Juliet (by Julie, yet)
Years of hard work send the
ballet star of Julie Kent soaringBy Scott Vogel
svogel@starbulletin.comIN a way she's just a girl forced to grow up too fast, a barely teen who'd rather romp with her baby sitter and play with dolls than go to a lavish masquerade ball. But go she does -- she's to be presented to a fellow named Paris, who's already asked her parents for their daughter's hand in marriage. And dance she does -- impressing not only Paris, but another young man who's slipped into the room unawares, a handsome guy who can't take his eyes off her. And in the glances she returns, we learn not only that her feelings are mutual, but that the days of dolls and baby sitters are swiftly coming to an end.
BALLET HAWAII
Julie Kent performs in "Project Ballet Theater" tomorrow.
Still, only in classic dramas (and sumptuous Prokofiev-scored ballets) will the girl take to her balcony late that evening, her thoughts drunk with desire for her Romeo, and then look down and see him. Not just any Romeo, but that Romeo, his hand gracefully leading her into a romantic pas de deux that's 10 minutes of pure balletic heaven.
For Juliet it's a moment worth dying for (as she will shortly do), and for Julie Kent -- a principal dancer with American Ballet Theater who will dance that pas de deux tomorrow evening at the Blaisdell Concert Hall -- it's a role that, thanks to the wonders of celluloid, she'll forever be associated with.
"It's an excerpt from a full-length ballet choreographed by Sir Kenneth McMillan, who was a former associate director of ABT and a very huge name in ballet," said Kent by phone from a restaurant in Bethesda, Md., the town she grew up in. But for ballet movie junkies, the balcony scene is perhaps better known for its inclusion in the 2000 film "Center Stage," in which Kent mesmerizes a covey of young ballerina hopefuls, reducing them to tears and offering a helpful reminder of the glories of their art. The movie, now available on video, is a terrific guilty pleasure (think "Fame" in toe shoes), and one that is certain to inspire a generation of girls (and a few boys?) to flock to the barre.
But back to the restaurant, which happens to sit directly across the street from the Academy of Maryland Youth ballet, where Kent first started dancing at age 7, never knowing that one day she'd become a star of one of the world's most esteemed ballet companies. And now, as she jets around the country and around the world, dreaming of her prince in "Cinderella" and going mad in "Giselle," the sense one gets is this: For a career in the ballet, one needs to be both a dreamer and slightly mad.
"It's a lot of hard work," she said. "That should be known from the start. And if you get a job as a professional dancer, that's just where the work begins. It's a constant everyday commitment to push yourself to be the best you can be every day. When you're young, in your naiveté, you are willing to think, 'Oh well, that won't be a problem.' But going on and pushing a career for any length of time -- it's an enormous amount of commitment and dedication."
Already a member of ABT in 1985, Kent danced for five years in the company's corps de ballet before being appointed a soloist. And it wasn't until a few years later, in 1993, that she was named a principal dancer, joining the glittering top tier of a company that now includes such international stars as Angel Corella, Julio Bocca and Ethan Stiefel. (By the way, Kent is one of ABT's few American-born principal dancers. "It's a huge melting pot," she said, "and pretty reflective of America, I guess.") And reaching the ABT pinnacle only means longer hours in the studio.
"When we're rehearsing, we have class from 10:15 to 11:45, and we have rehearsals starting at 12, and we go until 7. So it's a very, very long day. You don't necessarily get a lunch break."
Then again, Kent knows she's one of the lucky ones. ("To be able to live a life doing something that you love and that you dreamed about is a huge privilege.") She has a certain freedom to explore outside ventures like Project Ballet Theater, a company formed by another principal dancer at ABT, Robert Hill.
"Basically, Project Ballet Theater, from my understanding, is a vehicle for Robert Hill to use as a showcase for his choreography and also to give an opportunity for other dancers to do some repertoire, like the balcony pas de deux, that maybe they wouldn't have a chance to do at American Ballet Theater." In addition to the "Romeo and Juliet," Kent will dance in "Baroque Games Suite," a nonstory ballet choreographed by Hill and with an original score by Dmitry Polischuk. Tomorrow's evening of dance also includes performances by yet another ABT principal, Susan Jaffe.
Kent is married to yet another principal, Victor Barbee, with whom she flew to Kauai years ago ("we loved it"), although she's never visited Honolulu. And that's a bit odd, given how important our fair city is to the Kent family tree.
"When I told my mom I was going to give this interview" -- Kent's first teacher, who still introduces 5-year-olds to the world of dance -- "she said, 'Are you going to tell them that you'll wear the dress I wore on my honeymoon 40 years ago in Honolulu?' And I am. I'm going to wear her little dress with the Honolulu label."
A bit of an homage, perhaps, to the woman behind a life of grit and glory.
Presented by Ballet Hawaii "Project Ballet Theater"
When: 7:30 p.m. tomorrow
Where: Neal Blaisdell Concert Hall, 777 Ward Ave.
Cost: $25 to $55; $18 student rush tickets will be available on the day of performance
Call: 526-4400
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