Published in the Quad-City Times on Feb. 9, 2024

But there was no crash. As their feet hit the floor, there was simply a rumbling vibration. Yes, ballet is as delicate as it seems. It’s also rigid, calculated, competitive and requires immense physical skill and teamwork.

More than anything, its dancers say, it’s expressive. It’s an art form.

The show this weekend is an ensemble production with guest choreography from Domingo Rubio, an Italian-Mexican dance veteran and frequent visitor to the Quad-Cities. It will also feature a story ballet choreographed by Ballet Quad Cities artistic director Courtney Lyon, of the wild western tale of “Billy The Kid,” with music by Aaron Copland. 

Dancers from across the U.S.

Like any career in the arts, working in ballet is a pipe dream for many. After all, there are more dancers than there are careers in dance. 

Ballet Quad Cities owner and CEO Joedy Cook — who has helmed the local ballet company since 1996 — said it’s common to have over a hundred applicants for open spots on the team.

Being a dancer with Ballet Quad Cities is a full-time job, with a 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday schedule. Many members of Ballet Quad Cities have come to the area from across the country, just for a chance to keep their dancing dream alive. Members of this season’s roster have hometowns from Cambridge, Massachusetts, to San Diego, California, and almost everywhere in between. 

Marcus Pei, who will play the titular character in “Billy The Kid,” is one of just a few dancers on the team from near the Quad-Cities. The 26-year-old dancer is an Iowa City native and University of Iowa graduate, where he earned a dual-degree in mathematics and chemistry. 

He’s wanted to be a dancer since he was eight years old, and when his dancing career is eventually over — he noted that many male ballet dancers compete into their late 30s — he plans to pursue teaching. His thought process all runs through the filter of ballet. 

“I feel like dance is really just all-encompassing,” he said, his voice dropping to a whisper as the company discussed technique in the room next door.

“It’s a metaphor for a lot of different fields. I can think of everything in my life in terms of dance.” 

Another Ballet Quad Cities dancer, 24-year-old Madeleine Rhode, chimed in. 

“You have to be smart to be a dancer,” she said. “I don’t think a lot of people realize that, outside of the dance world. There are so many layers that people just don’t understand.” 

Behind the curtain

Lyon, who did the original choreography for the “Billy The Kid” section, among other portions of “Love Stories,” said Ballet Quad Cities usually takes about five weeks to rehearse choreography. But Lyon sometimes starts planning her routines years in advance. 

“There’s just so much that goes into making the experience for the audience come together,” Lyon, a former Ballet Quad Cities dancer herself, said. “I love having a hand in every part.” 

As the company rehearsed for “Love Stories” on Wednesday, the art was emotional and geometric.

When Pei performed the gunfight scene from “Billy The Kid,” his facial expression grew stoic, locked into one of the many mirrors lining their Rock Island studio. Around him, dancers shifted in triangular formations, dancing with military precision from one horizontal line on the studio floor to another. 

In a far corner, teammates laughed with one another as they exited the stage, dressed in blue jeans and plaid shirts.

“We all hang out outside of this,” Rhode said. “We put our trust in each other because, for one, we have to, with it being a small company.”

Rhode, who got her dancing start in her hometown of Milwaukee, said that trust has been returned by the community, too.

“I’m going on five years that I’ve lived here, and I’m just continuously blown away by how many arts groups and organizations are in the Quad-Cities, and heavily supported,” she said. “I think it’s just incredible.” 

Both Rhode and Pei urged those who haven’t seen a ballet before to stop by for a show, noting that seeing a performance requires no prerequisite experience with dance. At the end of the day, it’s all entertainment, they said.