers, stage and reconstruct ballets, help with casting, nurture dancers, supervise photo shoots, and hold choreographers' hands. From the most experienced to the least, they possess acute musicality, phenomenal memories, a sharp eye for detail as well as the big picture, the organizational skills of the mother of seven children, calm dispositions, and the patience of Job.

Susan Jones of American Ballet Theatre, Mark Goldweber of the Joffrey Ballet, James Jordan of Kansas City Ballet, and Paul Gibson of Pacific Northwest Ballet have on-the-job experience ranging from nearly 30 years to three months and, depending on the requirements of their companies, perform some or all of the functions above. DM talked with each of them about their jobs, experience, and how they function in their companies.

During an open rehearsal of Don Quixote at the Metropolitan Opera House last June, Jones, who is principally in charge of ABT's corps de ballet, spoke quietly from the orchestra, asking two of the corps dancers to "move just a little closer together." Seconds later she was onstage, gently moving them...

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