Jon Upleger News

There's the definite feeling of autumn in the air that makes you want to gut a pumpkin or at least have a pumpkin spice latte, chances are you are definitely going to need a sweater in the early morning hours, and it's past the perfect time for you to pick out a Halloween costume. Luckily, theater companies are well into their new seasons and there's plenty of shows to entertain you while you take time off from berating yourself for wearing that same tricked-out Star Wars costume you wore the past fwo-and-one-half years.

Nashville Ballet company dancer Sadie Bo (Harris) Sommer, who has performed with the organization since 2001, will retire at the end of the current performance season, dancing in her final mainstage performance as Titania in A Midsummer Night's Dream for a three-day run April 24-26 at TPAC's Andrew Jackson Hall.

Theater people from throughout Tennessee gathered at Belmont University's Bill and Carole Troutt Theatre on Sunday night for the 2013 First Night Honors to pay tribute to a group of eight remarkable people who have made indelible marks on the theater scene throughout their storied careers. Hosted by Holly Shepherd and Joel Diggs, the gala evening honored the eight leading lights of Tennessee theater as they were recognized as members of the First Night Class of 2013 Honorees.

What better way to kick off Sunday-and to celebrate Father's Day!-than with the latest installment of Music City Confidential! Here's where you'll find all the news that's fit to print (or not-depending on your perspective) from Nashville's ever-growing, ever-fascinating live theater industry. Amid the florid prose and flowery praise, you'll find all the stories that don't quite fit anywhere else, some of 'em kind of gossipy, some of 'em stone-cold serious, some of 'em just lists of names you need to know. You'll also find photos from our new "Intermission@" series, details about the latest cast parties and various and sundry minutiae-the veritable flotsam and jetsam-from backstage, onstage, offstage and beyond…

Let's face it: You have to give Paul Vasterling, the grand poobah (as both artistic director and CEO of Nashville Ballet, what other title suits him best?) of all things musical/dancical/theatrical in Music City, a whole bunch of credit for the imaginative-heretofore unexperienced-heights he has helped his company achieve and his city to claim as its own. The man has redefined the idea of collaboration while giving human form to the term "synergy" with his continuing efforts to push the creative envelope in a city filled with artistic types and their sometimes conflicting sensibilities.

Inspired by the original work choreographed by Vaslav Nijinsky and performed to the glorious music composed by Igor Stravinsky for the original Ballets Russes production, Nashville Ballet's rendition of Rite of Spring further underscores the company's artistic range and the depth of artistic director Paul Vasterling's bench, which is exemplified by Kayla Rowser and Jon Upleger in his thrilling, stirring Firebird that opens the evening's twin-bill of ballets.

If there is an onstage moment more breathtaking, more purely theatrical, than the one during Nashville's Nutcracker when the green upstage curtain falls at the end of the exquisitely danced "Waltz of the Flowers," I simply cannot recall it nor would I want to-for it is during that brief respite from an evening filled with stunning artistry and the revelatory staging of this time-honored holiday classic that you find yourself thoroughly done in, overwhelmed by the riches of the production that once again proves Nashville Ballet the city's leading arts entity.

With new and expressive choreography by Paul Vasterling - set to Prokofiev's timelessly beautiful 1944 score - Nashville Ballet opens its 26th season with a sumptuous remounting of Cinderella which captures, once more, the sheer artistry of the company's dancers while giving audiences exactly what they want when they go to the ballet: flights of fancy wrapped up in a gorgeously adorned, artistically crafted package.

How do I even begin to describe Nashville Ballet's Mollie Sansone? She's exquisitely beautiful and superbly talented, with a spectacular line and an amazingly athletic yet graceful ability to bring any dance to more vivid life than you might first expect. Okay, I'm a huge fan of Molly Sansone and I could heap praise upon her until the cows come home (which, when talking about a ballerina, sounds kind of off-putting and incongruous, but you get my drift). In fact, I've already heaped praise on her for the cavalcade of performances she has delivered during her career with Nashville Ballet.

In his tenth season with Nashville ballet, Jon Upleger is the very epitome of grace, class and talent, thrilling audiences with his artistry and complete devotion to his craft. 'I can't play a musical instrument so dance is my way to visually express music,' he says.

In the past year-and-a-half of interviewing actors and dancers for our 'A Life in the Theater' and 'This Dancer's Life' series, I've been struck by something very interesting: While actors love to talk about themselves and what makes them do what they do, dancers tend to be more circumspect and to the point. This week's featured dancer, for example, the beautiful, ethereal, other-worldly Sadie Bo Harris - one of the prima ballerinas of Nashville Ballet - answers our questions with a disarming brevity, cutting to the chase and giving us a sharply focused view of her life as a dancer.

With the North American premiere of Twyla Tharp's The Story Teller generating most of the buzz prior to opening night, Nashville Ballet's Director's Choice winter series provided a much-needed jolt of electricity to the city's midwinter arts calendar. But it was the exquisite pairing of Molly Sansone and Jon Upleger in Salvatore Aiello's completely sensual and mildly erotic Satto that truly turned up the heat in the company's annual salute to contemporary dance.

Nashville Ballet will reprise its beloved local take on the classic Christmas tale when Nashville's Nutcracker returns to TPAC's Jackson Hall December 10-19 with exciting new visual elements and the return of critically acclaimed dancer and actor Eric Harris as Drosselmeyer.

Nashville Ballet will reprise its beloved local take on the classic Christmas tale when Nashville's Nutcracker returns to TPAC's Jackson Hall December 10-19 with exciting new visual elements and the return of critically acclaimed dancer and actor Eric Harris as Drosselmeyer.

Nashville Ballet will reprise its beloved local take on the classic Christmas tale when Nashville's Nutcracker returns to TPAC's Jackson Hall December 10-19 with exciting new visual elements and the return of critically acclaimed dancer and actor Eric Harris as Drosselmeyer.

The resulting production that comes from Vasterling's unerringly skillful choreography and his clearly developed vision for the piece - exquisitely expressed through Baird's costume and scenic design, Scott Leathers' stunningly evocative lighting design and the beautiful music of Felix Mendelssohn performed by members of the Nashville Symphony under the baton of Nashville Ballet music director Paul Gambill - is a rousing and fitting conclusion to the company's 24th season, clearly paving the way to a stellar silver anniversary season that will open next fall with a full production of Swan Lake.

With each passing year and with each new offering, Vasterling and the other powers-that-be at Nashville Ballet gain new admirers for their troupe, whose skills are confidently and expertly highlighted by the choices made in regard to the company's repertoire. Clearly, Nashville Ballet has gained stature with its beautiful and much-lauded treatment of the classics, but it may well be contemporary offerings, such as those included in American Originals, that more assuredly showcase the company's extraordinary depth. Quite honestly, the panache with which each performance is delivered is awe-inspiring - and certain to lift the collective spirit and ward off even the most frigid temperatures.

With the strains of 'Auld Lang Syne' mere moments away, minds are apt to be caught up in reflection, remembering the year now ending as a new one awaits just over the horizon. Certainly that's what I've been doing lately, looking back over the past year in Nashville theatre as I pencil in dates in my new 2010 (Here's a question to ponder: Is it 'two thousand ten' or 'twenty ten'...think about it and get back to me) calendar for the shows set to open in the months ahead.

Nashville Ballet ushers in the holiday season in glorious style with its revival of artistic director Paul Vasterling's visionary re-interpretation of The Nutcracker, onstage at TPAC's Andrew Jackson Hall through December 20. More accurately referred to as Nashville's Nutcracker, Vasterling's epic work is a joyous, colorful Christmas card to the people of Music City who have embraced it with their customary warmth and rewarded it with their own glowing accolades.

Since its preeminence among the city's artistic entities became de facto, Nashville Ballet has consistently launched the real artistic season in Music City each year -- and with the return of Giselle to the company's program after a seven-year hiatus, the 2009-2010 season is off to a rousing start. One of the most beloved works from the classical repertoire, Giselle is a challenging undertaking for any company, but thanks to the vision of artistic director Paul Vasterling, Nashville Ballet's production is a visual feast, featuring stunning costumes, evocative lighting and gorgeous scenery.