He heard a vision, saw opportunity

Little-known aria is impetus for N.C. Dance Theatre performer's first venture into choreography

STEVEN BROWN
sbrown@charlotteobserver.com

MARTY PRICE/Special to the Observer
Rebecca Carmazzi and Sasha Janes perform his
interpretation of “Lascia la spina, cogli la rosa.”

Sasha Janes had hardly thought about creating choreography. Ever since his boyhood dance classes in Australia, he had focused on performing it.

Then his boss at N.C. Dance Theatre made a proposal. Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux suggested that Janes, who joined NCDT in 2003, try choreographing a pas de deux. Janes' frequent dance partner, Rebecca Carmazzi, could perform it with him at the company's summer home -- the Chautauqua Institution in upstate New York.

"I couldn't not grab the opportunity," Janes said this week.

When the premiere arrived, Bonnefoux liked what he saw. So Janes and Carmazzi will reprise the duo in NCDT's annual "Innovative Works" program, which opens Thursday.

Janes found his starting point when a Chautauqua voice teacher played him a recording by the Italian singer Cecilia Bartoli. Bartoli performed a little-known aria by George Frideric Handel: "Lascia la spina, cogli la rosa" -- "Leave the thorn, pluck the rose." It's a lyrical meditation on how quickly life passes.

"It's an incredibly beautiful piece of music," Janes said. "It sounds like a cliche, but when I heard it, it just spoke to me. I could see the ballet almost straight away."

He worked the piece out with Carmazzi in about a week and a half during one of NCDT's hiatus periods last year, he said. Since then, he has created three more works, also unveiled at Chautauqua.

Janes, who came to NCDT after dancing at the Hong Kong Ballet and Dayton (Ohio) Ballet, is branching out these days. Dancing is still No. 1. As of this season, he's also NCDT's rehearsal director, scheduling which dancers are working on what piece when -- a daily jigsaw puzzle -- and assisting choreographers during rehearsal.

And thanks to that offer from Bonnefoux, he may have yet another role to play in his future.

"Now I've got ideas for a few more ballets," Janes said. "So we'll see what happens."

Also on the bill in "Innovative Works":

• Nacho Duato's "Na Floresta," the Spanish choreographer's homage to the South American rainforest. First performed last season.

• "The Neighbors," a new work by former NCDT dancer Uri Sands. Drawing on news events and songs by Tom Waits, Sands explores "the dark nature of family dysfunction."

• Two duets by Dwight Rhoden, NCDT's resident choreographer. "Ave Maria," NCDT says, is a "look at faith, devotion and love in a religious context." Rhoden's "Choke" deals with rivalry and competition.

• "Endless Now," a new work by Mark Diamond, director of the training troupe NCDT 2. Diamond has attached to it a few lines of his own poetry:

"I am desperate to be with you in the Now.

"The passing of Time tries to tear us apart.

"Time teaches us and humbles us.

"The threat of an End can only bring us closer.

"Forever."

INNOVATIVE WORKS

The annual showcase is one of NCDT's most popular programs.

WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Nov. 8; 8 p.m. Nov. 2, 3, 9 and 10.

WHERE: Booth Playhouse, Blumenthal Performing Arts Center, 130 N. Tryon St.

TICKETS: $27-$69.

DETAILS: 704-372-1000; www.ncdance.org.