When Artistic Director Devon Carney set out to bring The Great Gatsby to Kansas City Ballet, he had a clear vision: immerse audiences completely in the spirit of the Jazz Age — not just through dance, but through live music, song, and the spoken word. To make that happen, he turned to three of Kansas City’s own beloved artists: jazz vocalist Eboni Fondren, tap dancer Lonnie McFadden, and actor and narrator Tanner Rose. To bring it all together in the rehearsal room, blending a world-class ballet company with artists from the worlds of jazz, theatre, and tap, he called on Jared Nelson, the man who knows this ballet better than almost anyone. As one of the original dancers that choreographer Septime Webre created The Great Gatsby on, Nelson is now back in a new role: stager, collaborator, and the creative bridge between the dancers and the guest artists joining them on stage.
Not Your Average Ballet
Devon Carney describes what audiences are in for this way: “The glamorous world of the Roaring Twenties will come to life on the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts stage for Septime Webre’s new ballet The Great Gatsby, thanks in part to the remarkable contributions of our guest artists: Lonnie McFadden, Eboni Fondren and Tanner Rose. These guest artists, alongside the amazing Blue Syncopators, will help immerse our audience in the spirit of the Jazz Age and the vibrant energy of 1920s New York, making this Kansas City premiere an unparalleled theatrical experience.”
Jared Nelson couldn’t agree more. As someone who has staged this production in cities across the country, he knows exactly what makes it special. “I love pure, true ballet,” he says. “But these types of shows are so special. Give me a tap dancer. Give me a live band. Give me an actor.” For Nelson, the magic lies in how rarely a ballet production brings together this many live theatrical elements at once, and how electrifying the result can be. It’s a hallmark of choreographer Septime Webre’s creative vision, one Nelson has witnessed firsthand over more than 30 years working alongside him. Webre has long pushed the boundaries of what a ballet can be, weaving in other art forms (singing, acting, even flamenco) to tell stories in ways that transcend what movement alone can achieve.
Behind the Rehearsal Room Door
So what does it actually feel like when ballet dancers and guest artists share a rehearsal space? According to Nelson, it’s been nothing short of energizing. “It adds a fresh element,” he says. “It enriches the experience. The dancers get to enjoy a performance while they’re performing.” Both Eboni and Tanner arrived fully prepared from day one, which Nelson says made the creative process feel immediately collaborative rather than complicated.
From the dancers’ side of the room, Kansas City Ballet company member Cameron Thomas, who plays Tom Buchanan in the production, has found the experience equally inspiring. “Rehearsing with Eboni and Tanner has been wonderful from the very start,” he says. “Each of them brings an essential part of this story to life. Tanner vividly establishes our setting as a narrator and has several vocal performances that are perfectly sweet and nostalgic. I could listen to him narrate the whole novel.” As for Eboni? Thomas doesn’t hold back: “She about blew the roof off the studio in our first rehearsal. She will bring the house down.”
Tanner Rose: Giving the Story a Voice
As the production’s narrator, Tanner Rose gives voice to the world the dancers bring to life through movement. For Rose, whose credits include Off-Broadway productions and an extensive regional theatre career, the experience has been a revelation. “The monologues and songs weave between these dances in such seamless fashion,” he says. “I find it more and more difficult to tell the dancers from the dance.”
Eboni Fondren: The Heartbeat of the Jazz Age
Jazz was the heartbeat of the 1920s: improvisational, alive, and impossible to ignore. Eboni Fondren brings that heartbeat directly onto the Kauffman Center stage. A nationally recognized jazz vocalist, bandleader, and actress making her Kansas City Ballet debut, Fondren is in her element. “With jazz being such an improvisational art form, and ballet with its structure, the fact that I am allowed to free-form scat along with the choreography is truly special,” she says. “What an honor it is to represent Kansas City Jazz in this production!”
Lonnie McFadden: Tap as a Language
If Eboni provides the voice of the Jazz Age, Lonnie McFadden provides its rhythm. A Kansas City icon inducted into the Jazz Walk of Fame in 2022, McFadden is a world-renowned tap dancer, singer, and musician whose performances have graced stages across the U.S., Europe, and Japan. His tap brings a physical expression of the era’s irrepressible energy, in perfect conversation with the live jazz of the Blue Syncopators.
Don’t Miss It
Devon Carney dreamed it. Jared Nelson is building it. And Kansas City’s own artists are bringing it to life. After productions like this one, Nelson says he often hears the same thing from audiences: “I didn’t know ballet could be like this.” Beginning tomorrow night, you’ll get to find out for yourself.
Productions like The Great Gatsby bring together local and international talent, enriching Kansas City’s cultural life in ways that resonate far beyond the stage. To support Kansas City Ballet and help keep the arts thriving in your community, contact Chief Philanthropy Officer Kristin Castle at 816.216.5585 or kcastle@kcballet.org.
Header image: Stager Jared Nelson rehearses The Great Gatsby in the studio with Kansas City Ballet dancers Sidney Haefs and Gavin Abercrombie. Photo by Beeh Moynagh.
