Day of the Dead Bride

Written by Karen Long

Day of the Dead Bride

Local Influences Inspire Ballet Wichita’s Fall Show

Written by Karen Long

To celebrate the turning of the seasons and the thinning of the veil, Ballet Wichita presents “The Spirit Bride,” a contemporary production weaving the classic ballet “Giselle” with influences from Día de los Muertos. In keeping with recent years, the company is pulling in diverse strands from the area — in this case Hispanic and Latino communities with input from Empower, and student involvement through a new class at Newman University.

Courtesy Ballet Wichita, photography by Aaron Patton

“I liken it to ‘Rocky Horror,’ an opportunity to go to the theater to dress up in a different way,” — Annika Wooton, director of marketing

”Giselle,” the most haunting of the European classical ballets, is a romance and a tragedy, epitomizing the Romantic period’s fascination with the supernatural, which drew artistic director Logan Pachciarz to the idea in the first place. He saw the through-line of love, life, loss and regret and imagined it dancing with the imagery of Día de los Muertos..His vision is to tell the timeless story of the spirit bride in a uniquely Wichita way: “I love the sense of the macabre, but also the sense of beauty of being able to cross the veil and touch a loved one from the past.”

“In this production, we’re actually melding Adolphe Adam’s iconic score for ‘Giselle’ with more contemporary Hispanic and Latino music,” says Pachciarz, “including classical guitar and culturally appropriate music to represent the folkloric traditions.”

A Creative Collab with Newman University Students

For a fresh eye on visual motifs, Ballet Wichita reached out to Newman University to partner on the production side. Mark Mannette and Shannon Johnston are the professors team-teaching the course, Fine and Performing Arts Collaboration. The class kicked off with a visit from Pachciarz who shared his concepts, and students got busy crafting costumes, props and Día de los Muertos masks. As part of the co-production, students worked with the backstage team at Ballet Wichita and even had an opportunity to audition for on-stage roles. Documentation of the classwork will be on display before both shows.

Poster design concept by Steven Brown, a student in Newman University’s course, Fine and Performing Arts Collaboration.

“Our goal for students is to see the endless possibilities that come from getting outside of your comfort zone and doing something with someone who thinks and creates differently than you,” says Johnston.

The “Spooky Ballet”

This is the second year in a row for Ballet Wichita to celebrate the fall Halloween season, beginning last year with “Dracula.” In spite of a last-minute venue change, that production attracted a robust and enthusiastic audience, with people coming in costume and a sold-out VIP dinner, according to director of marketing Annika Wooton.

“I liken it to “Rocky Horror” — an opportunity to go to the theater to dress up in a different way,” she says. “You’re not dressing up to the nines for ‘Nutcracker.’ You’re dressing up in your costume and coming to the show, and we had a really great response.”

Wooton hopes to see Ballet Wichita’s annual spooky fall show continue into the future. “I think that’s the plan,” she says. “This is our second full season with four main stage productions, and ‘Dracula’ really kicked us off with a classic.”

If you’d like to see this become an annual tradition, vote with your ticket and come out to see “The Spirit Bride” on October 9 and 10. Costumes encouraged.