Marie-Jose Payannet believes that some of life’s most important lessons are learned on the dance floor. As the artistic and executive director of Louisville’s Danse Etoile Ballet, Payannet has spent the last two decades teaching the youth of Boulder County about the artform she fell in love with as a kid in Southern France.
“Dance gives you a mindset that will help you work through the difficulties in life,” Payannet says. “If you have a lot of enthusiasm, dedication and perseverance, you can survive anything; ballet teaches these skills. ”
Payannet’s dance journey began in the French city of Avignon, where she studied at the Conservatory of Classical Dance and Music. She performed for many years in Paris before moving to the United States with her husband, where she continued her career with Alabama’s Huntsville Ballet and appeared as a guest artist with the Alabama and Atlanta ballets, performing well into her 40s.
After moving to Boulder with her two children and working for several local companies, she founded Danse Etoile in 2004 as a hybrid school and company to help young dancers refine their craft. Payannet’s latest project and the company’s season closer, Frida’s Wings — an original work about the life and art of its legendary namesake painter — encapsulates her passion for storytelling through dance.
“I’ve always been very interested in all kinds of art, particularly by powerful women,” Payannet says. “Frida Kahlo’s life was so complex that it was impossible to convey everything in an hour-and-a-half ballet. That’s why I called it Frida’s Wings rather than something like Frida’s Story — the wings symbolize her desire to create, despite all the hardships she faced.”
Frida takes flight
Kahlo’s remarkable life will find a vibrant new expression when Danse Etoile performers take the stage June 7-8 at Boulder’s Dairy Arts Center. Known for her vibrant self-portraits and profound symbolism, the iconic queer visual artist overcame physical and emotional obstacles to become one of the most renowned and recognizable artists of the 20th century.
Born in Mexico City in 1907, Kahlo contracted polio at age six, resulting in a lifelong limp. At 18, a near-fatal bus accident left her with severe chronic pain and ongoing complications for the rest of her life. Unable to walk for three months after the extensive injuries to her spine, pelvis, leg and uterus, she started painting self-portraits using a special easel and mirror during her rehabilitation as a way to cope with the suffering. This pivotal moment, rendered in movement by Payannet’s skilled young dancers, is when Kahlo first took flight.
“After her accident, Frida begins to paint onstage, and the dancer who plays her wings enters, and the dancing becomes less traditional,” Payannet says. “The contemporary dance in the piece expresses the internal change she goes through when she starts channeling her emotions through art. We try to visually replicate everything in Frida’s work through movement.”
The ballet will feature interpretations of Kahlo’s most iconic paintings, such as Me and My Parrots, The Two Fridas and Self-Portrait with Cropped Hair. The score features works by renowned composers like Philip Glass, René Aubry and Ludovico Einaudi, as well as original compositions by Colorado musicians Dave Heffner and Bruce Klepper.
“I am inspired by Frida Kahlo’s work because I’m also a painter, but in this case, the stage is my white canvas,” Payannet says. “There is nothing else on stage except the dancers, some images of the artwork, and music, which together create a painting in motion.”
‘When I’m stressed, I turn to ballet’
Neeharika Hancock, a recent high school graduate playing Kahlo, says she has long been interested in the artist she portrays. She fondly recalls discussions about Kahlo’s legacy in school, and had the opportunity to visit her home in Mexico two years ago.
“She had a difficult life, but one thing that inspires me about her is how she overcame it through her art, and I feel like I have done the same with ballet,” Hancock says. “When I’m stressed, I turn to ballet.”
As the season finale approaches, Hancock says she and other graduating seniors have been reflecting on their time with Danse Etoile. Hancock will be starting as a freshman engineering student at CU Boulder in the fall. She hopes to continue dancing, but this will be her final production with the company.
“It’s been happy and sad to have our last dress rehearsal and stuff like that, but also really rewarding,” Hancock says. “I am grateful to have had the opportunity to spend so much time with Marie and have her help me grow over the years by teaching me the value of balance, time management and perseverance, which I will carry with me for the rest of my life.”
ON STAGE: Frida’s Wings. June 7-8, The Dairy Arts Center, 2590 Walnut St., Boulder. $20-$30