The American Repertory Ballet knows how to keep Haley Wright \u201923 on her toes. Wright, who started dancing when she was 4 years old, first joined New Jersey\u2019s preeminent ballet company as a trainee when she was in high school. Then, in 2018, she was hired as one of the company\u2019s professional ballerinas. Most recently, and perhaps most exciting, she traded her toe shoes for piano fingers when the ARB commissioned her to compose a musical piece for its spring performance season.<\/p>\n
The leap from dancer to composer was a natural transition, says Wright, who is also an accomplished pianist. \u201cIt\u2019s kind of been a crazy dream of mine to write music for ballet,\u201d she says. \u201cAnd because I was a dancer, I can visualize what kind of steps might accompany the music, what kind of mood I want to achieve.\u201d<\/p>\n
The director of the ARB, Julie Hench, asked Wright to compose something to convey the current times of the pandemic, so Wright\u2019s score, \u201cSaudade,\u201d reflects on those shared experiences. Saudade, a Portuguese word, means \u201ca sense of nostalgia for something that you don\u2019t know is going to return,\u201d says Wright.<\/p>\n
The 10-minute piece is meant to travel through four moods: \u201cThe beginning is introspective with a feeling of loss,\u201d says Wright. \u201cThen it moves into nostalgic tones, remembering all these wonderful things that once happened. Then it goes right back to that longing feeling.\u201d The last part, she says, is more upbeat. \u201cI wanted to give a feeling of hope for what\u2019s left to be discovered in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wright, an interactive multimedia major with an interest in using technology and computer coding as a means of creative expression, worked with TCNJ music professors Teresa Nakra and Mark Kalinowski to professionally record \u201cSaudade\u201d on the piano in Mayo Concert Hall.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is an extraordinary opportunity for a college student to compose a work for a ballet company,\u201d says Nakra. \u201cProfessional ballet commissions are extremely rare, even for famous composers,\u201d she says. \u201cClearly, the ARB has a high regard for Haley.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wright\u2019s music was paired with a dance from ARB choreographer Ryoko Tanaka and was originally performed and livestreamed as part of the company\u2019s digital spring 2021 season. This fall, the piece will be in front of live audiences at the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center and at the Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College in New York City.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt has just been amazing,\u201d says Wright. \u201cI cry every time I see the performance.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Illustration: Nguyen Khoi Nguyen<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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