Q&A with dancer Blakeley White-McGuire

Tonight and Saturday, The Martha Graham Dance Company will close Carolina Performing Arts’ “The Rite of Spring at 100” celebration with a program titled “Myth and Transformation,” which is composed of multiple programs, including “The Rite of Spring.”

Staff writer Breanna Kerr spoke with the lead dancer for the show, Blakeley White-McGuire, about her role in the company, this performance and the importance of “The Rite of Spring” as a classic.

Daily Tar Heel: What is your role in the Martha Graham Dance Company?

Blakeley White-McGuire: I am one of the principal dancers with the Martha Graham Dance Company.

I am dancing The Woman in Red in “Diversions and Angels” and The Chosen One in “The Rite of Spring.”

DTH: What does “The Rite of Spring” mean to you?

BWM: It’s a very famous piece of music, first of all.

It’s a visceral piece of music that gives many images, but Martha Graham’s “Rite of Spring” means extreme effort, excitement, sexuality, endurance and bringing all of those elements together in dance with (Igor) Stravinsky’s incredibly moving score.

DTH: Do you think “The Rite of Spring” still has cultural resonance in today’s society?

BWM: If we look at our own rituals and who we are willing to sacrifice in our culture — who is disposable — it’s extremely resonant.

I look at the role of The Chosen One very much in relation to leaders who know they are up against cultural embedded ways of being and yet they still go forward with their mission.

So The Chosen One knows she is a part of this ritual, and she knows one of the maidens will die. When she’s chosen — in my interpretation — she, while scared out of her mind, still accepts her fate and accepts her role in the community.

That resonates really strongly with people today.

DTH: How long have you been preparing for your role as The Chosen One?

BWM: Since learning it several months ago, I have come to understand that I’ve been preparing for this role for about 10 years, since my first technique class.

It makes me think beginnings are so important because you never know where a beginning is going to lead you, so it’s important to give everything, to do well, to do your best — and I say that in relation to technique.

DTH: What is your background in dance, and how long have you been dancing in the company?

BWM: I am an American dancer, and I was raised in the American dance studio community: ballet, tap and jazz.

I moved to New York when I was 19, and I began studying at the Martha Graham Center for Contemporary Dance, specifically training in Graham’s technique.

I also study classical ballet, and I dance opera, tap and I make my own choreography.

DTH: Why is “The Rite of Spring” still so important even after a century since its first performance?

BWM: Because it’s a classic. It strikes a chord in humanity and the people who are open and willing to feel the relentless energy of it.

DTH: What do you hope audiences will take away from the performance?

BWM: I hope they will be moved by the beauty and the passion of Graham’s work and of our dancers’ work.

I hope the audience will connect with what we are sharing with them, and I hope the audience will feel a part of it.

Contact the desk editor at arts@dailytarheel.com.