John Butler Archives

At the opening performance of Richmond Ballet’s 2019-2020 season, prima ballerina Maggie Small gave a heartfelt farewell performance as new dancers made a strong first impression.

This past weekend kicked off the 2019-2020 performance season of Richmond Ballet, the state ballet of Virginia, with Contemporary Classics at the Dominion Energy Center. Featuring fan favorites choreographed by John Butler and George Balanchine, Richmond Ballet company dancers new and old impressed an immense crowd of family, friends, and children with poise and grace. “Themes and Variations” was performed by the company for the first time in the organization’s existence, and “Carmina Burana” was the send off to retiring prima ballerina, Maggie Small.

*Sabrina Holland and Anthony Oates in Theme and Variations. Choreography by George Balanchine © The George Balanchine Trust. Richmond Ballet. All Rights Reserved. Photo by Sarah Ferguson.*

With a live score provided by the Richmond Symphony, “Themes and Variations” is quite possibly my favorite Balanchine work performed by Richmond Ballet yet. Lead roles were held by Sabrina Holland and Tony Oates, and they were powerful displays of prowess within the art form.

Tchaikovsky’s chamber sounds were meant to be felt, accompanied by the long lines of ballet. From toe to finger, the audience was left enthralled, peering onto the Carpenter Theatre’s stage and witnessing effortless execution. I must say: brava, Holland. Artistic Director of Richmond Ballet Stoner Winslett said herself that she’s “been saving this for a company strong enough to perform. And after 40 years, we have it.”

After the intermission, and as the audience returned to their seats, the walls and aisles of the first and second floor began to fill with choral singers dressed in long black garb. One hundred operatic voices from the VCU Commonwealth Singers and the Richmond Symphony Chorus erupted into the resonant overture of “Carmina Burana,” a sixty-year-old ballet that is recognizable to even the least informed patron.

*Maggie Small in Carmina Burana by John Butler. Richmond Ballet. All Rights Reserved. Photo by Sarah Ferguson.*

With this mighty presence, and a subject matter as ripe as peaches, Maggie Small took the stage one last time alongside other leads by Cody Beaton, Fernado Sabino, and Ira White. Each were as phenomenal as you can imagine, sending Small off to retirement with gusto as she performed what some would call her magnum opus.

Contemporary Classics only showed three performances with a run-time of about 90 minutes, and the only thing I wish was different was that it lasted just a little longer. We all did not want the night to end, for Small to walk off stage one last time, for the Symphony to pack up their instruments. But like all good things, it came to an end, and I’m glad I had the opportunity to see it happen. This performance was by far the most meaningful concert I’ve had the pleasure to see from the Richmond Ballet.

*Dancers of Richmond Ballet in Theme and Variations. Choreography by George Balanchine © The George Balanchine Trust. Richmond Ballet. All Rights Reserved. Photo by Sarah Ferguson.*

There’s still time to purchase your tickets to Richmond Ballet’s next performance “Studio One,” running from November 5 through November 10. Tickets are available through their website.

Before her final performance this weekend, longtime Richmond Ballet dancer Maggie Small shares her thoughts about a career spent on her toes.

For the season opener of the Richmond Ballet’s 2019-2020 performances, the company presents Contemporary Classics at the Dominion Energy Center for the Performing Arts this weekend, Friday, September 27 through Sunday, September 29.

Paying homage to some of the ballet’s roots, Contemporary Classics will offer two ballets: “Themes and Variations” by George Balanchine and “Carmina Burana” by John Butler. The program is accompanied by live instrumentation presented by the Richmond Symphony, in tandem with 100 choral singers from the VCU Commonwealth Singers and the Richmond Symphony Chorus.

The 2019-2020 season for the Richmond Ballet is one of many firsts and a few lasts. This season will be the last for company dancer Fernando Sabino. With Contemporary Classics, Richmond Ballet also bids farewell to long-serving company member Maggie Small. After the conclusion of Sunday’s performance of “Carmina Burana,” Small will officially retire from performance and assume a position on the administrative and fundraising side of the nonprofit ballet company.

Before she goes, RVA Magazine had the opportunity to sit down with her and listen to the highlights and takeaways of a distinguished ballerina.

“I’m excited to go out on something that I really care about,” Small said, “and to share that with so many people between the dancers, the artistic staff [of the Richmond Ballet], and soon to be the audiences, I just feel so grateful and supported.”

*Maggie Small and Ira White in Carmina Burana by John Butler. Richmond Ballet 2019. All Rights Reserved. Photo by Sarah Ferguson.*

Small is a Richmonder through and through, having taken advantage of the multiple programs the Richmond Ballet currently has that promote and give opportunity to children who might not get exposure to ballet. She was a student of the School of Richmond Ballet and became an apprentice at 17, while still in high school. After working her way through both professional companies to a principal dancer, Small has accrued notable accolades for her career in ballet, including a cover shoot for DANCE Magazine in 2012.

“What I love about dancing is the way it builds between people,” Small said. “It’s an art that’s handed down from generation. There’s moments where you’re working with a ballet master and they translate how you work with people in the room into dancing. We’re family here, too. If we don’t work together, it just won’t work.”

Small, who could honestly say that ballet is her life, was the first to admit that it’s a hard line of work. There’s mental and physical exhaustion, torn ligaments, and broken bones — but she wouldn’t have had it any other way. The Richmond Ballet offered her a home when she was just five years old, and it will continue to be her home as she steps away from her principal role into a development role writing grants for the nonprofit. Who better to tell the story of the ballet than its own ballerina?

Sabrina Holland and Anthony Oates in Theme and Variations by George Balanchine. Richmond Ballet. All Rights Reserved. Photos by Sarah Ferguson. Choreography by George Balanchine © The George Balanchine Trust.

You can come say “thank you” to Maggie Small this weekend only at the Dominion Energy Center’s Carpenter Theatre. Friday and Saturday shows start at 7pm, and the Sunday show starts at 2pm. Tickets start at $25 and can be purchased on Richmond Ballet’s website.

The Fervor of Tradition On Pointe: Contemporary Classics At Richmond Ballet

With “Contemporary Classics,” Richmond Ballet Says Goodbye to Maggie Small