BREATHE: James Sewell Ballet Arrives at The O’Shaughnessy
Ballet performs with stunning grace and revitalizing movement
By Ella Tracy
Welcome to James Sewell Ballet’s production of BREATHE, performed on Oct. 29-30 at The O’Shaughnessy Theater. The show featured guest artists Michael Walters and XINA and choreography from company members Arimee Gambill and James Sewell.
I approached this performance with an expectation: tutus, pointe shoes, clear storylines, careful technique and elegant control. My preconceptions were challenged from the moment the dancers stepped on stage. The performance was a combination of familiar and new, comfortable and unexpected. This was a totally unique interpretation of ballet. “[Ballet] is not a museum piece kind of art form,” said James Sewell, founder and artistic director of the company. “It’s a contemporary one that continues to evolve and hopefully grow.” The company embodied that sentiment by using modern music, contemporary movements and abstract storylines.
I always seek out purpose in performances—not just meanings in storylines, but a reason why I should be spending my time at any given dance performance. Dance is an artform, and I believe all art has a purpose. The purpose of this show was change. Sewell told me the philosophy he harnesses for his choreography: “Great art changes the way you see yourself and your world.” The company did not disappoint.
I was transformed by this performance. I felt transported. I was completely riveted and utterly transfixed. The performers held my absolute attention. I could not think about anything else, for they were the entirety of my universe for those moments.
The show was grounded and ethereal at the same time. The stage was constantly filled with energy and movement and intrigue, no matter where I looked or how many dancers were on stage. I occasionally was at a loss for where to look, disappointed that I could not watch all that was happening on the stage at once, frustrated that I was expected to sit still and not participate in this artform with them.
The performance reminded me of modern abstract art I would encounter in a gallery. It fascinated me. It evoked a multitude of emotions. It was art that took on a new meaning with every different perspective. It thrilled me that every audience member would find a different meaning in the performance. This absence of a clear storyline within every piece was fascinating to me. I found it allowed more space for the audience to introspectively engage with the performance. “When you’re allowed to fill it in, I feel like sometimes the work can circumvent the intellect and go right to the heart,” Sewell said. “People can have an emotional experience and not really even know why. … It’s kind of like magic.”
Grey – James Sewell
The opening number featured music from a Ukrainian music group called Dakhabrakha. Sewell explained how he first choreographed the piece six years ago, “but now, seeing it through this new lens with the war in Ukraine, all of the movement is sort of recontextualized,” Sewell said. “It has a different meaning. [The war] brought a layer onto the piece that made it fresh and interesting to explore again.”
I was struck by the style of choreography in this piece. The movements seemed almost preposterous, yet in my shock, I could not imagine another combination of movements to better describe the music. I interpreted themes of escaping from confinement and expectations, perhaps resulting from my wartime frame of reference. The dancers explored uniqueness and deviance from norms with beautifully evocative imagery.
i remember my way around here – Arimee Gambill
This piece felt futuristic and dystopian with a compelling combination of songs, costumes and choreography. Memorable was the use of pointe shoes by several of the dancers. Dancing en pointe is something very familiar to me, so I was intrigued by the melding of traditional ballet elements and untraditional choreography.
I appreciated the stylistic choice to begin and end the piece with the same musical notes and pose. The bookends were satisfying but also contributed to my interpretation—perhaps the journey I followed the dancers through was nothing more than a fever dream and the exploration was of a world the dancers wished into temporary existence.
Shapes from the fever dream. Credit: Bill Cameron Photography
SAVIOUR – Michael Walters
My jaw was on the floor for the entirety of this piece, choreographed by talented guest dancer Michael Walters. The audience reactions of amazement and surprise were not lost on me as I too gaped in awe or applauded the daring spectacle. It was risky and dangerous, incredibly edgy and unique. It featured the unlikely combination of hip hop music and contemporary choreography.
Dancers in SAVIOUR. Credit: Bill Cameron Photography
I also enjoyed the addition of a pas de deux and solo pieces into the previous conglomeration of group dances. It gave my mind clear direction as to where to focus, something that other dances did not accomplish with their wider scope. Yet no matter the number of dancers, I found this segment to be particularly bold and rebellious.
WARNING: Dreamscape – XINA
Featured multidisciplinary artist XINA, based in the Twin Cities, combined original music with spectacular choreography. Every aspect of this performance was totally unique. XINA sang live while participating in the choreography; this added a complex layer of emotion to the show. Her music shattered the lines between genres. It was mystical, vulnerable and excruciatingly real. “At times, I didn’t exactly know what emotion the music was making me feel, but the overwhelming thing was that it was making me feel so intensely,” said Lydia Moylan ’26 (Psychology), an usher during the performance.
The same was accomplished by the choreography. Paired with her music, XINA’s choreography choices had an immense emotional impact on me in ways that I am still attempting to understand. The artists had a hold on my soul; they were in complete control of me with movements that stretched beyond the stage and sounds that reverberated through the auditorium. This was the most unique experience of the show that I doubt I will find anywhere else.
XINA and dancers performing. Credit: Bill Cameron Photography
The things they left behind
BREATHE left me with a smile I could not wipe away and inspiration to fully embrace this art form. I was inspired by the exceptionality of the show, the performers’ comfort with their art and the transformative healing those features brought to me. I would recommend James Sewell Ballet to anyone, for I believe their performances will give audiences a feeling of fulfillment and renewed perspectives. In Sewell’s words, “I hope that people see something fresh and new and go away with some new perceptions of the art form or, ideally, of themselves.”
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Future performances by James Sewell Ballet include “Amahl and the Night Visitors” on Dec. 2-4 at Westminster Church, “Icebreaker” on Feb. 17 at Butler Square and EMBRACE featuring the Ahn Trio on March 18-19 at The O’Shaughnessy.
