Savhannah Carpenter

February 20th 2016

Second Written Analysis
FA1090
Ballet Wests Bittersweet Romeo and Juliet
For my second written analysis, I attended Ballet Wests production of Romeo & Juliet on
Valentines Day, February 14th 2016. This was a great artistic experience as I attended the
production right before our classroom unit focusing on dance and the artistic elements that
comprise it. It also worked out perfectly as a memorable and unique Valentines Day activity.
This striking and spectacular performance was put on at the Janet Quinney Lawson Capitol
Theatre located in Salt Lake City, Utah. It was an early matinee performance, beginning at 2:00
p.m. As someone who spent over 12 years training in classical ballet, I found this to be a
captivating experience that I would love to repeat again.
This particular adaptation of Romeo and Juliet was choreographed by John Cranko. It
features bold and memorable music set in mostly minor tones, all composed by Sergei Prokofiev.
The role of Juliet Capulet was portrayed by Principal Dancer Beckanne Sisk and Romeo
Montague was protrayed by Principal Dancer Chase OConnell. The two were backed by
Christopher Ruud, Rex Tilton, Adrian Fry, and Emily Adams as the essential roles of Mercutio.
Tybalt, Paris, and Lady Capulet.
Romeo and Juliet is the tale of two star-crossed lovers as William Shakespeare
originally wrote, long before the balletic adaptation of the piece. Juliet, a Capulet, and Romeo, a
Montague, are two teens born into rival families. This familial rivalry is not enough, however, to
keep the two lovebirds apart after a dramatic ballroom boy meets girl scenario. An overall

bittersweet and sad story, the ballet is concluded with the double suicide of both Romeo and
Juliet. This adaptation of Romeo and Juliet was unique from most adaptations, in that Cranko
chose to cut the final scene of the story where the Capulets and Montagues find the bodies of
their deceased offspring. This gave the piece a different overall feeling, in that the closure it
provided was less extensive than would be normally so.
The costumes the dancers all wore seemed to be fairly consistent with the time period
being portrayed in the piece. Bold, rich reds and bright, eye catching golds were popular amongst
both the casts costumes and the setting of the stage being performed upon. The backdrops and
props were all very elaborate, Renaissance themed pieces that made a bold statement and set the
scene with an unquestionable time period and geographical region.
The music, though fast and loud during sword fight scenes, was generally in minor tones
that gave off a solemn and dreary feeling. This paired perfectly with the dark tones used on stage
and the emotional dances put together by the choreographer. Dramatic would be the prevalent
word used to describe the setting and the musical choices. The music had a good balance
between faster paced and slower paced tempos, keeping each scene that unfolded fresh and
interesting for the audience to sit back and enjoy.
The energy of the stage varied from dance to dance, with emotions ranging from angry to
sad to dreamy and light. The dances that felt upset or angry were performed by male members of
the cast, during sword fights and dance battles. Dances featuring female dancers tended to be
either sweeter and happier or sad and dreary. Any happy moments throughout the performance
were short lived, being cut into by sad or high tension scenes. This gave the overall performance
a dark and gloomy overtone.

The character of Juliet, played by Beckanne Sisk, was a very specific and prominent
character throughout the performance, as would be assumed by the title of the piece. Juliets
dances were all very light in choreography, with lots of effortless looking leaps and turns that
twirled across the stage seamlessly. The dancer portraying Juliet was very light on her feet and
made all the movements look incredibly dainty. This dancer stood out from the others as she was
incredibly graceful, seeming to be light as a feather. Juliet was dressed in a fairly simple off
white/ peach toned dress, that gave her a very feminine and understated look. The music her
character generally danced to throughout the performance was light and airy in tone. The
costuming, musical choices, and choreography of Juliets character all worked together quite
nicely to portray a sweet, gentle, and feminine young girl.
The character of Romeo Montague, played by Chase O'Connell, was much more
masculine and bold than that of his female counterpart, Juliet Capulet. His costuming was,
however, similar to that of Juliets in that is was all very monotoned, mostly of a creamy off
white color scale. His movements were sharper, in contrast to her softer movements. His music
was a bit more robust, with faster tempos and less airy instruments utilized. Romeo as a character
is obviously much more masculine than the character of Juliet, and I thought Ballet West did a
great job of portraying that though the movements, music and costuming selected for this
character.
Overall, I think Ballet West did a remarkable job of portraying the balance between
Romeo and his star crossed lover, Juliet in this Valentines Day performance of Shakespeares
Romeo & Juliet. This was an emotional masterpiece made memorable by its rich settings, bold
costuming, variable tempos, and elaborate choreography. I would definately reccomend this
piece to anyone looking to be fully immersed in a beautiful, bittersweet and classical story.