Salt Creek Ballet’s ‘Sleeping Beauty’ awakens passion in dancers
Sammie Schmidt was just a fourth-grade girl mesmerized by the “princesses” onstage when she first saw the Salt Creek Ballet’s production of “The Sleeping Beauty.”
After hours and hours of training, a strict academic schedule and countless, delicate pliés, the Hinsdale 18-year-old now will get the chance to dance in the classic when the Westmont-based ballet company performs the “Aurora’s Wedding” sequence and additional repertoire Saturday and Sunday at the College of DuPage’s McAninch Arts Center in Glen Ellyn.
Schmidt, who plays one of Princess Aurora’s friends, has logged 12 years of training with Salt Creek Ballet.
“This will be my final role with Salt Creek, something I’ve already seen and looked up to and idolized,” Schmidt said of “The Sleeping Beauty” segment.
She’s been perfecting the Vaganova method, developed by renowned ballerina Agrippina Vaganova, under the guidance of Sergey Kozadayev, the artistic director of Salt Creek’s company. Zhanna Dubrovskaya is the artistic director of Salt Creek’s school, offering classes for students as young as 3.
The Vaganova method stresses highly technical, clean movements based on a grasp of the body’s muscles and skeleton, with attention to precise head and arm positions.
“That’s one of the things I’ve gotten in a lot of trouble with,” Schmidt admits.
She trains and rehearses six days a week — until 9 p.m. “if we do well” — and then tackles her homework from Hinsdale Central High School.
She builds stamina through 30 minutes of exercise on the ballet bar with no interruptions.
To get a sense of the physical exhaustion in performances, Schmidt said she rushes to “collapse” backstage after taking a bow before the audience.
“You’re trying to breathe,” Schmidt said.
It’s all part of the motto Kozadayev drills in his students: “Always dance like it’s your last performance.”
But besides the focus on the physical demand, Kozadayev is quick to point out that his ballet dancers must emotionally express themselves through their body.
It’s an art that reflects the spirit, said Kozadayev, who studied at the Vaganova Ballet Academy in St. Petersburg, Russia, before a 22-year career as a principal dancer.
“You need talent for that,” Kozadayev said. “I can teach technique. I can inspire you emotionally. That’s all I can do. But how can you teach talent? Nobody can teach talent. Not even God.”
After she graduates, Schmidt is headed to Vanderbilt University, where she will perform with the dance team at football and basketball games. While other Salt Creek alums have joined professional companies, Schmidt said she’ll always take classes and support ballet her “whole life.”
“You want to be the princess,” she said.
Catch the show at 5 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at McAninch Arts Center. Tickets are $30 for adults, $25 for seniors and $20 for youth. For details, call (630) 942-4000 or visit www.atthemac.org.
If you go
What: Salt Creek Ballet’s production of “The Sleeping Beauty,” featuring performances of “Aurora’s Wedding” and other repertory work
When: 5 p.m. Saturday, May 12, and 2 p.m. Sunday, May 13
Where: College of DuPage’s McAninch Arts Center, Fawell and Park, Glen Ellyn
Tickets: $30 for adults, $25 for seniors and $20 for youth
Info: (630) 942-4000 or atthemac.org