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Alonzo King has been called a visionary choreographer and someone who is altering the way we look and think about movement.
According to his bio, King calls his works “thought structures” created by the manipulation of energies that exist in matter through laws, which govern the shapes and movement directions of everything that exists.
Alonzo King LINES Ballet, which comes to Segerstrom Center on Friday, Feb. 7, has been guided by his unique artistic vision for more than four decades.
For the performance at Segerstrom Center, LINES Ballet honors legendary spiritual leader, composer, pianist, and harpist Alice Coltrane, along with the imaginative storytelling of composer Maurice Ravel through Alonzo King’s choreography.
According to information from Segerstrom Center, King has been mesmerized by Coltrane’s music since he was a child—he choreographed one of his very first pieces to her work. He now returns to her body of work to create a ballet called “Ode to Alice Coltrane” as part of “The Year of Alice,” a nationwide tribute to her legacy that includes performances and exhibits by LINES Ballet, Impulse! Records, Detroit Jazz Festival, Hammer Museum, and The New York Historical Society.
Also featured on February 7 is King’s recent collaboration with the San Francisco Symphony as the dancers explore the enchanting world of Ravel’s 1912 suite “Ma mère l’Oye” (“Mother Goose”), infusing the music with a new interpretation.
One of the LINES Ballet dancers on the program hails from Orange County and joined LINES Ballet last fall.
Amanda Smith grew up here and trained at California Dance Academy, Pointe of Grace, and Anaheim Ballet. In 2008, she was crowned Miss Dance Drill Team California and USA. She moved to New York to study at SUNY Purchase where she received her BFA in 2012. She also studied abroad and performed at the Dance New York International Dance Festival in Madrid, Spain.
After graduating, Smith joined Charlotte Ballet and then in 2015 moved back to New York, where she joined New York Theatre Ballet. She then joined the Dance Theatre of Harlem in 2017 and was featured on the cover of Dance Magazine’s 2019 April issue.
“It was wonderful to be at Anaheim Ballet, it was such wonderful training,” Smith told the NB Indy during a phone call from San Francisco, where LINES Ballet is based. “They always made sure every dancer was paid attention to, and they always spotlighted a dancer each week on their YouTube channel. After I moved to New York, people would say ‘you’re that girl from YouTube.’ They set me up for greatness. They always talked about real life scenarios, what it would be like, which is very important when you are a younger dancer.”
Smith said she loved to dance even as a young child.
“I used to dance around at grocery stores throughout Orange County, putting on shows everywhere here I went, even at doctor’s offices,” recalled Smith. “I fell I love with it, and had Larry and Sarma Rosenberg (the directors of Anaheim Ballet) to rein in that energy and excitement and bring in technique.”
And what about her fame as a Dance Drill Team champion?
Smith laughed and explained that she was on the dance team while attending El Dorado High School in Placentia. The team competed throughout California, and after doing a solo at a competition that showcased different forms of dance, she sailed through the entire process and was crowned Miss Dance Drill Team California. She then went to Florida and competed for the USA title. It all came down to an interview question, said Smith, when she was asked “what would you do to get more boys interested in dance?”
“I think I said that dance is more than tutus and tiaras,” responded Smith. “You need the mind of an artist and the body of an athlete. It’s much more than just prancing around.”
Those are also key qualities for dancers in LINES Ballet, said Smith.
“I am grateful having grown up doing so many styles of dance. I can do whatever choreographers can throw at me. With LINES you need that classical technique, but then step out and do crazy things, move fast and jump high, use the space and travel around the stage.”
The February 7 performance is the first time Smith will have performed at Segerstrom Center, and she’s looking forward to having family and friends coming to see her. Even better—her mother’s birthday is on February 7, and she’ll be in attendance.
For tickets to the Alonzo King LINES Ballet concert, visit www.SCFTA.org.