Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, who is a versatile and much sought-after choreographer, excels in creating full-length narrative ballets.
Last spring, she created a reimagined version of Carmen for the talented dancers of Miami City Ballet that was set to a new arrangement of Georges Bizet’s score in addition to new music with a distinct Latin flavor by Juan Pablo Acosta.
Unfortunately, the new ballet was not performed in Palm Beach County as part of last year’s MCB spring season. But this year, Palm Beach ballet lovers will have an opportunity to experience this famous tale, which has captivated the opera and ballet worlds for more than 150 years. Lopez Ochoa’s Carmen will be presented at the Kravis Center on Saturday, April 4, and Sunday, April 5.
But mind you, Lopez Ochoa’s version takes on quite a novel and contemporary twist.
Miami City Ballet principal dancer Steven Loch, who last season danced the role of Zuniga, the captain of the dragoons, and this year will dance the role of Fate, discussed his experiences of working with this prolific choreographer during the ballet’s creation as well as when assuming his new role, which is of equal importance but very different. Both roles dramatically influence the storyline.
Loch, who joined Miami City Ballet as a principal in 2021 after dancing with Pacific Northwest Ballet for 10 years, seemed destined to become a dancer. “It just was natural, because my mom’s a dance teacher, and I was dancing around the house before I even made a conscious choice about ‘I like this,’” he said. “It just was who I was.”
Tall, lean and handsome with a flair for acting, Loch was a natural for Lopez Ochoa to choose for the role of the authoritative Zuniga, who has an obsession for Carmen. “Working with someone who’s creating something for you — and on you — is something that I really love and cherish, because I can be involved in the process … Especially in this stage in my career where I feel very within my body and very established, and I know myself as an artist and as a dancer.”
During the creative process, Lopez Ochoa came several times to Miami to work intensively with the company. Her vision for the story of Carmen was something new, and she took time to work closely with the dancers to reimagine the characters. Using the story of Molly Bloom — the “Poker Princess” who famously ran underground illicit poker games in the early 2000s — the ballet still leans on Prosper Merimée’s timeless original tale of passion, jealousy and fate, but through a more contemporary perspective of a woman who is unapologetic as she struggles to maintain her independence in a world that wants to control her.
Loch spoke about the communication and collaborative elements of working in the studio with Lopez Ochoa.
“She gave me kind of a structure, a foundation of what the character was. And from there, I found where I wanted to go with it. And then, she would give me feedback on what was working, what wasn’t working,” Loch said. “That’s something I really love, and that’s what made it unique, because it wasn’t just the dancing that was new, it was also the story and this character and how he fit in the ballet.”
Loch’s new role in Carmen this season had more challenges than just taking on the new role of representing Fate as an entity, it had some serious costume challenges. Costume Designer Mark Eric saw Fate as an almost mythological creature. Loch must dance and partner Carmen (Dawn Atkins) while wearing a large, gold filigree mask that covers his face and head, big gold horns as talons on his hands and a long black and ruffled bata de cola which traditionally weighs at least 6 pounds and is as long as the dancer is tall (which in Loch’s case must be well over 6 feet).
“It really has taken a lot of time for me with all those elements but, in a way, I’ve kind of embraced that … adding a new detail, or having a new thought or opinion about the character and his role … It’s like slow cooking something in a crockpot instead of just microwaving it.”
Loch said he learned this role in “pockets of time” here and there from fellow dancer and principal soloist Cameron Catazaro, and rehearsal director Arnold Quintane. who “gave some freedom to me and Cameron to have discussions about how it feels to dance within it,” he said, “since I’m now in the world that Cameron had created with Annabelle, right? It was nice to have a fellow dancer (with) who I could have those discussions. So that was very helpful … to have that information from Cameron specifically.”
A completely different program that will also be presented at the Kravis the night before Carmen. On April 3, one of George Balanchine’s most iconic works, Jewels, will be performed. The full evening work has three distinctly different sections: “Emeralds,” which highlights French Romanticism and is set to the music of Gabriel Fauré; “Rubies,” with its playful and jazzy energy, is set to the music of Igor Stravinsky; and “Diamonds,” the elegant tribute to Imperial Russia, is set to the music of Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky.
When asked how it was to jump from one style of ballet to another, Loch, who will dance a lead role in “Emeralds,” said he was familiar with that kind of approach.
“I danced at the Pacific Northwest Ballet for years, and at the time, the rep was known for being up, down, everywhere,” he said. “It was very common for us to go from a classical ballet … taking off our shoes and putting socks on to do a contemporary work. So I was very comfortable with that. And I feel that one of my strengths as a dancer is my ability to morph quickly between styles.”
If you go
For tickets to Miami City Ballet’s performances of Jewels and Carmen at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, call 305-929-7010 or contact Miami City Ballet’s Box Office at audienceservices@miamicityballet.org.