SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — The Syracuse City Ballet made their long awaited return to live performances.
After a two-day delay due to rain, the group had their first live performance in a year and a half on Saturday when they performed their Ballet by the Lake.
During that year and a half, things haven’t been easy for the group.
Right before Covid-19 locked the country down last March, the ballet was just two days away from a performance of “Cinderella.”
Rehearsals with masks meant relearning breathing while dancing. Social distancing made rehearsing with multiple dancers extremely challenging, and lockdowns meant no live performances.
The group’s creative director Aldo Kattón said the shutdown was the same for them as it was for most people: unexpected, different and a lot of Zoom calls.
“This lockdown thing happened all of a sudden and one day you’re there and the next you have to dance in your kitchen,” Kattón said. “I had to teach from Zoom for several, several, several months.
The group had online performances, including keeping up with their tradition of “The Nutcracker” around Christmas, but Kattón, said Saturday’s return before a live audience was exciting.
“That’s what dance is for us. The connection to the audience, to be able to tell these stories,” Kattón said.
Kattón said the live performance marks a new beginning for the group, but he’s most excited for the dancers to once again have the feeling of being back onstage and working with an audience.
The Ballet’s outdoor performance took place at the Syracuse Inner Harbor Amphitheater at 2 p.m. on Saturday, August 14. The group’s online performances can be found on YouTube.
