Theatre Ballet Students Jaylee Box and Colette Radstone Share Their Experience Performing in George Balanchine’s “Serenade” While Also Choreographing Original Works for Theatre Ballet Studio Company
In March, the Richards Building Dance Performance Theatre curtain opened to reveal 17 ballerinas clad in light blue tutus, each standing with the right arm raised, shading their eyes from the blue spotlight. This is the iconic opening formation of “Serenade,” Choreography by George Balanchine © The George Balanchine Trust, which premiered in 1934 and is widely considered one of the greatest ballets of all time. What the audience might not know is that some of the dancers on stage in “Serenade” also choreographed original works that were featured in the performances that weekend.
Part of the BYU Theatre Ballet Studio Company curriculum involves students choreographing original works on their fellow dancers. The pieces are performed in the Emerging Works show at the end of winter semester. This semester, five Theatre Ballet and Theatre Ballet Studio Company students choreographed new works: Colette Radstone, Jaylee Box, Rachel Stewart, Lani Johnson and Victoria White. Radstone, Box and Johnson also performed in “Serenade.” Performing in and choreographing for the same performance was a new and exciting learning experience for the three dancers.
For dance major Jaylee Box, performing in Balanchine’s “Serenade” was a dream come true — a dream that began when she was a freshman at BYU and saw Theatre Ballet perform the ballet in 2022. “This was my first time seeing ‘Serenade’ performed in person and the first time a ballet had truly brought me to tears,” she said. “From that moment, I dreamed of performing it myself. When I heard that Theatre Ballet would be performing ‘Serenade’ again this year, I was exhilarated to have the chance to be a part of this legendary ballet — especially since it will be my last performance at BYU.”
To have her own choreography showcased in the same performance as “Serenade” added an additional layer of excitement for Box. She created a piece called “Iconclasic” that explored the tension between individuality and conformity within a structured society. Box paid homage to her training in character dance while fusing it with neoclassical ballet.
Learning how Balanchine approached choreography informed her own choreographic process. “It was quite daunting at first: How was my choreography supposed to live up to something so well known?” Box said. “‘Serenade’ was Balanchine’s first ballet choreographed in the United States, and he created it as an exploration. I tried to take the same approach, as this was my first time choreographing. The goal was not to create something revolutionary, but use it as a way to explore who I am as a choreographer.”
American studies major and Theatre Ballet dancer Colette Radstone first performed “Serenade” in the very show Box attended, when Radstone was a freshman and now, later in her college career, she got to perform a lead role in it. “That was my first time dancing on a company, so having the opportunity to dance it again was a full circle moment,” she said. “Getting to perform with some of my peers who also did it with me the first year, and who are now cast as lead parts, was special.”
Radstone choreographed a piece inspired by her work with the BYU Model United Nations program (MUN). She had the opportunity to attend the national MUN conference in New York and now works as an assistant coach. The piece she choreographed is called “No Strings Attached” and was motivated by her desire to spread awareness about the fast fashion industry. She spent time researching the topic when BYU hosted the 35th Annual MUN high school conference where she represented UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund). For that conference, she wrote a 25 page impact guide on child labor in the fashion industry.
“What was most important to me during the choreographic process was trying to convey the issue respectfully and without a sense of entitlement,” Radstone said. “I love that at BYU you can be involved in the Department of Dance without having to major in dance. I was able to create a piece on a topic like this because of my American studies major at the Kennedy Center. I have expanded my mind in so many ways and I can express the things I'm learning through my choreography.”
Performing in and choreographing for “Emerging Works” was a spiritual experience for both students. Box’s testimony that we are children of God created in His image informed her choreographic and performance process. “As I have developed my piece, I keep returning to the profound truth that I am a descendant of a divine Creator — our Heavenly Father,” she said. “Inviting Him into my choreographic process through prayer and inspiration has been a deeply unique and meaningful experience, allowing me to recognize He is a co-collaborator in my life. Through both my choreography and my performances on stage, I strive to reflect His image and inspire others to recognize their own divine nature.”
Throughout the choreographic process, Radstone discovered a greater sense of self-worth. While juggling a busy schedule, she kept praying that she would “be able to see things clearly as they are.” She was worried that as an answer to this prayer she might only see where she fell short: “I did see things as they are — that I am enough! I felt particularly uplifted the week of the show and kept having the confirmation that I am enough. Being at BYU allows me to more comfortably explore those doubts and discover my self-worth.”
For both students, having the opportunity to perform “Serenade” and choreograph their own works in the “Emerging Works” show was a valuable and positive learning experience. Radstone said, “performing and choreographing can be a lot of pressure, so getting these experiences now, in a safe environment, prepares me for the professional world. There was more for me to gain from this performance than just the show itself; it was an opportunity to become more than I knew I could become.”