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In February, Susan Anderson walked the halls of the dance department and wondered where she would find ten male dancers to appear in the spring production. She had chosen “Ondine: The Sea Sprite,” and now she had to fill parts for nine dancing sailors and one King Neptune.
She stopped cold as she passed Instructor Florence Stiles’ beginning ballet class.
There, reflected in the mirrors of a rehearsal room, was muscular, tattooed Marine ROTC student Kurt Lipusz stretching at the ballet bar. Next to him was strong, compact Naval ROTC student Dan Daly making a sweeping plié. And next to him were several more male students, all taking ballet for the first time.
Anderson had found her dancing sailors.
“Most of the male dancers in ‘Ondine’ have been recruited from beginning ballet and dance appreciation classes, and a few from the men’s swim team. They have been very willing to dance, and they will help make the spring production even more amazing,” said Anderson, dance professor and artistic director of the USC Dance Company.
“In ‘Ondine,’ dancers portray sea creatures, such as manta rays and sea serpents. The scenery will make the audience feel as if they are underwater—a ship will actually sink into the ocean onstage. And the story is quite intriguing,” she said. A second part of the production is a modern work, “Visions of the Amazon,” danced en pointe and choreographed by visiting professor Miriam Barbosa,
In all, the spring dance production includes 40 USC Dance Company and USC Dance Conservatory dancers. USC student Misha Eady will be Ondine, and two professional male dancers will appear in lead roles. Lipusz, a history major with a daunting dragon tattoo on his left bicep, will be Ondine’s father, King Neptune.
“I’m a competitive tai fighter, and I’m not competing this semester,” explained Lipusz, a junior. “I’m taking ballet to stay flexible and keep my strength up. The class has been great: I’m becoming a lot stronger and faster. I feel sorry for my next opponent.”
Lipusz, his ROTC cohorts, and the USC dancers can be seen in “Ondine: The Sea Sprite” and “Visions of the Amazon.” Performances are at 8 p.m. April 12 and 6:30 p.m. April 30 at the Koger Center.
Tickets are $10 for the general public and $8 for students. To purchase, call 251-2222.
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