The Rosin Box Project, a collective of ballet rebels who dance en pointe to the beat of different choreographers, is inviting audiences to experience a before-and-after production this week.
“Incubator Lab” begins with open rehearsals on Tuesday and Wednesday so audiences can watch the process of creating a contemporary ballet in real time, and afterwards, chat with the choreographers.
The actual performances follow next weekend at Arts District Liberty Station’s Light Box Theater.
“I think the majority of audiences only see dance when it’s fully packaged and presented on stage,” said artistic director and CEO Carly Topazio.
“They never see the creative process, and in my opinion, it’s when the most interesting things happen. Our dancers are contracted for 37 weeks, but when you look at our programming, they’re on stage for four weekends. The majority of our time is spent in process and in creation.”
The Rosin Box Project company dancer Reka Gyulai will perform in its upcoming “Incubator Lab” concerts. (Carly Topazio)
The Rosin Box Project company dancer Sona Jaeger will perform in its upcoming “Incubator Lab” concerts. (Carly Topazio)
The Rosin Box Project company dancer Brian Bennett will perform in its upcoming “Incubator Lab” concerts. (Carly Topazio)
The Rosin Box Project company dancer Sona Jaeger will perform in its upcoming “Incubator Lab” concerts. (Carly Topazio)
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The Rosin Box Project company dancer Reka Gyulai will perform in its upcoming “Incubator Lab” concerts. (Carly Topazio)
“Incubator Lab” includes works by two commissioned guest choreographers and a work by resident dancer/choreographer Bethany Green.Choreographer Natasha Rader (Texas Ballet Theater, Golden State Ballet, Ballet Collective San Diego) explores issues of trust and intimacy, with movement that creates a world where “support, surrender and interdependence emerge through architectural partnering and nuanced physical expression.”
An athletic, contemporary ballet by Alexandra Schooling (Oklahoma City Ballet, PDX Contemporary Ballet) is accompanied by an original score by Chris Desien.
It’s described as an “atmospheric landscape that unfolds like a fragmented transmission from another world.”
The commissioned works by Rader and Schooling can first be seen at Tuesday’s open rehearsal, and both choreographers will field questions from the audience.
Resident dancer Green created the whimsical new work, “Sticks and Stones,” a theatrical piece filled with eccentric characters, accompanied by an accordion-driven score.
Green will discuss her work on Wednesday during the open rehearsal for “Sticks and Stones.” Some may remember her charming 2023 dance “Mise en Place,” a French cooking term meaning “everything has its place.”
Using pantomime gestures, she boldly integrated restaurant humor into a ballet about a chef judging the quality of a dish.
At a rehearsal, one can witness the intimacy and vulnerability of dancers who have learned to trust each other’s physical strengths and limitations. Moments of trial and error can make a movement phrase look like a Twister board game, as mobility and balance choices are made.
The lighting is often harsh, exposing the musculature of the dancers. Pointe shoes have blackened soles. And instead of fitted costumes, clothing can be loose and sweat-stained.
Typically, one or more dancers sport a compression-wrapped leg.
There are common sounds that accompany the struggle to bring contemporary ballet ideas to life — the clack of pointe shoes against the floor, heavy breathing from collective physical exertion and counting out loud.
Sometimes, there’s an audible groan after a failed attempt at a demanding lift, and more often than not, there’s laughter in the process of creating movement ideas that reflect intention.
Topazio created The Rosin Box Project in 2018, after her mentors and teachers discouraged a career in the arts.
Luckily, one of her superpowers is persistence.
“Starting a company from the ground up, especially as a younger artist, meant constantly hearing reasons why something wouldn’t work: lack of funding, lack of infrastructure, lack of audience, lack of resources. And to be honest, there have been so many moments where it would have been easier to walk away than to push through. But I think those experiences ultimately clarified what really mattered to me.”
What mattered, Topazio said, was creating a space where ambitious, high-level artistic work and humanity could coexist. Her intention was to establish a nonprofit company that values rigor and innovation, but also collaboration, curiosity, and care for the people creating the work.
“A lot of the challenges TRBP has survived have reinforced that vision rather than weakened it,” she added.
“Incubator Lab” offers two distinct versions of contemporary ballet and Topazio, who is dancing in all three works, encourages attending both the before and the after, so the complete journey is revealed.
“I don’t think a lot of audiences realize everything that goes into putting something on stage,” she said.
“Contemporary ballet can often feel inaccessible or a little intimidating. We are striving for perfection and it’s supposed to look effortless. But this is more about the humanness behind it.”
The Rosn Box Project presents ‘Incubator Lab’
Open Rehearsals: 7 to 8:15 p.m. Tuesday (Rader and Schooling) and Wednesday (Green)
Performances and Talkbacks: 7:30 to 9 p.m. Friday; Saturday; and next Sunday
Where: Light Box Light Box Theater, Arts District Liberty Station, 2590 Truxtun Road, Suite 205, San Diego
Tickets: Process Passes are $28.52; Performance tickets are $49.87