PAUL’S CURTAIN CALL

Ballet’s Paul Vasterling enters his final season with a look to the past

Written by Melissa Mahanes with Paige Atwell / Photos by MA2LA and Nashville Ballet

ALL of Nashville is very familiar with its most creative resident, Paul Vasterling. Paul’s decision to retire following the 20222023 season does not mean that he will rest on his extensive laurels-he will continue to support the organization as the Artistic Director Emeritus. “We are beyond thankful for all Paul has accomplished with his time with Nashville Ballet,” said Susan Short Jones, Nashville Ballet board chair. “In many ways, he built the Nashville Ballet we have today, a world-class organization that is pushing boundaries, both in our city and in the dance world. Paul’s decision to retire is bittersweet because of what he’s meant to our organization, to the Nashville community, and to thousands of dancers and supporters along the way.”

As Artistic Director of Nashville Ballet for the past 33 years, Nashvillians have been in awe of his boundless creativity and enthusiasm presented on stage at TPAC, at Nashville Ballet’s Redmon Street headquarters, The Martin Center, and beyond. In 2017, The company made its Kennedy Center debut, and has toured throughout the U.S., including performances in St. Louis, Charleston, Santa Fe, Virginia, Kansas City, Colorado, and at the Chautauqua Institution in August 2018. In 2020, he led the company to make its broadcast debut with the televised premiere of Nashville’s Nutcracker, for which he won his first Emmy Award. In 2022, his original ballet, Lucy Negro Redux , embarked on a nationwide tour and made its primetime debut on PBS’ multiaward-winning Great Performances series. The company has also toured internationally in South America and Europe, and many of Vasterling’s original works have been staged by companies nationally and internationally.

The longest-serving artistic director in Nashville Ballet history, Paul leaves a solid foundation built on his passion and practicality. During his tenure, he has helped increase Nashville Ballet’s operating budget by 800%, prioritized several accessibility and inclusivity initiatives, launched the company’s first-ever free virtual season, and oversaw the purchase and expansion of the company’s home base, The Martin Center for Nashville Ballet. In addition, he has led the Nashville Ballet by striving to remove social barriers, including expanding their free Community Engagement programming, undertaking national audition searches to bring BIPOC to train in Nashville, and instituting a flesh-tone tights and shoes policy for Nashville Ballet dancers and students.

Always creative, Vasterling’s artistic career began at age 10 when he started studying piano, then expanded at age 16 when he started dancing. Paul landed at Nashville Ballet in 1989, becoming a company dancer, teacher, rehearsal director, and choreographer. Then, ten years later, Paul would step into the role of Artistic Director. A choreographer with a deep affinity for music, he has created works ranging from classical, full-length story ballets to contemporary one-acts. With a particular focus on highlighting the wealth of artistry and rich history of Nashville, Vasterling’s connection to music and passion for the community has led to collaborations with numerous nationally and internationally renowned musicians and institutions, including The Bluebird Cafe, Ben Folds, GRAMMY Award winners Rhiannon Giddens and Francesco Turrisi, and more. In addition, Nashville Ballet has commissioned 22 original scores for brand-new ballets under his direction.

Paul is also a gifted storyteller with a penchant for creating vivid narratives with stories such as Peter Pan, Layla, and the Majnun, Lizzie Borden, Cinderella, Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Seasons, Nashville’s Nutcracker, which over half a million Middle Tennesseans have enjoyed, Appalachian Spring, and The New York Times and Wall Street Journal-acclaimed Lucy Negro Redux. Beyond his choreography, Vasterling has expanded the company’s repertoire to include works by Salvatore Aiello, Jennifer Archibald, George Balanchine, James Canfield, Lew Christensen, Jirí Kylián, Matthew Neenan, Twyla Tharp, and Christopher Wheeldon, among many others. He has also edited and updated the classic productions Giselle, The Sleeping Beauty, and Swan Lake. Over the past 30 years, Nashville Ballet has transformed from a troupe of 12 dancers to become the largest professional ballet company in Tennessee, with 33 professional company dancers, a second company and a renowned ballet school attracting dancers from all over the United States.

As part of his final season as Artistic Director of Nashville Ballet, Paul Vasterling will debut his newest work, Anthology, on February 10–12 at TPAC’s Polk Theater, sponsored in part by Vanderbilt University. A poignant exploration of Nashville’s rich cultural tapestry, Anthology will blend music and movement to tell stories of Music City’s past.

Inspired by and set in the historic Nashville City Cemetery, Anthology is an homage to the Nashvillians, known and unknown, who have shaped the city we know today. The Nashville City Cemetery opened on January 1, 1822, and is the oldest continuously operated public cemetery in Nashville. By 1850, it was the final resting place for more than 11,000 people of every race, religion, and economic status. The ballet follows a young person as they explore the 200-year-old grounds and encounter the spirits of those buried there.

“I’ve always had a deep passion for community, and ours is so rich with people and stories that often get overlooked,” shared Vasterling. “All of them are pertinent pieces to the life we live today, yet most of us are completely unaware. We often have the most to learn from those of which we know the least, and that’s exactly what Anthology explores.”

The ballet will feature stories of the first peoples of Middle Tennessee, formerly enslaved philanthropist Lucinda Bedford, the first woman on the Nashville Police Force, and Albertine Maxwell, widely regarded as Nashville’s founder of ballet.

Known for his cross-disciplinary collaborations, Vasterling has enlisted a variety of choreographers, musicians, and composers to contribute to the project, including Nashville local and longtime teaching artist Shabaz Ujima, newly appointed Resident Choreographer Mollie Sansone, Windship Boyd, multi-award winner Sidra Bell, MORGXN, Jordan Lehning, Larissa Maestro, and more. Similar in kaleidoscopic style to his nationally acclaimed ballet Lucy Negro Redux which recently premiered on PBS’ Great Performances series as Black Lucy and the Bard, Anthology will highlight various art forms on stage in addition to dance, including original songs, musical scores, and live projection.

With Anthology, Paul Vasterling has looked to the past for inspiration. Many will continue to be grateful for HIS inspiration and leadership. Thank you, Paul! Bravo!