The other ballet which I have been touring with
Ballet Cymru this season is Romeo and Juliet. In this ballet I am
dancing the role of Lady Capulet. In this version Lady Capulet is a
complex figure. She is a dominating woman who wants her daughter to
be married to Paris, Juliet's suitor. She herself has been unhappily
married to a man she does not love, Lord Capulet. She is actually
having an affair with Tybalt and at his death scene she shows how
passionately she loved him through her total devastation. She begins
the ballet with power and authority. This gradually turns to anger
towards her daughter as Juliet becomes more and more insistent that
she does not want to marry Paris. Eventually,seeing how upset her
daughter is, she is overcome by a profound feeling of guilt, she
realises that she does not want her daughter to live a life in a
marriage to a man she does not love as she has done. She reaches out
to help her daughter but she does not know how. She has always relied
upon the nurse to care for her. It is at this point that she realises
her inadequacies as a mother.
When she enters the room and finds Juliet dead on
her bed, she blames herself for everything and takes responsibility
for her death. She will never forgive herself for what happened.
This role has been extremely challenging for me,
it is a very powerful role and takes an exceptional degree of
maturity. I am only two years older than the dancer dancing Juliet so
I have to really work to achieve that level of maturity. The style of
choreography is also quite sharp and angular which is not my natural
movement quality.
I absolutely love this role though, the
characterisation and feeling that it requires inspires me every time
I perform it. Prokofiev's score is what helps me most to absorb
myself in the role as its power and depth encourages emotional
investment.
Here are some words which I find useful to think
about when I am developing my character:
Regal
Powerful
sinister
Proud
complicated
sad
unhappy
commanding
dominating
cold
frightening
Lady Capulet is a woman who is stuck within a
society of arranged marriages and the restrictions of social class,
yet beneath it all she ultimately wants the best for her daughter.
I have created this collage in order to make sense
of my character creatively.
Photographs
Top and bottom by Sian Trenberth
Middle by Lydia Arnoux
Brilliant - a lot here about the acting with the dance performance! Like your visual preparation - worth maybe in your final portfolio expanding on this in your appendices - how each image helped you develop an understanding of the character - it demonstrates your artistic process - were mood boards important in your training? Have you studies other portrayals - or did you want or listen/hear/move with the direction and company without too much distraction?
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Thanks Paula! Yes I will definitely expand on this and include it in the appendix of my essay.
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