Timeless Magic
Release Date: August 07, 2008
The News & Advance –
By Casey Gillis
Timeless Magic - VSA artistic director challenges a new generation of dancers with classic ballet
Adam Sage knows “The Nutcracker.” The one – time professional dancer, now artistic director at
Since September, he’s been working on VSA and E.C. Glass’ annual collaboration. “It’s been a nice challenge to find a way to challenge them but not to the point that they’ll be intimidated,” Sage says. “I’m always impressed by the way young people rise to the challenge.” When choreographing the production, Sage says he drew on all of his past experiences to make it fresh, while still retaining the elements that make it such a classic. “For me, “The Nutcracker” needs to be magical. It’s really a children’s story,” he says. “You want children and adults alike to be… transported.”
Sage, a
Sage says ballet has a universal language, but it can also be infused with new elements – a concept that has been influenced by all his traveling. “Probably more than anything, it has given me a broad sort of picture of all the different ways things can be done,” he says. “Everyone is always looking for new and different ways to do things.”
“That’s the beauty of what we do in the theater,” he adds. “You can still celebrate the traditional ballet, as well as do the new contemporary cutting – edge stuff. It’s always good to honor the traditions of ballet, (while you) push the boundaries. VSA has been pushing the boundaries for quite some time with frequent collaborations, like “The Nutcracker” which they’ve been performing with E.C. Glass for years.
And this fall, they collaborated with Opera in the James on a production of “Romeo & Juliet.” “It was a very pleasant experience,” says Craig Fields, Opera on the James artistic director. “Not only is he creative and professional, but he’s a very calm and supportive colleague. We never had one moment of friction. It was a super experience working with him.” Fields says he could tell Sage had the respect of his students. “They’re tuned into what he says, and he gives them the same respect back,” Fields says.
Sage says he’s got a great group of students at VSA. “They all work so hard, and they are all so dedicated,” he says. “It’s a tough field. It’s really competitive, and you have to really want to do this more than anything else.” “It’s not just a hobby. A lot of people think of it in that sense, and it’s just not.”
Even at a young age, Sage says he knew he eventually wanted to be a teacher. “I like to watch. It was always fascinating to me to see what somebody was doing wrong and how it could be fixed,” he says. “I get such satisfaction from helping the dancer unlock whatever sort of secrets they can use to make it work.”
“It’s about them. I had my turn. I think that’s the most wonderful part about dance – it’s passed from person to person.