Ballet Pacifica Choreographers Tutor Fluency in Body Language

The dancers lunged, fell, reached and stretched under the direction of choreographer Rick McCullough as the music swelled.

“Think Mel Gibson, ‘Road Warrior,’ ” said McCullough, leading 12 Ballet Pacifica dancers to Benjamin Britten’s “Sinfonia da requiem.”

“The world is a desolate scene. The sun is red-hot. So there’s urgency and desperation,” McCullough, 49, said. “I want the stage to pulse and flow like wind in the desert.”

McCullough is one of four noted choreographers to showcase new material Saturday when Ballet Pacifica celebrates its 10th anniversary with the Works-in-Progress Showing at South Coast Repertory in Costa Mesa.

The performance will feature choreography by Colin Connor, Stephen Mills, Paul Vasterling and McCullough.

The workshops are invigorating, choreographers say, because they allow them to be as creative as possible.

“Coming to the workshops is an opportunity for growth,” said McCullough, who lives in Winston-Salem, N.C., and grew up in Southern California. “With each new work, I learn something about myself and about my craft.”

McCullough said he relies on the dancers to bring his ideas to life. The Britten score he uses was a piece he heard 17 years ago when he danced with the Netherlands Dance Theater.

The four choreographers are not new to the SCR stage. Each has participated in Ballet Pacifica’s Choreographic Project, a program designed to support the development of new work through workshops.

Connor joined in 1991, followed by Vasterling in 1994. McCullough and Mills participated in 1996.

Days away from the final performance, the choreographers and dancers appear relaxed. And that’s precisely the beauty of the workshops, choreographers say.

Ballet Pacifica’s acclaimed Pacifica Choreographic Project is in its 10th year.

“What we’re trying to create here is freedom for the choreographers to develop their craft,” said Molly Lynch, artistic director for Ballet Pacifica. “Otherwise, they may fall back to what’s already familiar or safe, which doesn’t lend itself to a lot of experimental work.”

In turn, audiences have a rare chance to discuss the work with the choreographers in an intimate and informal setting.

“It’s a unique opportunity where the choreographer can do a workshop and get feedback from what they’ve done,” Lynch said.

Innovative new choreography in line with Ballet Pacifica’s repertory might also be fully developed and produced later in a concert program, Lynch said.

Sixteen of the 32 pieces created since the workshops began have been added to the repertory. Several of the pieces belong to the four choreographers invited this year.

Connor is testing a new idea that many Southern Californians can relate to: summer vacation.

“For now, I’m calling this piece ‘Leisure Time for Seven Dancers, Mozart and Seven Lawn Chairs,’ ” Connor, 46, said.

As rehearsal began, a dancer dragged his lawn chair lazily across the studio floor, plopped himself down and fell asleep. All was quiet until a loud crowd blasted into the scene.

Set to Mozart’s Symphony No. 25, the dance plays with the idea of vacationers, contrasting the slothful with the hyperactive.

“What I’m trying to do now is to develop characters--for instance, a teenager who grudgingly has to go on vacation with her parents,” Connor said. “And then we have a character who is like the Energizer Bunny.”

Connor said he prefers dance to be more than just impressive body movements.

“You want to create something that is visually and physically compelling to the audience,” Connor said. “With theater, you can provide more layers of music, more personalities and emotions--more layers of meaning.”

Animated, Connor worked one-on-one with seven dancers. In the middle of the rehearsal, Connor mused at a mistake he noticed in the choreography.

“I’m thinking I love the mistake I made earlier. Let’s try this again,” Connor said to the dancers. “I don’t care about mistakes. So take the time to make sure you’re being creative with the piece.”

Connor, a Brooklyn resident, danced with the Limon Dance Company before he came to Ballet Pacifica nine years ago. It was the first time he worked with a ballet company.

Connor returns to the Ballet Pacifica workshop to test-drive his new material.

“As a modern choreographer, there are few situations or places to bring in dance without the guaranteed financial success,” Connor said. “Ballet Pacifica was willing to take the risk to have something that’s interesting.

“That’s what’s beautiful here. The workshop allows you to take more creative risks, which is massively important. It’s good for me. It’s good for the dancers because they will become better dancers.”

Coming back to a familiar company in a familiar studio is an advantage, choreographers said, because they know the dancers’ strengths.

Eloisa Enerio of Corona will perform in McCullough’s and Connor’s pieces.

“Connor always likes a lot of contrast,” Enerio, 34, said. “For instance, he contrasts modern dance movements with classical music. A lot of what we do is ballet, but with Colin it’s a different attack. Colin’s not symmetrical like most traditional ballet is.”

She notes McCullough’s distinct style.

“Rick’s very dramatic and very deep,” Enerio said. “His pieces are often flowing and organic. His movements have a lot of push and pull and intricate partnering.”

Adapting to the different choreographic styles has challenged her as a dancer, Enerio said.

“Because [the choreographers] know the company, they push us more, and at times it can be frustrating, but in the end it all gels together,” Enerio said. “The better the choreographer, the more nurturing they are. They don’t expect perfection right away. They like to see you evolve.”

* Ballet Pacifica’s Works-in-Progress Showing, 8 p.m. Saturday. South Coast Repertory, 650 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. $20 and $50. Ticket prices include a reception with the artists after the performance. (949) 851-9930.