Aara Krumpe says ‘farewell’ with final performances in GISELLE
Written by Leilani Tian
Whether it is enchanting audiences as a mystical firebird or embodying the majestic transcendence of The Nutcracker’s Sugar Plum Fairy since 2005, there is no denying Aara Krumpe’s influence on the Austin art scene. As a dancer with Ballet Austin for 20 years, she has danced roles wide and varied, performing title roles in Belle REDUX / A Tale of Beauty & The Beast, Romeo & Juliet, Light / The Holocaust & Humanity Project, The Firebird to name a few. With her upcoming retirement in May 2019, Krumpe feels bittersweet but ultimately grateful.
Krumpe grew up in Corpus Christi, Texas, wanting to be a flamenco dancer. Only after taking ballet lessons to supplement her Spanish folkloric dancing did Krumpe fall in love with ballet, launching her commitment to an art form that would eventually bring her to her second home, Ballet Austin.
Joining Ballet Austin at 19, Krumpe was in the first class of Ballet Austin II apprentices, a program launched in 1999 by Associate Artistic Director Michelle Martin. From the rigorous training to the choreographic works by Stephen Mills, Krumpe immediately knew Ballet Austin was where she wanted to be.
Fast forward 20 years and Krumpe has danced a myriad of roles — classics and new works by Stephen Mills alike. Her favorite and most meaningful role was that of “The Survivor” in Mills’ award-winning social justice work, Light / The Holocaust & Humanity Project.
Krumpe reflects on how this role changed the way she thought about and approached a role. Previously viewing herself as a more classical dancer — suggesting images of uprightness and pointe shoes — Krumpe was shocked that she would dance the role of The Survivor, a very grounded, barefoot, modern role. After Mills indicated that the role was indeed a very “ballerina” part, Krumpe began to rethink her idea of what it means to be a ballerina.
“That moment really shifted the way I look at everything — how I approach a role. It’s very much a mental process. And I think being a ballerina is about more than technique or acting — it’s what you bring to the role mentally, how you approach your work.”
Since then, despite her love of pointe shoes and her unforgiving self-critique, Krumpe has found her artistic voice by letting go of what she’s “supposed to look like,” while surrendering herself to the unknown that comes with artistic exploration, a mindset shift she accredits to working so closely with Mills over the years.
For Krumpe, it’s all in the details — perfecting the nuances and the things that one can control before being catapulted into chaos onstage, a quality that has gained her the distinction of “French Twist Guru” within Ballet Austin. During her earlier years in the company, she would go around doing 10 dancers’ French Twists (an up-do hairstyle popular in dance concerts) before a show, always having hairspray and bobby pins on hand with a sharp eye for flyaways. When asked what attribute allowed her to have so much success in her career, Krumpe credits this — not so much the obsession with perfect hair, but her ability to heed and analyze the details.
“My facility was just not good enough to be technical. I had to find other ways, like having good musicality or a clean appearance, to make me stand out. The mental process behind everything — I think about things so much. That is what has given me a career.“
She hopes to pass on this mindset to younger artists, just as her teachers did to her, coaching both the technical aspects, like the ending shape of a movement phrase, plus the reasons behind a technical adjustment or the meaning behind a certain step.
“When you change your thought behind it, it changes the way you’re able to express yourself on stage.”
When asked if there is any difference in how she approaches her work now, knowing that it is all coming to an end, she states matter-of-factly, “It’s the same.” Throughout her career, she has approached every performance as if it were her last, enjoying every moment and dancing with the knowledge that it could end at any moment.
Her final performance in Ballet Austin’s upcoming Giselle is no exception. She wants to take it all in — savoring the whole theatre week, getting dressed backstage by the same crew member who has dressed her for 20 years, and watching her coworkers dance from the wings.
Krumpe says that no matter how long you dance, it’s too short — because you love it. But ultimately, she is at peace and very happy with how far she has come.
“If I could, I would do it all over again.” she says while tearing up. “ But things have to come to an end for you to appreciate them. Now, I’m at that point where I know it’s time.”
See Aara Krumpe’s final performances with Ballet Austin in GISELLE, Saturday, May 11, at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Mother’s Day, May 12, at 3 p.m. at the Long Center. Tickets starting at $15 at https://balletaustin.org/performances/giselle2019
