Copper Coin Ballet Company’s annual Rock Ballet returns to the Springfield Muni Opera on Saturday, Sept. 12, with an all-Prince program that combines live music, contemporary choreography and ballet under the stars.
Julie Ratz of Copper Coin Ballet Company says Prince’s music is a natural fit for dance because of its range, from energetic dance tracks to instrumental and ballad-style pieces. The program was inspired in part by the Joffrey Ballet’s early-1990s production Billboards, which featured ballet set entirely to Prince’s music.
Among the featured works is a longtime company favorite choreographed to “Purple Rain,” along with a newer choreography of Prince’s “The Human Body” with inspiration from Leonardo da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man.
The performance will feature a live band led by Damian Kaplan, with vocalist Mary Kate Smith and other Springfield-area musicians. The musicians will perform on a platform above the dancers, making the band itself part of the visual experience.
Rockballet 26 begins at 8 p.m., with reserved seating and lawn seating available. Audience members can bring blankets, chairs and a picnic for the lawn. The rain date is Sunday, Sept. 13.
Ratz says Rockballet and Copper Coin’s spring production generally break even, but the performances fulfill the company’s mission by giving dancers opportunities to work with guest choreographers and live musicians.
Tickets are available through at https://www.coppercoinballet.org.
Transcribed by AI with human review for accuracy and readability.
Randy Eccles:
This is Community Voices on 91.9 UIS. I'm cohost Randy Eccles. Glad to have a neighbor, a friend, visit again. Julie Ratz from the Copper Coin Ballet Company. They've got the Rockballet coming up. If you haven't heard about the Rockballet in the past, you're missing something. We're going to make sure you don't miss it this time. We're going to talk about it right now. First, when is this year's Rockballet?
Julie Ratz:
Rockballet is on September 12, at 8 p.m. at The Springfield Muni Opera. It's a fantastic venue for this show because it's live music and dance. Outside, the weather hopefully will still be good. You can walk around; you can have a snack. And the theme this year is the best theme ever. It's going to be Prince.
Randy Eccles:
I was excited when I saw that. This is going to be tremendous to see.
Julie Ratz: :
Yes. Joffrey Ballet in the early 1990s did a show called Billboards and they danced ballet to all Prince music. That was the inspiration for Rockballet. We haven't done all Prince. We've had some Prince songs within some other themes, but we've never done just Prince. Of course, he's one of the greatest musicians of all time. His music is so danceable and so varied. Some of his music is just like a dance tune and some of it is instrumental and ballads and gorgeous. Since his death, they've released some of his archive. There may be some music that you've never heard before that's Prince.
Randy Eccles:
So far, what song has stood out the most when you've watched the rehearsals?
Julie Ratz:
My favorite is Purple Rain. And we have a piece that is about 20 years old that my friend Todd Keach, who's a Chicago choreographer, choreographed to Purple Rain, and it's become a staple of our company. It's been passed down through these generations of dancers. We're doing that, of course, Purple Rain.
There's a song that I had never really heard before. It's called The Human Body, and the choreographer used Da Vinci's Vitruvian Man as the inspiration. It's cool to see somebody's take on The Human Body in that context. Dancers are all in a line and they're making various poses, and it's pretty cool.
Randy Eccles:
Prince is a lot like the Beatles, an evergreen, just because he passed away, his music has not.
Julie Ratz:
No.
Randy Eccles:
You probably find most of you younger dancers still know who Prince is.
Julie Ratz:
Yes, they do.
Randy Eccles:
For anybody who's going to go, Purple Rain is huge. It's Prince’s Stairway to Heaven. It'll be a lot of fun out at The Muni. This is what, the second, third year you've been out there?
Julie Ratz:
Third year we've been at The Muni, yeah.
Randy Eccles:
It's outdoors, it's great. There are tickets available ahead of time, reserved seats, right?
Julie Ratz:
Yes.
Randy Eccles:
And then there's also the lawn, just like Muni shows for theater. People can bring a blanket or a chair and a basket of stuff.
Julie Ratz:
Yeah. Bring your picnic. Come on out. The reserved seats are a little bit more expensive. Lawn seats are cheaper. See what the weather is like. I like the reserve seats at Muni because I like to sit in a real chair. I don't find it very comfortable in the lawn chairs or on the grass, but some people like that too. And there's no bad seat in that venue.
Randy Eccles:
It's a great place to see a show. For some folks, the lawn makes it easier to bring the whole family because they can afford it, spending less on food. I've always wondered why there wasn't more happening out there besides just the theater productions. That Rockballet is there is cool. The risk is always the weather, as you mentioned earlier. You cross your fingers that it's going to go on. Is there a rain date if that happens?
Julie Ratz:
Yes, the rain date would be the next night. Sunday, September 13 would be the rain date.
Randy Eccles:
And we hope by September that the weather has gotten a little bit more hospitable.
Does the existing company perform in this show, or do you have specific auditions for Rockballet?
Julie Ratz:
The existing company does this show. When they audition in April to be a member of the company for the year, they are automatically cast in The Nutcracker and in Swan Lake, which will be in 2027. But for rock ballet, each individual choreographer, because we bring in guest choreographers, each individual choreographer auditions the company. They choose the dancers for their piece, which is nice because they don't have any preconceived ideas about who these dancers are. The company dancers get to have the experience of auditioning, and they get to learn rejection too, which is an important part of dance training. You're not going to make every piece, you're not going to be right for every single opportunity. Some of the dancers get a little ego boost, some of them learn how to deal with disappointment. Each choreographer has chosen the dancers that fit their style best.
Randy Eccles:
It’s a good opportunity for somebody with a fresh perspective to come in and see the dancers and put them to use the way they see fit.
Julie Ratz:
Yes.
Randy Eccles:
Is there anything special about this year's Rockballet besides that it features Prince?
Julie Ratz:
It has live music and some of the most talented musicians in town come together. Damien Kaplan leads the band, which is called Downstate. Mary Kate Smith is a vocalist and sings with them. There are 8 or 10 fantastic musicians that come together. Damien re-orchestrates all the music because often we don't use the whole song. Sometimes we cut and paste, maybe take out a verse. He must reorchestrate everything and he's so busy. That's why we must have the show September 12 because he's doing all of these other shows. He's doing Hairspray at the Hoogland, and he's got a bunch of other shows he's doing.
We need him. Having live music is such a great experience for the audience and for the dancers because they're not used to it. We don't have an accompanist in class. We use recorded music. For them to have that connection with the live musicians feeling uplifted and supported by the music is wonderful.
Randy Eccles:
In musical theater, they'll do sitzprobes. Do you do a similar thing where they're rehearsing out at the site with the live band?
Julie Ratz:
Yes, we do. Damien will come and watch rehearsal. The dancers will walk through pieces as they're doing. By the time we get out to the theater, it's done, and he has it count for count. A lot of times when you're playing live music, you get to have some liberties with it. He can't because you can only jump so high, you can't sustain this note. It's a lot of work.
Randy Eccles:
Is the band going to be in the pit or on stage?
Julie Ratz:
On stage.
Randy Eccles:
Are they in some sort of costume themselves?
Julie Ratz:
They can be. We haven't really gotten that far. Usually, they are upstage. This year they're going to be up on a platform. It'll be nice because they'll be up above the dancers. You'll be able to see like a silhouette of the dancers, but then the band will be above because watching the band is often an important part of the choreography.
Randy Eccles:
I can hear the music playing in my head now and trying to think of dance moves that I don't have. It'll be good to see. You've been set up as Copper Coin for several years now. How's it going?
Julie Ratz:
It's great. It's just like it always has been. It's the same artists. It’s in the same location. It's the same sets and costumes and everything where I feel like nothing has changed, and at the same time fresh. It's nice. Sometimes things just need to shake up a little bit. I'm grateful for it.
Randy Eccles:
We had news about the park and stage development Y-block. Copper Coin has been testing out The Muni over the last couple of years. Do you think the Y-block might be an option in the future?
Julie Ratz:
Oh, I'm so excited about the Y-block. Yes, I hope so. I hope so. I hope so. My friend Jeff Nevins works for the Department of Natural Resources, and I ran into him out at Lincoln Memorial Gardens. I'm like, “Please make sure the stage is big enough.” He's like, “How big do you want it? I'm like, “At least 40 by 40.” Whata wonderful venue. Levitt has shown that people will come. If they would just have a place to sit down downtown. Wouldn't it be great?
Randy Eccles:
Levitt has featured dance and things in between the concerts.
Julie Ratz:
We perform at Levitt. They have some kids’ performances before concerts. People are dying to have this -- arts experience downtown. I'm excited about it. I'm so glad. That's what I've always wanted to be there. A nice amphitheater.
Randy Eccles:
The Y-block has grown well with Levitt Amp shows each year, and the opportunity to program other dates and do things will be tremendous.
Julie Ratz:
Yes.
Randy Eccles:
Anything else you'd like to share?
Julie Ratz:
We want to thank Carrollton Bank because they sponsored Rockballet, so we wouldn't be able to do it without their generosity. The Nutcracker will be back at the UIS Performing Arts Center this year. We're excited about the new seating arrangement. There are going to be a big variety of ticket prices. People can attend The Nutcracker for as low as $10 and as much as $70, depending on where you want to sit. That's December 5 and 6. And then in the spring, in April, we're going to do Swan Lake.
Randy Eccles:
The Nutcracker is the number one supporter of dance companies around the country. That's such an important show, obviously for Copper Coin, too. Do you know how many years it has been performed here?
Julie Ratz:
52.
Randy Eccles:
A serious Springfield tradition.
Julie Ratz:
Yeah, and I've been in them all.
Randy Eccles:
Wow!
Julie Ratz:
All of them. I was a soldier in the very first one, 1975. So, it's been a long time. It wouldn't be the holidays without Nutcracker for me.
Randy Eccles:
Swan Lake, is that something that you put on regularly or on occasion?
Julie Ratz:
We perform it every four years. It's a great ballet for us because it has a huge core. Everybody has a tutu and everybody's the same part. Then again, it has the third act with variations from different countries like the Nutcracker. I think it's a family friendly ballet. It’s sad, it's beautiful, the music is stunning. It's one of my favorite ballets to do.
Randy Eccles:
Rock ballet, has that become sort of the second revenue generator?
Julie Ratz:
We break even on Rockballet and the spring ballet. Nutcracker is the only show that we do that makes money that supports us for the rest of the year. It's worth it because we get to spend money on guest artists. We're contributing to dancers income. We're giving people experience in choreography and experience dancing for other stylists. It's worth it. It's part of our mission to educate our dancers in our community.
Randy Eccles:
That's what it's about, for sure.
Julie Ratz:
That's what it's all about. It's not about making money.
Randy Eccles:
It's a nonprofit being able to continue the mission and the cultural engagement. Hopefully, everything else works out as a nonprofit, which is not an easy entity to sustain most of the time.
Julie Ratz:
No, but it's what we all love and we're so grateful to be able to do what we love.
Randy Eccles:
We appreciate Julie Ratz joining us today from Copper Coin Ballet Company. Rockballet is coming when?
Julie Ratz:
September 12.
Randy Eccles:
8 p.m.
Julie Ratz:
At The Springfield Muni. Go to coppercoinballet.org and you can get your tickets there. Don't go to any other site because they rip you off.
Randy Eccles:
That is the big warning. The way the internet works, they'll pop up a few other options before the legitimate site. Look for coppercoinballet.org, click through to buy your tickets. These other sites occasionally inflate the cost of the ticket and people have shown up at venues with this ticket, and it doesn't get them in because it's not authentic. Be careful.
Julie Ratz:
Yeah, the official is through Metro Tix, the same ticketing agency that does The Muni’s tickets.
Randy Eccles:
About 8 p.m., the sun will be setting. You'll get twilight just in time for all the lighting to take effect. I imagine it's an incredible light show, going with the music.
Julie Ratz:
It's an incredible light show. Yeah, our lighting designer is fantastic. She's got a master's degree in lighting from the Northwestern theater department. She is top of the line. She's from New Jersey and she flies in to do our lights. She'll be here for about a week setting lights out there.
Randy Eccles:
We look forward to Rockballet Saturday, September 12, at The Muni from Copper Coin Ballet Company. Thanks so much, Julie Ratz, for joining us.
Julie Ratz:
Thanks for having me.
Randy Eccles:
We'll look forward to seeing more of what Copper Coin's up to. Just stay tuned to Community Voices to hear more.
Julie Ratz:
All right!
