Getting Down to Business, Jones Gives Up Choreography Career

The week in dance: Exit Jones. Enter Wendt.

James Jones, founding director of the short-lived South Coast Ballet, has thrown in the towel as a choreographer, having just finished his first year toward a business degree at UC Irvine. Coincidentally, though, his first ballet, “Tippett Suite” from 1982, will be danced by Ballet Pacifica this weekend at the Moulton Theatre in Laguna Beach.

Meanwhile, former Royal Danish Ballet member Tage Wendt will return to UC Irvine to offer a week of classes in Bournonville technique, beginning Monday.

Jones, in deciding to pursue an MBA degree, said that he has been considering his “retirement” from dance ever since his latest--and apparently his last--work, “Rhapsody in Blue,” was danced by Ballet Pacifica in February.

“After the last program, I really wanted to stay out of doing much choreography because of the time commitment to my MBA studies,” he said. “I’m really happy about what I’m doing.”

There was no cosmic plan in linking his first and last works on the two programs. “It’s coincidental,” Jones said. “Still, it’s nice.”

Jones had choreographed “Tippett Suite” to Michael Tippett’s “Suite in D, for the Birthday of Prince Charles” (composed in 1948).

“The music was so inspiring I had to choreograph to it,” Jones, 36, said recently. “It’s really up, really lively music for full orchestra. It was my first choreography.”

The 16-minute work, including several adagio movements and a central pas de trois, enlists 10 dancers, “basically four corps couples and one lead couple,” Jones said. The lead couple will be Julie Renfro and Lee Wigand.

“Matisse was my inspiration. It’s just (a) young (work). It has a lot of energy. Now I can see all the faults of it.”

The piece has been in the Ballet Pacifica repertory since 1983. Jones reworked the fourth movement for the people who are in the company now, but said that “the rest is the same.”

Jones formed South Coast Ballet in 1981. Over the next six years the fledgling company would put in appearances in makeshift venues provided at the Home and Garden shows at the Anaheim Convention Center.

The company also served as a backup for Olympic double gold-medal winner Greg Louganis in a touring diving show called “Spectacular Splash” in 1985.

But lack of financial support forced the troupe to fold in 1987, and Jones went on to pursue a backup career of teaching ballet at UC Irvine. (The South Coast Ballet name was passed to a new company created by the merger of several local troupes. This group was renamed and is now known as Coast Ballet Theatre.)

Jones is still scheduled to teach some sections of ballet technique classes at UCI next year, but he seems to be ruling out a return to choreography.

“I don’t plan on it,” he said. “Maybe down the road. I’ve had it. I’m totally burned out.

“I can’t make a living at it,” he added. “You can’t make a living in Orange County as a choreographer. This is where I want to live. So I’m doing the business school, the MBA. . . .

“It’s fulfilling, challenging--and you can make a living at it. So what do I need the arts for?

“We definitely need the arts here. But (Orange County doesn’t need) me offering it. People want (big-name) professional ballet.”

Jones won’t even be here to see the performances of his ballet. After finishing his last final, he was off to Hawaii for a vacation.

Ballet Pacifica will dance Jones’ “Tippett Suite” (to a score by Michael Tippett), Israel El Gabriel’s “Duetto” (Barber) and Lila Zali’s “Firebird” (Stravinsky) at 8 p.m. on Saturday and at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday at the Moulton Theatre, 606 Laguna Canyon Road, in Laguna Beach. Tickets: $10 for adults; $8, children. Information: (714) 494-7271. Tage Wendt was a character dancer with the Royal Danish Ballet for almost 45 years. He has been coming to UCI for the last three summers to pass on the distinguished legacy of Danish choreographer August Bournonville.

In a week’s time, beginning Monday at 9:30 a.m., students will be taught technique classes (in the mornings) and variations from the Bournonville repertory (in the afternoons).

The technique has been variously described as light, buoyant, graceful and gracious. It is characterized by springy jumps, intricately beaten footwork and an elegant carriage of the upper body. It plays down crowd-pleasing, flamboyant virtuosity and soul-dramatizing Angst.

No less a major artist than Mikhail Baryshnikov has said (in “Baryshnikov at Work”):

“There’s enormous physical pleasure in dancing Bournonville. The style and the steps are so harmonious, so complete, that you instantly recognize in your mind and in your body a great classical tradition. The simplicity of it and the emotional tranquility are extremely satisfying.”

Technique classes will be held Monday through Friday in UCI Dance Studio 120 from 9:30 a.m. to noon. Variation classes, 1 to 3 p.m. Cost for the one-week course: $250. Information: (714) 856-6963.