Ballet Drama 'Flesh and Bone' Ordered to Series at Starz
"Black Swan's" Sarah Hay leads a cast of world-renown dancers in the drama from "Breaking Bad's" Moira Walley-Beckett.
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| Sarah Hay |
The premium cable network has cast Black Swan's Sarah Hay to star in Flesh and Bone and picked up the ballet drama from Breaking Bad alum Moira Walley-Beckett to series, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.
The drama centers on Claire (Hay), who has a distinctly troubled past, as she joins a prestigious ballet company in New York. The dark and gritty series will unflinchingly explore the dysfunction and glamor of the ballet world. Hay's Claire is further described as a beautiful, soulful and deeply emotionally wounded young woman who possesses an innate innocence and fragility while at the same time harboring self-destructive tendencies and a vaulting ambition. She is a transcendent ballerina, capable of reaching the sublime, but her inner torment and aspirations drive her in compelling, unforeseeable ways.
Oscar nominee Lawrence Bender (Inglourious Basterds, Good Will Hunting), Kevin Brown (Roswell) and John Melfi (Sex and the City, House of Cards) will executive produce for Starz alongside Walley-Beckett, who serves as writer. Bender, Brown and Walley-Beckett all have ties to the ballet world, with Bender and Walley-Beckett both former dancers, and Brown's family comprising dancers and serving as the basis for the Oscar-nominated feature The Turning Point. Royal New Zealand Ballet artistic director Ethan Stiefel (Center Stage, Center Stage: Turn It Up) -- the artistic director of the Royal New Zealand Ballet and a principal dancer with the American Ballet Theatre from 1997-2012 -- serves as a consultant and choreographer on the series.
Hay began her training at the School of American Ballet at age 8 and later attended the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School of Ballet at the American Ballet Theatre. She was a soloist at the Dresden Semperoper Ballett company in Germany, where she performed the title role in Cinderella and starred in the Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake. She danced as a member of the Corps De Ballet in Black Swan. She joins a cast that includes former American Ballet Theatre principal dancer Irina Dvorovenko, ABT soloist Sascha Radetsky, Ballet Arizona company dancer Raychel Diane Weiner and Boardwalk Empire's Emily Tyra.
“From the beginning, we all agreed this project could not go forward unless we found a world-class dancer who had the ability to convey the widest range of emotions that Moira has written,” Starz CEO Chris Albrecht said. "This is one of the most challenging and dynamic characters I have even seen and am thrilled to say we found our Claire in Ms. Hay.”
Casting director Bernard Telsey auditioned and reviewed more than a thousand dancers for the role.
Added Walley-Beckett: "Finding the perfect Claire has been an almost impossible task. It was truly like looking for a unicorn because the demands of the role are so specific and challenging. I was looking for a beautiful and transcendent ballerina who is not only a brilliant dancer but also a gifted actress, and who also possesses a fierce curiosity and enthusiasm about the brave demands of the work. Sarah Hay embodies the role of Claire just as I dreamt her."
Starz will retain all domestic and international multiplatform rights, including TV, home entertainment and digital, on Flesh and Bone. Production will begin early this year in New York for a premiere in 2015.
Ms. Walley-Beckett, a producer and writer for “Breaking Bad” and a former dancer herself, said that the series is a dark drama that happens to be set in the ballet world. “It’s the journey of an artist and the journey of finding her value as a woman,” she said. Supporting roles are filled by Irina Dvorovenko as the prima ballerina Kira, and Sascha Radetsky as Ross, Kira’s ballet partner and former lover. Both Ms. Dvorovenko and Mr. Radetsky have ties to American Ballet Theater and acting experience: Ms. Dvorovenko, who retired from the company last year, dazzled audiences with her comic timing in the Encores! production of “On Your Toes,” and Mr. Radetsky, a soloist with the company, starred in the 2000 film “Center Stage.” Ethan Stiefel, his co-star in that film, is the show’s consultant and choreographer. Other cast members include Emily Tyra, who plays a feisty dancer in the corps de ballet, and Raychel Diane Weiner as an ambitious, fearless demi-soloist. Unlike “Black Swan,” which used body doubles, “Flesh and Bone” requires dancers that can act. Ms. Walley-Beckett and the show’s producers are striving for authenticity; the series will be shot in New York City. “I want to show the art the way the art is,” she said. “I want us to be living and breathing and sweating with those dancers.”
For Starz, Flesh and Bone joins an original scripted roster that includes Black Sails, DaVinci's Demons, Power and Outlander as the premium cable network looks to have 75 hours of original programming per year over time. The drama comes more than six months after ABC Family canceled its critical darling ballet drama Bunheads, which starred Tony winner Sutton Foster.
Roger
Oh, man. STARZ are really asking for it. Is it so hard to find an actress who can dance and willing to do full-frontal nudity? All four female roles are played by dancers with almost zero acting experience. The girls will certainly look pretty nice fully nude but if it's all bones and no flesh, it would be another bust for STARZ. I'm assuming the worst but could be proven wrong if 26-years old Sarah Hay turns out to be an inspired casting like Rebecca Ferguson of The White Queen. Ms. Kay slight resemblance to young Sandra Bernhard with shades of Jessica Chastain is a plus.
Sarah Hay grew up in Princeton, NJ. She began her dance training at age seven at the School of American Ballet. At age 14, Ms. Hay was accepted to the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School at American Ballet Theatre, where she studied for three years. During that time, she performed with American Ballet Theatre II. While in training, she attended summer programs on scholarship at Chautauqua Institution, Miami City Ballet, and American Ballet Theatre.
In the summer of 2006, Ms. Hay performed with the Chautauqua Dance Theatre and later joined North Carolina Dance Theatre for the 2006-2007 season. While dancing with NCDT, Ms. Hay performed soloist roles in Cinderella, Paquita, and The Nutcracker.
From 2007-2009, she danced and choreographed for Pennsylvania Ballet II.
In the summer of 2006, Ms. Hay performed with the Chautauqua Dance Theatre and later joined North Carolina Dance Theatre for the 2006-2007 season. While dancing with NCDT, Ms. Hay performed soloist roles in Cinderella, Paquita, and The Nutcracker.
From 2007-2009, she danced and choreographed for Pennsylvania Ballet II.
Sarah Hay, coryphée, Semperoper Ballett“In the past I was quite negative about my body because I am on the curvier side. I still struggle with insecurity. Some days I get so frustrated I can’t even look at myself too long. But I try to stay strong and remember that I made it this far.
When I was a student, teachers were constantly getting on me about turnout. It made me defensive. I was trying really hard and ended up forcing it. That led to some knee pain and a lot of stress and frustration. Just saying ‘Sarah turn out!’ wasn’t really a good way to tell me how. Forcing it was actually making it tighter. One teacher told me that I didn’t have a sufficient turnout to be a ballerina and suggested I try modern. That was a hard blow to my confidence.
It wasn’t until I was 16 and met Susan Jaffe that I started to understand what it actually meant to turn out. I stopped forcing and began from square one. I had to realign my body and learn how to use the right muscles. When we see each other now we always joke about how she would stare at me from behind for hours telling me to engage. She saved my career.”
Sarah Hay
What’s your favorite role that you have performed recently with Semperoper Ballett?
I especially enjoyed the role of Swanhila in Balanchine's Coppélia, because I love to make people laugh, and the story and acting sections allowed me to really be myself on stage and purely entertain the audience. That is such a great feeling. I also enjoyed my role in Enemy in the Figure by William Forsythe.
What are you currently rehearsing?
I was just rehearsing and performing for a guesting with American Ballet Theatre and Friends where I was doing the First Act solo from Giselle. I will now return to Dresden and begin to work on Sleeping Beauty and a contemporary/modern program with works from Johan Inger, Alexander Ekman and Pontus Lidberg.
How do you like dancing in Dresden?
I love Dresden! They say that every dancer has to find the place that they are appreciated and I think I have found mine. I learn something new every day and find my progression to be constant. After dancing in some American companies I found myself not as excited to improve as I have here in Germany. Individuality is very important in our company and the Director Aaron Watkin has been able to find dancers that are all different and all unique that blend together to create a dynamic, musical orchestra of dancers. I've never been more inspired and supported by colleagues in my years as a professional, and I hope it remains this way for a long time!
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| Tiffany Hedman of Boston Ballet and Sarah Hay of Semperoper Ballett wear Capezio. |
I have danced the role of Marie in Aaron Watkin's Nutcracker the past two seasons and have enjoyed it so much! I will also be dancing it this year and I couldn't be more thrilled because the choreography is very free and romantic for a Nutcracker. It's not typical and it's highly musical, which is one of my strong points in ballet. Also, David Dawson's Giselle is something I am really looking forward to.
What ballets would you love to perform in the near future?
I don't think I have one particular ballet that I would love to dance. I love music and love acting on top of the dance, so I think a role with serious drama, death, passion and romance would be my choice. I love to be part of a creation as well. You learn a lot about people and how things work when being involved in a creation. It can make you grow even more.
What choreographers would you love to work with in the future?
David Dawson, because I have only one piece under my belt with him and I want more! Also, after working with Forsythe many times now it’s awesome to work with his former dancers. His works and the way in which he teaches are designed to push dancers to a level that I believe is the highest level they can achieve, not only in a technical sense but also in dramatics and passion. That's a really special experience.
I’d also like to work with Stijn Celis, who is a Belgian choreographer that has done a number of pieces in Dresden and all over the world. I got the opportunity to be casted as Cinderella in his modern work of the piece my first season in the company. It was the biggest role I had ever received in my career and it opened doors to where I am now. It was also my first barefoot piece which was freeing, but also challenging. He's an artist, an intellectual and a gentle soul; a perfect person to work with if you want to be brought back to the core of your movement, become more natural, and give emotion and feeling to each gesture and step you show.
I have yet to work with Nacho Duato, but that has always been a dream for me. I hope that one comes true.
Breaking the Mold
Capezio Athletes Share New Year’s Resolutions
January 2014
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| Sarah Hay |
“I think 2013 was a year of big personal growth for me. I am very happy to be where I am and I am very fortunate to have everything that I have. My goals for the future are almost the same every year. I hope this year brings new experiences and more good work to be done. I also wish to become even more of an open book to connect with the audiences. I want the audience to be able to feel my emotions. What I love about this career is that there are always things to improve and discover which will make personal growth a goal for me until the end of it.”
What advice do you have for dancers who are starting their first year of pointe?
“Be patient,” Hay encourages. “You have to get strong and learn how to approach things with the right amount of energy. And don’t let anyone tell you that you aren’t made for it. Everyone can improve.”
Professional Ballerina Sarah Hay reminisce about dancing on pointe for the first time.
When most young girls see the image of the iconic ballerina they aspire to be, they see a few of things: The tutu. The tiara. The pointe shoes. It’s every little girl’s dream to dance to beautiful music and appear to gracefully waft across the stage. A first pair of pointe shoes is like a rite of passage. Sometimes it’s harder than it appears, but mostly, it is as rewarding as one would think.
At what age did you first start pointe?
Sarah Hay, soloist with Semperoper Ballett began at the age of 10.
How did you feel when you found out you were ready to go up on pointe?
A dancer’s teacher will tend to make the judgment call on when each student is ready for pointe, but when that time comes it is always exciting.
Hay remembers sneaking around in the autographed shoes of a principal dancer, Mary Barton, before she had pointe shoes of her own.
When most young girls see the image of the iconic ballerina they aspire to be, they see a few of things: The tutu. The tiara. The pointe shoes. It’s every little girl’s dream to dance to beautiful music and appear to gracefully waft across the stage. A first pair of pointe shoes is like a rite of passage. Sometimes it’s harder than it appears, but mostly, it is as rewarding as one would think.
At what age did you first start pointe?
Sarah Hay, soloist with Semperoper Ballett began at the age of 10.
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Sarah Hay, soloist with Semperoper Ballett wearing Capezio. |
A dancer’s teacher will tend to make the judgment call on when each student is ready for pointe, but when that time comes it is always exciting.
Hay remembers sneaking around in the autographed shoes of a principal dancer, Mary Barton, before she had pointe shoes of her own.
How do you remember feeling after putting on your pointe shoes for the first time?For any dancer, her first pointe shoes are foreign objects, but whether painful or not, the excitement alone is usually enough to mask any other sensation.
“Putting them on at the store was really exciting,” Hay says. “I am very fortunate to have square toes, so pain is not really an issue. My mom said I was hopping on one foot at the store.”
What was your first pointe class like?
Most pre-pointe and pointe classes will start slowly, with many exercises facing the barre and often with much individual attention. Each dancer may progress and get accustomed to being on pointe at a different pace.
“I took my first pointe class with a lot of girls from my school at another studio because we weren’t allowed to start at 10,” says Hay. “In my first pointe class, I was asked to demonstrate. It was fun for me.”
What do you remember about your first full year on pointe? Were some things especially easier or harder for you?
New pointe dancers may begin to notice some changes in their feet or body over the first year on pointe. Bunions and blisters may sprout up, or new muscles may be sore.
Hay, an eager first year pointe student, says, “I remember that I was just so ready to do more and I would try really hard things, definitely incorrectly, but I wanted to do the tricks! The hardest part was learning how to be patient and to learn how to do things correctly.”
“Putting them on at the store was really exciting,” Hay says. “I am very fortunate to have square toes, so pain is not really an issue. My mom said I was hopping on one foot at the store.”
What was your first pointe class like?
Most pre-pointe and pointe classes will start slowly, with many exercises facing the barre and often with much individual attention. Each dancer may progress and get accustomed to being on pointe at a different pace.
“I took my first pointe class with a lot of girls from my school at another studio because we weren’t allowed to start at 10,” says Hay. “In my first pointe class, I was asked to demonstrate. It was fun for me.”
What do you remember about your first full year on pointe? Were some things especially easier or harder for you?
New pointe dancers may begin to notice some changes in their feet or body over the first year on pointe. Bunions and blisters may sprout up, or new muscles may be sore.
Hay, an eager first year pointe student, says, “I remember that I was just so ready to do more and I would try really hard things, definitely incorrectly, but I wanted to do the tricks! The hardest part was learning how to be patient and to learn how to do things correctly.”
What advice do you have for dancers who are starting their first year of pointe?
“Be patient,” Hay encourages. “You have to get strong and learn how to approach things with the right amount of energy. And don’t let anyone tell you that you aren’t made for it. Everyone can improve.”
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