Male Friendship at the Heart of James Sewell Ballet Presentation

James Sewell Ballet launches their 20th season with a revival of Lar Lubovitch’s Mozart Duet. It’s been over a decade since its last JSB performance so it will likely resonate in a new way, given this year’s same sex marriage victory in Minnesota. Dancers Nic Lincoln and Cory Goei have known each other since they were training in dance as adolescents in Michigan. Having known one another for two decades they cannot help but have a shared history. And that history can’t help but be reflected in the performance.

Lincoln points out that “within friendship there are many different stages within the relationship so this history translates into the dance. So there are things that might be about forgiveness or reconciliation or trust. There’s something very magical about the fact that the type of partnering vocabulary that’s within this work is not as typical for me, meaning that I’m getting lifted a lot. So I have to literally rejuvenate a trust with him because I’m like upside down, in the air, and doing crazy things and there’s also this point of being able to trust each other.”

Goei shares that “Leonard Meek, the person who came to set the piece on us, is an outstanding coach. He pushed us hard and got a lot out of us. He taught us both the physicality and the emotional arc of the piece, which is the support of a friend, lover, brother, sister, mother, father, etc. – any person in a relationship. The love and support that is inherent in a relationship, how you lean on each other, rely on each other, and love one another through everything. Getting to dance this difficult work with Nic Lincoln has also been a special privilege. We have known each other since childhood, through tough times and wonderful times. So dancing this particular work with someone you already have a strong bond with is incredible. HIs artistry and strength have been an inspiration from the beginning.”

James Sewell Ballet 20th Anniversary Retrospective
Oct. 25 – Nov. 3
Cowles Center, 528 Hennepin Av., Mpls.
(612) 206-3600
www.jsballet.org