Ja’Malik Is Entering His Fourth Year Leading Madison Ballet: Discover Ballet!
Ja’Malik became artistic director of Madison Ballet in July 2022 and was named interim CEO in January 2023.
By Jonathan Gramling
Ja’Malik, who was hired as Madison Ballet’s artistic director in July 2022 and six months later was named its interim CEO, found ballet to be an oasis of clarity when he was young in the midst of the very chaotic and noisy world that surrounded him. And Ja’Malik continues to provide that sense of clarity through everything that Madison Ballet offers, from the ballet classes to the “story” performances to the more abstract “feeling” dances.
“In Swan Lake, she’s a captured woman who has been transformed into a swan,” Ja’Malik said about the story line. “She needs to fall in love. And that love will break her free from the spell of her being turned into a swan. The story is as clear as night and day. And people sit back and enjoy the beautiful dancing and be astounded by the 32 point fouetté turns and things like that. But when you look at a ballet like my ballet last year ‘Hallelujah Junction,’ there is no clear story. But for me in creation, there is a clear story. I know exactly what the story is about, the personal story is the story about community and coming out of the pandemic and isolation and how does it feel to reenter the world because we had just come out of isolation and we now have to be communal again. What does that bring up? Are you happy about it? Are you sad about it? Do you actually miss the isolation? There were a lot of emotions that came up once we came out of the lock-down. I wanted to express that in that peace. But while you are looking at it, you are listening to glorious music by John Adams, there is no clear story. But you should walk away with some kind of feeling.”
While Madison Ballet can sometimes be overshadowed by some of the offerings that come to Overture like Broadway Across America, especially as a native of New York, Ja’Malik knows that a vibrant performing arts scene with multiple forms of the performing arts tends to life all boats, so to speak as people are attracted to quality performing arts acts.
“I think people should embrace the performing arts in general,” Ja’Malik emphasized. “I think it feeds the soul. I think it gives you a moment of escapism, whether you are going to see an opera or you are going to see the chamber orchestra or you are going to see the symphony or you are going to see a play. I think all of those things are a way to escape. It’s no different than watching TV. And I’m not the biggest fan of everyone sitting at home watching television or sitting at movie theaters watching movies. I think that should be a part of your life, but that shouldn’t be your only form of entertainment. I think going to see live theater, there is nothing like it to see actual, physical human beings on stage portraying characters or telling stories or just doing their thing, their art. There is something remarkable about that. You should be able to walk away having some kind of feeling of enlightenment and joy.”
Ja’Malik is currently getting his fill of the arts in New York.
“I’m currently on vacation in New York and I went to see five different Broadway shows this week,” Ja’Malik said. “And I also went to see a dance company. And I walked away from each of those and as an artist, I always walk away inspired to want to do more and create more. I went to see Gypsy. When I saw the sets change, I love that. It just makes me smile. And to see all of these artists on stage working their butts off, I love that. I love watching that. And I think we have to have a culture and a community and a world of that because if we don’t, I’m very nervous and scared of what kind of world we are going to live in without the performing arts. I don’t think it’s cool. I don’t think it would be a cool world at all.”
And while the electronic world has its place, nothing beats the real thing.
“I think TV is fed to us,” Ja’Malik said. “There is nothing wrong with that. I love watching the news. I certainly have my TV shows that I love watching. But I have to have that live human connection, that ability to walk into something and see something happening in the moment and to understand that this is unique. When you come to a ballet performance, that is your special performance. It will never be the same again. You witness something that no one else will ever see again because every show is different.
It cuts your mind off from thinking. I went to see BODYTRAFFIC this week. And I had never seen them before. And I was blown away. But if I had been listening to the algorithm, that would have never come up on my feed. You have to be aware of what is going on around you outside of social media or an email that tells you, ‘Oh, I noticed you like this. You’ll love this.’ ‘Okay, so I will go out and order and try it for myself.’”
Ja’Malik wants people to realize and appreciate the gem that they have just blocks away.
“I think the biggest thing to take away is that we have — I’ll speak for Madison Ballet — in Madison a top-notch highly professional, outstanding contemporary ballet company right in our backyard,” Ja’Malik said. “I really want people to come and support the local art. Come support local theater. Come support local dance because when Broadway shows come here, they sell out. They do very well in Madison. And I think that is wonderful that people are getting out and going to see that. But you have to support what is local. You have to support Madison Ballet, the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, Forward Theater, Children’s Theater of Madison, the Madison Symphony Orchestra and Kanopy Dance. You have these great performing arts companies here in Madison. The audience should not be decreasing. It should be increasing. And we’re presenting the same art at the same level, high quality. At the Opera, no one is skimping. We’re not giving you ‘crap.’ We’re giving you high quality performing arts. And I think the community has to come out to support, has to understand that it’s important for our culture, it’s important for the city of Madison. It makes us a strong city by having a strong arts scene. I would have for that to ever disappear.”
And so Ja’Malik emphasized that there is an alternative to airfares, congestion and high prices to see the best that the performing arts have to offer. In essence, buy local.
“You don’t have to go to New York to experience the best in the performing arts,” Ja’Malik said. “That was my purpose in coming here and taking over the company. I didn’t want dancers from the School of Madison Ballet or whatever ballet school they go to to feel that their only option is, ‘I am going to learn my art form here in Madison, but then I am going to move away to New York, San Francisco or Seattle to be in a really strong ballet company. If you want to stay in your hometown, here’s a ballet company that you can possibly get into.’ I want to create that sort of community. They have that, but they have to keep it alive. Ballet is also for the audiences. If you happen to take a trip to New York, great. Go see everything there. But understand that you also have that in your own community. You just have to go see it. You don’t have to wait for a family vacation. We have something every week, every month right here in Madison.”
Experience life through Madison’s vibrant performing arts scene. And I would think that Ja’Malik would say, ‘Put Madison Ballet at the top of your Things to Experience list.”
