Alberta Ballet gets a new look

In his four-decade career Elton John has been both deified and demonized. Next week Alberta Ballet pays homage to the pop icon through a different prism.

Choreographed by artistic director Jean Grand-Maitre, the hotly anticipated Love Lies Bleeding premieres at the Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium on May 11 and 12.

For more than a year, there’s been a huge outpouring of creative energy going into this innovative artistic medium, inspired by the rollercoaster life and memorable music of John.

A project in the making for over a year, it meshes a new language of jazzy ballet with 14 of the legendary icon’s familiar tunes. The visual look alone, a fusion between A Clockwork Orange and Alice in Wonderland, carries the infamous flashy John signature. And Martine Bertrand, who has designed costumes for Grand-Maitre for 16 years, has developed a surrealistic design concept borrowing from glam rock, burlesque and cabaret.

Although Alberta Ballet has classical roots, the slightly jazzier form is a welcome departure. “In our rehearsals Jean talked a lot about Bob Fosse, but it’s still ballet and it adds to our repertoire,” says former St. Albert resident Galien Johnston. In her demon role, Johnston dons a red skin-tight costume, bowler hat and whip.

Love Lies Bleeding examines the cult of celebrity where entertainers are catapulted to the constellations, worshipped like gods and then torn apart for public consumption.

The hero is a fan who starts out in the audience, climbs on stage and lives out his rock star fantasies. He journeys through the initial success and triumph of superstardom, but is tripped up by overwork and drug use. “He confronts his homosexuality and comes to a low point where he almost dies. But he finds a way to face who he is.”

Kelley McKinlay and Yukichi Hattori perform in the principal roles. “Yukichi is a compact, quick dancer. He’s physically exciting, sharp, fast and exciting. Kelley is an intense performer and he puts a lot of passion behind his work.”

The ballet opens with Bennie and The Jets, a salute to John’s 1975 concert at Dodger Stadium and swings into a litany of hits — I Want to Be a Teenage Idol, Rocket Man, Have Mercy on the Criminal, The King Must Die and Saturday Night’s All Right for Fighting.

Staying true to an Elton John spectacle, there’s an array of aerialists, dancers spinning on turntables, fiery roller skaters and cowboy gladiators along with two black pianos dropping from the fly.

“There’s great music, fun dancing and costumes. It’s not what you think ballet is.”