During the past few weeks, we’ve been sharing thoughts from some of the dancers participating in those performances. Today we shift to Meg Paul, associate artistic director with Complexions Contemporary Ballet and répétiteur for the Foundation.
Meg Paul has worked closely with dance pioneers in the field and performed master works from the repertoire and artistic direction of Gerald Arpino, Robert Joffrey, Twyla Tharp, and Dwight Rhoden and Desmond Richardson, as well as works by Petipa, Ashton, Nijinsky, Massine, Balanchine, Forsythe, and Alonzo King. She was a ballerina with The Joffrey Ballet (Joffrey II 1982–86, The Joffrey Ballet 1986–93) and has extensive national and international touring credits. Paul performed both leading roles and served on the creative team and as dance captain for Twyla Tharp’s Tony Award-winning Broadway musical Movin’ Out. World Arts Inc., the New York City-based performing arts agency she co-founded, celebrated a decade of representing and producing tours for national and international companies.
Paul is currently associate artistic director and rehearsal director with Complexions Contemporary Ballet and continues to serve as director of its Academy. She has been working with dancers Fabrice Calmels and Larissa Gerzke on Valentine for the Centennial Celebration. Valentine also features Paul’s son Charles, who plays the double bass as another character in the work—the only one on either program with live music.
Meg’s thoughts and reflections:
I was invited to Mr. Joffrey’s summer intensive in San Antonio, Texas when I was 15. When Mr. Arpino popped his head in the room for the first time, right away we had a connection. He would pull me to the side during class and rehearsal to give me corrections and provide coaching and mentorship. When I joined the main company, Mr. A. was remounting The Clowns, and I was cast to perform one of the featured roles. Around that same time, we were preparing for the reconstruction of The Nutcracker. Mr. A., as we affectionately called him, was choreographing the Waltz of the Flowers and the Snow sections, and he asked me to work with him to create some of the choreography. This was a dream come true for a young company member, to be asked to work at that level with him! As I was executing one of his favorite moves, a slide on the edge of the pointe shoe, I caught a slippery spot on the studio floor and broke my foot. So, I was injured and out of The Clowns. I was absolutely devastated. Mr. A. brought me into his office and said, “Baby (he called us all “Baby”), put on some makeup and some nice clothes, it’ll make you feel better!” He asked me to help cut out the paper hearts, which were part of the props for The Clowns. This was his way of helping me move through feelings of sadness about my injury, to look on the brighter side, and take better care of myself. By keeping me involved behind the scenes as I healed, I felt valued and still a part of the company. His indefatigable optimism was one of his strongest attributes. His energy and outlook helped me as a growing artist and person and underpinned the foundation for the company to move through various challenges.
Among the Arpino ballets I danced were Light Rain, Trinity, Suite Saint-Saëns, Valentine, Viva Vivaldi, and Italian Suite.
Mr. Arpino created many ballets in the studios in the West Village in New York City. Like many NYC dance spaces, there were poles on both sides, making it difficult to create and rehearse due to the structures blocking the full space. As legend has it, Mr. A. used the poles to develop another one of his signature moves—pulling the body around by leading with the side of the torso—out of necessity to get around the poles!
In 2018, I licensed Valentine and staged the work for the Maggie Allesee Department of Theatre and Dance at Wayne State University. This required finding a double bass musician who could handle the extreme intricacies, rigor, and technical challenges of Jacob Druckman’s composition. My son Charles, who at the time was completing his master’s in double bass at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music, agreed to perform the role. We had such a great time working together and collaborating! Charles is now the 1st Assistant Principal Bass with The Cleveland Orchestra; we are thrilled to partner with former Joffrey Ballet artist Fabrice Calmels and former Complexions Contemporary Ballet artist Larissa Gerzke to bring Valentine back to the stage in honor of our beloved Mr. A.
For me, being part of the Joffrey Ballet and working with Mr. Arpino instilled lifelong lessons that shaped me as an artist, director, choreographer, and educator. It was an incredible time—I am forever grateful.