Dance~The Jewish C~o~n~n~e~c~t~i~o~n           by Sheila Orysiek

An interview with Steven Wistrich,
City Ballet of San Diego founder
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Photos by Dale Stokes, City Ballet
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Photo
SAN DIEGO—On November 5, 2005, I reviewed a performance by City Ballet of San Diego, which left me pleasantly surprised; it was the first time I had seen the company.  As a member of the San Diego dance community since 1966, I had about given up on the prospects of a classical company locally based that had truly crossed the line from school recital to company performance.  However, a brochure had been sent to me detailing an upcoming program that included ballets by Balanchine which meant the company had the imprimatur of the Balanchine Trust.  As this requires a particular level of technical and artistic accomplishment, my curiosity was piqued.

I have since attended more performances two of which I reviewed for San Diego Jewish World:  a Tchaikovsky program  and a Balanchine program. Each time a new level of accomplishment was evident as the prospects for further achievement moved from dream to reality. 

Founding and running a dance school and a performing company are probably some of the most difficult and laborious endeavors to undertake.  The challenges are enormous, the pitfalls ubiquitous, and the road littered with casualties.  San Diego has had its fulsome share of all the above.  However, this company has raised my hopes once again.

         Steven Wistrich                Elizabeth Wistrich

On Sept. 18 of this year, I spoke with Steven Wistrich (Artistic Director), who with his wife, Elizabeth (Betsy - Resident Choreographer) has founded this school and company. 

What brought you to dance? 

Wistrich:  My parents were very active in our Temple, especially in the theatricals - musicals - that were put on.  My mother had a natural talent and even though she was untrained, she intuitively could dance and even choreograph.  

You were in the shows?

Wistrich: No, I would watch, but I loved it.  When I was 13, as a present for my Bar Mitzvah, I was taken to New York City and saw Gypsy with Ethel Merman and other shows.  I was entranced; I wanted to dance on Broadway.  I watched it on TV.  I asked my parents for dance lessons.  I came from a typical middle class Jewish family, was the oldest son and my parents wanted us to go to college and become maybe a doctor or a lawyer.  They didn’t want to hear about dance lessons.  Finally one day I said to my mother “I was born to the wrong parents.”  My mother pulled out the phone book and started calling dance studios.  She said that if I was going to go I should go to the best. 

I wanted to do jazz.  I didn’t know anything about ballet.  My mother called the Boston School of Ballet and set up a private audition with E. Virginia Williams (founder - Boston Ballet).  She tested my feet, my flexibility, and told me that if I wanted to take a jazz class I would have to take ballet.  I didn’t want to. Whenever I saw ballet on TV - men in tights - I turned it off.  However, she told me that all the jazz dancers I admired - had taken ballet lessons. 

She put me in an adult beginner ballet class and I was completely lost.  But I began to get a lot of really good feed back; The people around me were excited to have me there.  I began to like it. Williams was a wonderful teacher.  She really kept at me, when I missed class she called me at home, she wrote me letters.  She got after me if I forgot my shoes or something was wrong.  She was very tough - but I owe everything to her.  (Jump to continuation)

 
Gerardo Gil and Ariana Samuelsson in Raymunda Variations
Wistrich...
(Continued from above)

Where else did you study?

Wistrich:  I was studying with Williams in Boston; my parents had to drive me one hour each way for my classes.  Williams and George Balanchine (Founder, Artistic Director, Choreographer - New York City Ballet) were very close; he was interested in Boston Ballet.  I became aware of this and also as students at the Boston School got better they would leave to go into New York City Ballet.  I wasn’t happy in high school.  I was very lonely, I felt out of place, I didn’t fit in, I couldn’t talk about my ballet classes, I wasn’t interested in sports.  So, I decided to audition for SAB (School of American Ballet - affiliated with New York City Ballet).

I was 16 years old, had been studying for a year. Williams tried to discourage me; she didn’t want me to leave.  However, I went to SAB and Diana Adams (Principal Dancer, NYCB) auditioned me.  She was lovely, but very austere.  I was the only boy at the audition and I was thin and gawky.  She checked our feet, flexibility and proportions. After the audition we were called into her office one by one and she told my father:  “Steven appears to be very talented and we are prepared to offer him a full scholarship to SAB.”  My father was very upset; he called my mother and was crying that at 16 they were losing me. 

The scholarship covered the cost of classes, but not living expenses or tuition to the high school for professional children.  My mother had to get a job, driving a school bus, so they could afford my living and tuition expenses.  I had a tiny apartment, lots of roaches, with a radiator, very cold.  That room was a nightmare.  I had to take a bus to high school, then back to ballet class, then back to high school, then back to ballet class.  I thought I had been lonely in Boston, but now I was really lonely and overwhelmed.  But the teachers were wonderful; Muriel Stuart (acclaimed teacher) was there.  However, I was so unhappy after about a year I went back to my classes in Boston.  Eventually, I joined the Boston Ballet.

From there I went to Nederlans Dans Theatre for one year.  The dancers were terrific, but I wanted to do more classical work so I went to Oslo (Royal Norwegian Ballet) with Sonia Arova (Prima Ballerina/Artistic Director) for a year and left because I didn’t like Oslo.  Finally, I joined the Stuttgart Ballet in Germany under John Cranko (Choreographer, Artistic Director); I was in the corps de ballet. 

Did you have any problems in Germany - being Jewish?

Wistrich:  No, I was treated well.  But I was very aware of the history and sometimes I was really uncomfortable.  There were swastikas spray painted on the walls of train stations.  When I saw older people I always wondered if they had been involved, if they had been Nazis.  It was a very uncomfortable feeling.  But, personally, I was never mistreated. 

When the Stuttgart Ballet traveled to Israel, the Israelis were surprised to learn that Cranko was Jewish as were several of the dancers.  Security was very tight - guards holding guns.  But the Israelis loved us and really took us to their hearts.  It was an extraordinary experience being in Israel.  We were the first German company to travel to Israel. (jump to continuation)

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Alexey Kalpin in the Russian Dance in The Nutcracker, and
right, Janica Smith and Gerardo Gil in Elizabeht Wistrich's
"Tchai Celebration"

Wistrich...
(Continued from above)

What brought you to San Diego?

Wistrich:  It was happenstance.  I directed the program at the Interlochen Arts Academy (Northern Michigan) and Betsy and I were invited to come to teach at USIU (US International University, San Diego) because John Hart (former Principal Dancer, Ballet Master, Asst. Director, Royal Ballet - London) was retiring.  Betsy and I said “no” - we were happy at Interlochen, but the offer was repeated the next year and my parents had moved to LA, so coming to San Diego worked out.  This was 1987.  Then USIU encountered severe financial difficulties and many contracts were cancelled.  I started to teach in various places locally and got a really good response to my classes so I opened a school.  Our present studio space had been used by Linda Yourth (Principal Dancer - NYCB) and we cleaned it up, refurbished and opened a school - it was 1992. 

It’s been difficult in San Diego historically for classical dance - your thoughts on why?

Wistrich:  As I heard it, the original San Diego Ballet (1970’s) had financial difficulties and people got burned.  But I thought something more should be done to create a truly classical company.  I’m not going to say more than that.

San Diego and even LA will turn out for the big name companies but not for others - even good ones like Perm Ballet.  They will turn out for Baryshnikov - but not for Fernando Bujones (Principal Dancer - American Ballet Theatre).

Wistrich:  I know.  It’s really sad.  I want to change that.

What do you think you are doing differently from others who’ve tried?

Wistrich:  I’m not going to talk about others, but I can tell you that it’s much harder and taking longer than I ever thought it would.  San Diego deserves to have the real thing.  I want to have a world class company.

I note you don’t bring in guest artists.

 Wistrich:  We have our own dancers who are capable.  Only once did we bring in guests: Evelyn Cisneros (Principal Dancer - San Francisco Ballet) and Ricardo Bustamante (Principal Dancer - American Ballet Theatre/Principal Character Dancer - San Francisco Ballet).  I want to develop our own dancers.  When I was at Boston Ballet, it was inspiring to see the wonderful guest dancers, but then we didn’t get a chance to do the roles.  I think it is discouraging to the resident dancers. 

How long a contract do you presently offer?

Wistrich:  Twenty-seven weeks.  I wish we could employ them full time and pay them much more.  They aren’t paid nearly enough. 

What are some of your artistic goals?

Wistrich:  I want us to be able to do everything.  We’re being offered stuff (choreography/ballets) from Stuttgart, Twyla Tharp, Balanchine, but it’s very expensive (royalties) and some of the ballets need more dancers.  (Jump to continuation)



  
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Wistrich...  
(Continued from above)

How many dancers do you presently have under contract?

Wistrich:  Thirty-five.  I need more.  Jewels is another Balanchine ballet I want to do, but don’t have enough dancers.  I want eventually to have a big company, so I can put on these ballets.  I want to do a bigger Swan Lake than we did last year.  I’d love to be able to do Balanchine’s Symphony in C but I need more dancers, especially more men.  I only have five men. 

I notice that you just don’t chose men who can walk and chew gum…

Wistrich:  No, I chose men who can really dance.

One thing that strikes me when viewing your company is that it is a company performance, not a school recital.  You make that distinction.

Wistrich:  There should be a marked difference.  We do have a City Ballet II group - for our upper level students.  They perform all around the county.  It gives them experience dancing under all kinds of situations; outside, temporary stages. 

It’s rather unusual to have trained your own daughter - Principal Dancer Ariana Samuelsson - usually doesn’t work ….

Wistrich:  We trained her, but she also briefly took class - when she was very young - only four - a pre-ballet class at California Ballet.  She was obviously very talented.  I tried not to focus too much on her, and she would complain that I didn’t correct her enough.  And I had to keep a clear difference between being a ballet teacher “pointe your toe” and daddy “clean your room.”

Did the other students have a problem with that? 

Wistrich:  Ariana is a very sweet person, and the other students liked her.  But I did have problems with some of the parents of the other students. 

Would you like to do more Petipa?  (Major classical choreographer - Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, Don Quixote, Nutcracker, etc.)

Wistrich:  I want to do everything, yes.

What more of Balanchine would you like to acquire?

Wistrich:  A full length Jewels but I need more dancers.  We have a really good relationship with the Balanchine Trust - they come out here to set the ballets and they are very pleased with what they see.  So far we have 12 Balanchine works in our repertoire - but I need more men.  (Jump to continuation)
 

Wistrich...
(Continued from above)
 

What are your plans to build an audience?

Wistrich:  I had a meeting with the editors of the Union Tribune and I told them they weren’t giving us enough coverage, we were falling under their radar screen.  I also need more people to realize what we are trying to do and support us.  Come to a performance and be surprised.  People just need to come in and I think they will like what they see.  We dance in several different theaters right now but we would like to perform more in the Spreckles - it’s very expensive - it’s several thousand dollars more than the other theaters we dance in. We can only afford to do it when we put on Nutcracker.  I want to have a 40 week season. 

Where do you hope the company will be in ten years?

Wistrich:  Bigger, better, dancing everything.

Will your school feed your company?

Wistrich:  That’s what I want it to do.  We have a group from the school who are now apprentices.  We train them, but some kids change their minds and don’t want to make a profession of it.

Tell me about having a resident choreographer…a tremendous advantage.

Wistrich:  It is a tremendous asset.  Betsy (wife, Elizabeth Wistrich) can do anything, all kinds of dance.  Dancers come and stay to work with her.  She gets to know the dancers and develops them.  She also works with Nevada Ballet Theatre.

Tell me about your upcoming season. You are doing Firebird?

Wistrich:  Yes, Betsy is choreographing it, - a 45 minute work.  Then Who Cares? (Balanchine), then two grand pas de deux: Flames of Paris and Spartacus.

Spartacus is quite a challenge - lots of one handed lifts.

Wistrich:  The dancers are excited to do this. 

Then Nutcracker and Carmina Burana.

Wistrich:  Betsy is choreographing Carmina Burana. 

The Kingdom of the Shades Scene (Act II) from La Bayadere. That will really test your corps de ballet.

Wistrich:  Yes, it will, but we are ready for it.  We did Swan Lake last year.

A full length Don Quixote…..whose choreography?

Wistrich:   Mostly Petipa, but there’s also some Nureyev, and Betsy will be adding some and staging it.  It includes that very famous pas de deux….

Which when presented within the complete ballet is really a pas de trois....

Wistrich:  Yes, there are two other dancers who come between the parts of the pas de deux.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

Wistrich:  I don’t know if there is an audience here for classical ballet - the grass roots have to want it and I think if we work hard enough, it will happen.  I want to encourage people to have an open mind - there is a talented ballet company - buy a ticket - and see us.  I get letters from tourists who come here from New York and San Francisco who tell me how much they enjoyed our performance. Take a chance, come and see us.