Nashville Ballet’s Lucy Negro Redux was nothing short of astonishing, cracking the artform open and re-creating it to be more inclusive and vibrant. Based on a book of poems by Caroline Randall Williams, Lucy tells the story of a black woman who some scholars believe was the Dark Lady of Shakespeare’s sonnets. Williams performed as the narrator and muse, reciting her poetry as dancers swirled around her. Jazz composer Francesco Turrisi and Carolina Chocolate Drops co-founder, MacArthur “Genius” grant recipient and noted solo artist Rhiannon Giddens played the folk score they composed for the production, and prima ballerina Kayla Rowser gave an emotional, flawless performance as Lucy. The project cemented choreographer and director Paul Vasterling as one of Nashville’s true visionaries. It proved — in case we had any doubts, which we shouldn’t — that “there is beauty in the dark.” ERICA CICCARONE
Best Theatrical Adaptation
Lucy Negro Redux, Nashville Ballet
Photo: Chad Driver
