Art Chowder January | February, Issue 19 | Page 39

Cover of the flier announcing Spokane Ballet’s 1985-86 season
B
ecause ballet is expensive to produce, there were
numerous challenges to overcome. The 1982-83 season
“went dark” in order to raise money to launch the project.
The 1983-84 season held at Whitworth was notable for
a performance set to Shostakovich’s Sonata in D, op.
40, choreographed by Mark Morris (who would go on
to become a choreographer of international stature), but
attendance fell short of expectations. Since Whitworth had
proved inadequate, the 1984-85 venue was set in the overly
large and pricey Opera House, the only other available
option. Attempting to reach budget, live music was
replaced with recordings and costumes were borrowed.
Dancers were reduced to a minimum of nine in order to
maintain a sufficient repertoire that could retain audiences.
Funding came from grants, private and corporate donors,
ticket sales, and fund-raising events. But a stubborn
shortfall remained at season’s end.
The season of 1985-86 was the last one directed by
Terrence Grizzell. His departure necessitated a search
for a new artistic director, the upshot of which would
help seal the company’s destiny. The board posted
advertisements and received some 40 applications but
none proved satisfactory. Then a phone call came in for
acting Executive Director Robert Herold around 10pm one
evening. It was Christopher Aponte calling from Boston
after being released from that city’s ballet company. “I
am the one,” he announced. “You don’t need to look any
farther.” He did indeed turn out to be “the one.”
APONTE ARRIVES … AND SO DOES SPOKANE
BALLET
So read the headline on the flier announcing Spokane
Ballet’s 1986-87 season. The fanfare was not unwarranted.
The 36-year-old Aponte had performed as a principle
dancer for Harkness Ballet, the Alvin Ailey Company,
American Ballet Theater, Ballet for the 20th Century in
Belgium, and most recently Boston Ballet.
The flier quotes David Wilck of the Christian Science
Monitor: “Many dancers can move you and evoke deep
feelings. But this one did more: He became hope – an
expression of the promise of morning, of daylight of
the human spirit.” And from New York Times dance
critic Jennifer Dunning: “His tumultuous attack and fast
spins and jumps seemed to ride on a continuing crest of
throbbing violins and to echo the soaring flight of the
airborne hawk…
H
erold
recalls the
exact moment Aponte got the job.
Shortly after arriving, Aponte offered
the board a simple demonstration of
his ability in the Spokane Ballet studio, on the
second floor across the street from the Davenport Hotel.
He entered the dance floor stripped to the waist and knelt
on the floor with his toes curled under. In one serpentine
wave he spirited to his feet. The onlookers were
stunned. They had never seen anything like
this before. Here the word “superhuman”
readily comes to mind. Although the job
description was for an artistic director,
with such obvious talent it became
clear that Aponte also would have to
perform regularly.
Inquiries made into what Aponte was like
to work with were met with one word:
“demanding.” That would, however, prove
to be an understatement; the company’s new
star was also part dark god. But for now, in
1986, it was the dawn of a new hope.
Christopher Aponte performing the signature move that he showed the Spokane
Ballet Board that assured his hiring, from the flier announcing the abortive
1989-1990 season.
January | February 2019
39
Photo: Paul Parks