Devon Carney is tired, but somehow he doesn’t look the part. The associate artistic director for Cincinnati Ballet has been putting in roughly 16-hour days recently. All these efforts go toward the company’s upcoming production — ironically, Sleeping Beauty.
When I playfully suggest he’d be a sleeping beauty when this is over, Carney chuckles and replies, “Boy, you are not kidding! Oh my word …”
In addition to choreographing (after Marius Petipa’s canonized 1890 original) and fast-paced, time-crunched rehearsals with the company and the rest of the cast, Carney has done extensive research on this classic full-length ballet, watching archival videos and more. Then there’s keeping up with day-to-day duties, e-mails and other work that comes with his role at the Ballet.
So does this dance world still feel like a dream for him?
Cincinnati Ballet presents Sleeping Beauty at Music Hall Friday-Sunday. Go here to read Julie Mullins' full feature.
