Jeanette Delgado dishes on Liam Scarlett!

When the young choreographer of London’s The Royal Ballet, Liam Scarlett, arrived at our Miami Beach studios to choreograph his first work for MCB last season, he was warmly welcomed by the smiling face of Principal Jeanette Delgado.  From day one, Jeanette and Liam hit it off as great friends; which, lucky for us and our audiences, transpired into an extraordinary artistic collaboration.  After watching Jeanette’s performance of Liam’s first work for MCB, Viscera, The New York Times named her “one of the world’s most marvelous ballerinas.” When we learned that Liam would be returning to MCB to create a second world premiere this year, we caught up with Jeanette to capture her excitement about once again working with the internationally acclaimed choreographer and close friend Liam Scarlett.

Jeanette Delgado in Liam Scarlett's Viscera

Jeanette Delgado in Liam Scarlett’s Viscera

“Working with Liam on two ballets now has been en entirely different experience for the company and me. Having a ballet created on us is so essential to our artistic development and makes us feel a part of the choreographic process. Normally, learning a ballet involves working with a répétiteur or watching a video of past performances.  When working with a choreographer on an original work, you have no point of reference for how the movement should appear.  The choreographer has a vision, but they have never seen it on bodies. The process becomes more of a collaboration, which is very rewarding in the sense that you feel more like an artist, not just a dancer.  Liam made such a wonderful impression on all the dancers in and outside of the studios.  As a former dancer for The Royal Ballet, he relates to us so easily.  He is a beautiful human being and his talent is immense!  Euphotic is an entirely different ballet than Viscera.  Most of us were already familiar with Liam’s movement and fluid port de bras so he could use the company on a greater scale and go even further with his ideas!  It is so exciting to be an inspiration for new works that dance companies may be performing for years to come.”

There is still time to catch Jeanette’s performance in Liam’s newest work Euphotic, this weekend at the Kravis Center as part of Program II: Tradition and Innovation.

Photos: Euphotic © Daniel Azoulay. Viscera © Kyle Froman.