Andrew Vecseri is a native of Houston. This is his first season dancing with Kansas City Ballet. In October, he’ll dance the role of Albrecht in Devon Carney’s Giselle at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. Read on to learn more about him.
Q: HOW DID YOU GET STARTED IN BALLET?
A: I was 10 years old when I started dancing and was essentially dragged to the studio. I come from a large family where we did gymnastics to the point we take it professionally or stop. So, my parents wanted to find another form of exercise for us children. My older sisters, being older, had first picks and wanted to do ballet—which none of us boys wanted to do. That is until I got in the studio and fell in love with it.
Q: HAVE YOU DANCED THE ROLE OF ALBRECHT IN GISELLE BEFORE?
A: I have had the opportunity, previously in my career, to understudy the role of Albrecht, but I have never had the chance to perform the role on stage until now. It really means a lot to me to have the opportunity to dance this role as it is an emotionally mature role that is focused on telling a story of falling in love, regret, remorse, and forgiveness. The process of approaching a role such as Albrecht has inspired inward growth in myself as a person.
Q: HOW DO YOU GET INTO CHARACTER?
A: As an artist, I like to put myself into my character’s shoes including the setting and time period that the character would be in thinking about, his age, status, experiences, and personality, as well as the people with whom he is interacting. I hope to give the most accurate portrayal on the character while still introducing a touch of how I would act in the role. While I am dancing the role, I like to think of how the story progresses and how my character would feel in that moment. It’s wonderful to be able to feed off the energy of the artists around me and it really helps me to become immersed in the role.
Q: WHAT IS A CHALLENGE WITH THIS ROLE?
A: Albrecht is a physically demanding role. I try to find times to consistently run the ballet, or at least parts of the ballet that are especially difficult, to keep my stamina and strength up.
Q: AS A NEW MEMBER OF KCB, WHAT EXCITES YOU?
A: I am very excited to be performing with such a nice and amazing group of dancers and to see the Kauffman Center which looks incredible. Honestly, It’s a very exciting time for sure! Everyone I talked to was so nice and genuine. I couldn’t be more thankful. I look forward to getting to know Kansas City even better over the next year and I hope to be able to return the same amount of hospitality and kindness I have been shown here.
Q: WHAT IS THE BEST ADVICE YOU’VE EVER RECEIVED?
A: Be the hardest worker in the room and don’t forget to have fun with it. When you are working on something, think about it from every angle and how to best approach it to improve yourself and your expression of it.
Header photograph by Brett Pruitt & East Market Studios. Giselle Rehearsal photograph by Elizabeth Snell. KCB Dancers Andrew Vecseri and Kaleena Burks.
