Conversations on Dance · Michael Sean Breeden & Rebecca King Ferraro

(441) The Great Gatsby at Royal Danish Ballet with Choreographer, Arthur Pita, and dancer Isabella Carroll

·53 min·4 clips

Arthur Pita reveals he starts The Great Gatsby ballet with Gatsby's mysterious death in the pool.

This episode features choreographer Arthur Pita and Royal Danish Ballet dancer Isabella Carroll discussing the creation of a new full-length ballet adaptation of *The Great Gatsby*. Hosts Rebecca King-Ferraro and Michael Sean Breeden guide a conversation about the artistic process for this production premiering at the Royal Danish Ballet. Arthur Pita is an internationally acclaimed choreographer, and Isabella Carroll is a dancer who trained at the School of American Ballet before joining the Danish company. The project originated when Royal Danish Ballet's artistic director, Nicolai, initially proposed a ballet adaptation of *A Star is Born*, which was halted due to rights issues. Pita read F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel for the first time when Nicolai suggested *The Great Gatsby* as an alternative, immediately seeing its potential for a large ballet company with seven lead characters. Approximately 80% of the ballet's score features music by George Gershwin, selected because his 1924 composition *Rhapsody in Blue* closely aligns with the novel's 1925 setting. The remaining 20% of the score is by composer Frank Moon, used for scenes set in the darker "valley of ashes." Pita avoided using any music from Gershwin's *Porgy and Bess* to prevent specific narrative associations. The choreographer structured the ballet to begin with a prologue depicting Jay Gatsby's death by the pool, inspired by the opening of the film *Sunset Boulevard*, to maintain an air of mystery around the character. Isabella Carroll, cast in the role of Myrtle Wilson, describes her character as being in two "vaguely abusive relationships" but finds the creative process with her colleagues joyful. Carroll had no formal acting training before joining the Royal Danish Ballet but learned the company's storied pantomime tradition from veterans like Sorella Englund and Dinna Bjørn. A key acting technique taught is that performers should not "project" outward but instead believe their inner world, allowing the audience to be a "witness." Pita's choreographic process involves using cue cards to structure the narrative and displaying the entire ballet's structure on large cardboards in the rehearsal room so dancers understand the overall arc. The movement vocabulary for the production is eclectic, encompassing showgirl numbers Pita created on his own body, social dances like the foxtrot and tango for party scenes, and a more contemporary, grounded physicality for the valley of ashes sequences. The rehearsal schedule was intensely compact, with only four weeks of full company rehearsals, often in short daily blocks like 11:30 AM to 3:00 PM, as dancers performed other ballets in the evenings. Pita notes the challenge of creating a full-length narrative work under such time constraints but praises the dancers' focus and instinct. Set designer Gary McCann, primarily from the opera world, created a metaphorical set featuring a "champagne gold" box and mirrors to reflect themes of identity and illusion. A functional car is part of the set, crucial for the scene depicting Myrtle Wilson's death, requiring precise timing for its seven-second cross to center stage. Pita expresses excitement for the technical integration phase, seeing potential in any unforeseen delays to create new "artistic destruction" or character moments. The tone is conversational, educational, and deeply process-oriented, offering a behind-the-scenes look at mounting a major ballet production. The style is enthusiastic and detailed, with hosts and guests sharing specific anecdotes about artistic choices and logistical challenges. Listeners who love learning about the intersection of literature, music, and dance, or who are fascinated by the logistical and creative hurdles of theatrical production, will find this episode captivating. Those seeking performance reviews, critical analysis, or a focus on dance technique over storytelling and production craft might find less to hold their interest.

As heard by us

A process-driven look at Gatsby reimagined as ballet, with useful detail on character, craft, and design.

An episode of Conversations on Dance brings Arthur Pita and Isabella Carroll together for a grounded discussion of a new full-length Royal Danish Ballet production of The Great Gatsby.

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You want to hear Gatsby remade for ballet by the people shaping it.

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