A Tricky Interface: Professional vs. Amateur Theater



Deborah McMillion-Nering sent this wonderful picture from back in the day.

It's around Halloween, 1988, and we are at Sak's 5th Avenue (I believe at the Biltmore Fashion Park, in NE Phoenix, AZ.) Ballet Arizona, under the direction of Jean Paul Comelin, is doing a promotional event for Ballet Arizona's upcoming "Nutcracker." I am at far left, and James Bucanek is at far right. Adjacent to the mouse is Andrea Blankstein: Jennifer Lofgren is regal in her snow costume, and Molly (?) is decked out in flowers.

Unlike many ballet choreographers, and to his great credit, Jean Paul Comelin encouraged interaction between amateur and professional dancers. That interaction is of great educational value for up-and-coming dancers, and as a side benefit, allowed Jean Paul to fill his stage with numerous people in a lavish spectacle.

Nevertheless, it's a tricky place, that twilight netherworld between the amateur and professional spheres. For me, the interaction was disastrous. In first rehearsal of the Soldier/Mice battle, Jean Paul ordered the soldiers to rapidly hustle on-stage from the wings, crawling quickly on elbows and knees. I attacked the stage so hard with my flesh that the skin on my elbows and knees ripped into shreds, covering the stage in blood. To my great regret, since there was no time to heal, I had to leave the production immediately.


Andrea Blankstein has gone on to greater things, however.

ANDREA BLANKSTEIN (Dancer) was born in Boras, Sweden. Ms. Blankstein began her ballet training with Mary Moe Adams at Adams Ballet Academy in Tempe, Arizona. At the age of sixteen Ms. Blankstein was awarded the Bartholin Prize at the Bartholin International Ballet Seminar in Copenhagen, Denmark. Upon the invitation of Peter Schaufuss she joined the Deutsche Oper Berlin in Germany where she danced a wide range of ballets and roles including a pas de trois created for her by Bill T. Jones and Candide in Sleeping Beauty by Peter Schaufuss. Ms. Blankstein joined the Cleveland San Jose Ballet upon her return to the United States, later joining Ballet Arizona, and has recently performed as a guest artist with the Milwaukee Ballet Company. Ms. Blankstein regularly teaches at Adams Ballet Academy and the Jordan Center for the Arts.

And James Bucanek still inhabits the twilight netherworld, teaching at times at Mary Moe Adam's Ballet Academy in Mesa, AZ, but given the less-welcoming attitude of management at Ballet Arizona (under the direction of Ib Anderson) towards amateur dancers, James is no longer involved with Ballet Arizona productions. But there are always creative outlets, no matter what: James just authored a computer textbook entitled "Beginning Xcode", which will be available soon at Amazon.com, among other places.