Shining a Light on Ballet

Published May 29, 2024

Shining a Light on Ballet

I’m sure almost every seasoned movie star in Hollywood knows the importance of good lighting. The more seasoned they are the more critical the lighting becomes. Lighting isn’t just essential to the actors but to the look and feel of an entire show. It seems to me that lighting direction is an under-appreciated form of art. Fortunately for A.V.A. Ballet Theatre, the resident ballet company of the Pioneer Center for the Performing Arts, Don Smith is the lighting director for all of their classical ballets. His lighting wizardry enhances the performance of the dancers and sets a tone that can include changes of a scene, times of a day, or mood – with contrasts and shadows. Smith said, “People don’t always remember the lighting but they will notice if something’s not right.”

According to Smith, lighting a ballet is much different than lighting an opera or Broadway production. During a ballet, it’s important for the audience to see the dancers and the movements of their legs and hands. For this reason, 70 percent of the lighting is from the sides of the stage with the remaining coming in from the front. These percentages are the complete opposite of an opera or stage production as the sets and props are more critical to a performance and must be seen. In a ballet, if the majority of the light came in from the front, the dancers and their movements would be washed out and difficult to see.

The planning for lighting a ballet begins months in advance. Smith meets with A.V.A. Ballet Theatre artistic director Alexander Van Alstyne, stage manager Eric Skye, and Pioneer technical director Italo Crocco. Van Alstyne goes over his vision for a particular ballet and the different cuts of music he intends to use in the production. Often, Smith will go on the internet and look for performances of the same ballet done in other cities. He will note what he thinks works well and what doesn’t and incorporates those ideas into his own lighting.

On certain ballets, projection of light and images is used rather than sets or painted backdrops. For Peter Pan, Smith created the animation that was the background for Peter and the Darling children to fly from their home in London to Neverland. It took six months for him to create two minutes and forty seconds of animation. Projection was also used to make The Little Mermaid appear underwater and work is now underway for projection in this fall’s classical production of Alice in Wonderland with the Reno Phil.

During the first night of rehearsals at the Pioneer Center for a new ballet, Smith sits in the theater with a notepad and watches the performance. This is the first time he sees how the production will flow from the beginning to the end. Smith enjoys working with Van Alstyne and the ensemble at A.V.A. Ballet Theatre. “Rarely does Alex ask for a change in lighting,” said Smith. “Some artistic directors can be a pain as they want to choreograph every single movement of light.” When I mentioned that Smith appreciates working with him, Van Alstyne said, “Don’s a professional. Over the years I have seen how his lighting contributes to our performances.”

Smith has been in show business most of his life. He went to high school in Gardnerville and obtained a minor in theater when he graduated from the University of Nevada. From there he worked all over the country with touring companies, spent years on Broadway in New York City, and worked with some of the biggest stars in the world such as Sammy Davis Jr. and Frank Sinatra. For 16 years he was Liza Minnelli’s lighting director. He worked with the Nevada Opera for 33 years.

Every show that is performed has a technical rider outlining what is needed for a performance and Don makes those requests happen. Smith is excited about working on Alice in Wonderland. He said, “With my lighting, I hope to heighten the conflicting forces of good and evil that the ballet portrays.” I’m looking forward to seeing his work September 21^st and 22^nd at the Pioneer Center for the Performing Arts. I just wish as I become more seasoned (code for older) that I’d have a lighting director to follow me around.

Steve Trounday is a board member at A.V.A. Ballet Theatre, the resident ballet company of the Pioneer Center. Their next production is Vortex, the Ballet That Rocks --July 19^th and 20^th at the Robert Z. Hawkins Amphitheater at Bartley Ranch.