“Casanova” dancers (L-R) Erin Atkinson, Anamarie McGinn, Hazuki Kishida, John Abenanty and Sofia Abenanty. (Photo courtesy Orlando Ballet)
Giacomo Casanova was a womanizer, an intellectual, a priest, a gambler, a violinist and much more.
All of that and more will be brought out in the intense ballet, “Casanova,” coming to the Dr. Phillips Center on May 16-19 to close out the Orlando Ballet’s 2023-24 season.
“We are closing our extraordinary 50th anniversary season with a production that is sinfully rich with the forbidden. Just the mention of Casanova’s name and everyone’s eyebrows automatically rise; you can’t help it,” said Artistic Director Jorden Morris in a press release. “Choreographer Kenneth Tindall has created a visually stunning presentation of Casanova’s life of lust, faith, betrayal and genius. It’s way more fun than should be allowed, which is why we are doing it. And if you thought our dancers were beautiful before, wait until you see them dance in ‘Casanova.’”
Guest conductor Julian Pellicano, music director with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, will lead live musical performances by the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra as they perform music by Kerry Muzzey. Tindall, a former principal dancer with London’s Northern Ballet, is not only the current Choreographer in Residence with the Orlando Ballet but is also the show’s director.
“When you come into the show, you get that essence of what he is,” says Tindall. “The sex was the first attraction but … quite frankly he was also a brilliant mind.”
Set in 18th Century Venice and following the life and essence of Casanova, sex and sexual tension are a huge part of the ballet, says Tindall. However, the ballet focuses on more than just that, to understand fully who Casanova was and how he became such an iconic person.
Tindall adds that in the creation of the ballet, he sat down with Ian Kelly, author of the biography “Casanova” of which this ballet is based, to figure out how best to capture the man and bring that into dance.
“The first stop was really him and understanding how to take 12 volumes of a memoir, which is what Casanova left behind, and turn that into a two-hour biopic, which was a massive undertaking in itself,” says Tindall. “I was trying to find the essence, the flavor, the character of this man and the sort of paths that repeated themselves throughout his life.”
Something that excited Tindall about “Casanova” was that it is different from a traditional ballet.
“I’m quite a man of theater and I’m keen on the show to be a show. And yes, I want to use the ballet language, but when you come to this, I want it to be quite overwhelming on all of your sense,” says Tindall. “For that I wanted to bring people into the ballet world that had never really worked there before, to give it a different flavor.”
In adapting the ballet into something new and different, one of the biggest challenges for Tindall was translating the idea of Casanova and his life into dance.
“That’s always the challenge that we have in dance, like what can you say without words,” says Tindall. “Art, beauty and paid, I think those are some things we can say wonderfully without words. In fact, we can translate that more honest than with words.”
Created by Tindall in the U.K., this sell-out and award-winning production has been one of the hottest ballets playing in Europe and is making its North American debut in Orlando as part of a collaboration between Orlando Ballet, Colorado Ballet and Milwaukee Ballet.
“Kenneth has created a truly unique ballet with sets, costumes and edgy choreography that will spark a few pearl clutching moments for the audience,” said Morris. “Academically and musically gifted while also well-connected to power, Casanova was one big walking scandal through his entire life. There’s no more entertaining way to tell his incredible story than with exquisite dance and music that grabs the soul. We are ending the season in a very big, and, quite frankly, scintillating way.”
The show will include iconic venetian masquerades, period costumes and over the top dramatic sets, all of which are ideal said Morris for Tindall’s big choreography.
“This is the future — making big, expensive, lavish ballets more accessible to the public as a complement to the standard classics already available. Casanova is so well worth the investment,” Morris said. “We have an extraordinary story being told through dance by a tremendously imaginative choreographer, live music conducted by Guest Maestro Julian Pellicano and our own remarkable Orlando Ballet dancers who could not be more excited to perform. Just as our ballet organization has grown, so has our community in its appreciation for bigger and bolder ballet. ‘Casanova’ is all that and more for sure.”
Despite the show’s intensity, Tindall ensures that anyone can come and enjoy the show regardless of their familiarity with ballet.
“I think part of the successes of ‘Casanova’ is understanding accessibility to a story, whether you’re a first-time person to the theater you can sit back, listen to a luxurious score, and watch a spectacle unfold before your eyes and just appreciate that base level,” Tindall says. “That is not to say don’t challenge or dumb it down. I think a lot of it’s also thought provoking. It’s like a good film; it’s what’s not said that becomes the bits you think about.”
“Casanova” will be in Steinmetz Hall at the Dr. Philips Center, located at 445 South Magnolia Avenue, from May 16-19. Tickets can be purchased at DrPhilipsCenter.org.
Orlando Ballet has announced its 2024-25 season which includes “Romeo & Juliet” (Oct. 17-20), “The Nutcracker” (Dec. 6-22), “Peter Pan” (Feb. 20-23, 2025), “Mixed Repertoire: American Classics” (March 27-30, 2025) and “Giselle” (May 1-4, 2025). Season subscriptions are now available at OrlandoBallet.org.
