Architecture of dance

Heatscape came about at a point in my career where I was finding myself as a choreographer and was very curious to explore, change, subvert and push the classical ballet vocabulary a little further. The work was commissioned by Miami City Ballet, one of my first major premieres outside of New York City Ballet. I have built a very close relationship with these dancers and the company and wanted to create something that would set them apart - not only because of their artistic ability, but also because of their geographical location. With Heatscape, I created a world inspired by the art scene in the Wynwood Art District in Miami. What's special about this neighborhood is that there was an explosion of street art. These huge murals, which had only appeared in the last few years, were everywhere. It was a new emergence of artwork, I had never seen a place like this before. It was inspiring, bringing art to the people, to the public. I in turn spent a lot of time getting to know the artists on display at Wynwood and eventually wanted to commission one of them to create a set for my ballet. I decided to reach for the stars and turn to Shepard Fairey, who is in many ways the "Godfather" of street art. To my surprise and delight, he agreed and designed the set for my choreography. Much of the structure of the ballet is inspired by certain techniques of drawing, painting and patterning. The movements became a reflection of what Shepard Fairey painted for the large prospectus that hangs at the back of the stage. There are many interactions between the architecture of the dance and the architecture of his work.

The title was also inspired by the work Summerspace by Merce Cunningham. When Merce created it, he described it as a dance that could go beyond the boundaries of stage, space and scenery. I like this way of thinking about dance and wanted to transfer it to my choreography in terms of its energy and expansion. I want it to feel like the dance on stage is "bursting at the seams".

I always loved Martinů's music. He was an impressive personality. This piano concerto, which he wrote at a young age, really appealed to me. It has so much energy, is incredibly danceable and defied the time in which it was written. There are many allusions to composers of the past in the score, there are some baroque references, but also moments that feel like the composition is way ahead of its time. That was fascinating for me.

I see classical ballet as a language that you can use to create a dance and create something of your own. When I choreograph a ballet, it's about how I use this technique, this alphabet, to write something. Many people think of classical music as a thing of the past or a particular era, but for me it's a language that we can use in many ways. It's my way of thinking about the creation of a ballet. It's a craft process that uses language to create a whole world. This refers not only to the dancers' steps, but also to the design, the visual world and the music. Ballet has always been a meeting point for different art forms to come together and create a coherent experience that exists in a very specific place and time.

I'm lucky that the common factor in all of these things is dance and, whether it's theater or ballet, it's a language I know how to speak. I've always been fascinated by the expressiveness of these other mediums. I grew up watching Broadway shows and musicals, and of course I've seen a lot of movies, so being a part of the creation of works from other genres is very inspiring to me. I don't like to do just one thing. The variety of work is what keeps me creatively alive. The different mediums balance each other out, and I learn a lot from each genre that I can bring to the next. Because they all work a little differently, and I love that mutual influence.