What I Did On Summer Break...

Just because the BalletMet season hasn’t started yet, doesn’t mean that our dancers haven’t been keeping busy. Recently I had a chance to connect with Adrienne Benz (pictured left), who is returning for her ninth season with BalletMet, to discuss how she’s been spending her summer. Adrienne was lucky enough to be asked by Darrell Moultrie to perform in his piece at Summer Stage in New York City. Summer Stage is a spectacular event set up in Central Park with a fun outdoor concert vibe that spans the entirety of the summer and is free to the public. For those of you who have never heard the name Darrell Moultrie, get to know it. Moultrie is quickly becoming one of the most sought after choreographers, doing everything from Broadway to ballet to commercials. Learn more about Moultrie here.

“Melting Pot” is the name of Moultrie’s Summer Stage performance and is a collection of ensemble pieces meant to resemble his personal experiences growing up. This is not the first time Adrienne has collaborated with Moultrie; BalletMet has been lucky enough to have him choreograph a piece called “Square Off” in 2008, “Simply Sammy” in the American Legends production in 2010, and “Wrath” as part of 7 Deadly Sins this past April. Of Moultrie, Adrienne says:

"Darrell has a crazy energy in the studio and I feel like we bonded the minute we worked together…his choreography feels comfortable to me but somehow he always seems to put a new twist on his work!"

This experience also allowed Adrienne to collaborate with a “melting pot” of dancers from all over the country who are a part of Dance Grand Moultrie, a new pick-up company using dancers that Moultrie loves whenever they are available. Summer Stage was their premier company performance. Check out more of Moultrie’s choreography here.

But it wasn’t all work and no play for Miss Benz. Being a New Jersey native, she was able to catch up with friends and family during her New York trip, and earlier this year she got married! Congratulations to Adrienne on all her accomplishments. We’re glad to have her back in Columbus!

What do you think about Adrienne’s experience? Have you seen any of Moultrie’s work before?

~Colleen