Interview: Principal Dancer Ian Casady Talks Houston Ballet's Spring Mixed Repertory Program

There are three remaining performances of Houston Ballet's critically acclaimed Spring Mixed Repertory Program, where the company reprises SERENADE, one of George Balanchine's most performed works, along with Sir Kenneth Macmillan's glorious neoclassical ballet GLORIA and the Houston Ballet premiere of Alexander Ekman's self-aware comedic contemporary work CACTI. We talk to company principal dancer Ian Casady ("Gloria" and "Cacti") about the joys he has felt and the challenges he has faced appearing in the program.

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The program starts off with "Serenade," a piece that grabs you lustfully then embraces you wholly. It conveys the beauty of comfort, of togetherness and egalitarianism. When the dancers are perfectly in sync, it is a sight to behold.

"For me, ['Serenade'] is a timeless masterpiece," says Casady. "It perfectly balances emotion and logic and I never get tired of it. There is something goose-bump inducing about the incredible shifting patterns that seamlessly blend and transform before your eyes, framed by the breathtaking opening and closing images, and set to that glorious music [by Peter I. Tchaikovsky]. It's like engineering and poetry combined."

Next is "Gloria." Sir Kenneth MacMillan's one-act balletic elegy for the wounded and lost World War I soldiers is just as grand as "Serenade." (A 50-singer ensemble accompanies Houston Ballet orchestra and conductor Ermanno Florio for Poulenc's choral liturgy "Gloria in G.") But Andy Klunder's scenic design and MacMillan's chosen movements are stark and structural. "The choreography in 'Gloria' can be quite tricky," says Casady. "But when you combine all of the elements--the set, lighting, costumes, subject matter, and sublime music--the difficulty of the steps feels right, in a way. It's very powerful."

Repetiteur Diana Curry talks the joys and challenges of working on "Gloria."

"Gloria" repetiteur Diana Curry talks MacMillan's influences for the somber piece.

"Serenade" and "Gloria" debuted in 1934 and 1983 respectively. "Cacti," however, premiered in 2010. It is very much of its time--self-conscious, irreverent and, above all, adept at taking the piss. The multidisciplinary presentation of "Cacti" skewers the pretensions of dance. For 30 minutes, 16 dancers and a string quartet perform onstage to a voice-over offering sardonic narration. And yet, magically, the contemporary work maintains an endearing cheekiness throughout. "'Cacti' is just so different, and fun," says Casady. "It's sort of tongue-in-cheek and light-hearted, but also very witty and insightful. It's the perfect closing piece."

Audience members agree. "It's hard to hear the audience sometimes, but the laughter and chuckling during "Cacti" [on opening night] was clearly audible," says Casady. At the end of the evening, the unabashedly silly production and the entire program received a standing ovation.

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Remaining performances of Houston Ballet's Spring Mixed Repertory Program are at 7:30 p.m. on June 3 and 4, and 2 p.m. on June 5. Wortham Theater Center, 501 Texas Ave. For information call 713-227-2787 or visit houstonballet.org. Tickets start at $20.

Connor Walsh, left, and Jessica Collado, right, in "Cacti"
Photo courtesy of Houston Ballet

Artists of the Houston Ballet in "Cacti"
Photo courtesy of Houston Ballet

Ian Casady, left, and Sara Webb, right, in "Gloria"
Photo courtesy of Houston Ballet

Artists of Houston Ballet in "Serenade"
Photo courtesy of Houston Ballet