Parrish Maynard: a career in liftoff.

Colleagues at American Ballet Theatre say French-born, American-trained Parrish Maynard is set for international stardom.

One of the first things to notice about Parrish Maynard's dancing is his delight at being onstage. Says Maynard, "I dance because I love it, and I hope the audience enjoys seeing someone who enjoys what he's doing." Combine that love with a flawless technique, and the result is a great dancer in the making. Kevin McKenzie, artistic director of American Ballet Theatre, has recognized Maynard's abilities. "Parrish is at a point where he is putting it all together. His whole life he has been blessed with a natural facility."

Maynard had the opportunity to put it all together when he danced the role of Albrecht in Giselle for the first time during ABT's 1994 New York City season. This premier danseur role, one of the most demanding in the male repertoire, is a challenge he has dreamed of since his first exposure to ballet. He is fascinated by the tradition of this nineteenth-century ballet, which has been performed by many of this-century's greatest danseurs nobles. Albrecht is usually seen as a cad, merely playing with Giselle's affections. Maynard feels, however, that Albrecht is a young man in search of real love, but whose future, including the choice of a wife, has been determined for him by others. Wanting to experience life before responsibilities overwhelm him, Albrecht finds himself loving this simple peasant girl, regardless of any consequences.

Being paired with Marianna Tcherkassky for Giselle was a stroke of good fortune. "Each time I've danced with her," says Maynard, with a touch of awe in his voice, "I realize I'm onstage with one of America's greatest ballerinas, so I try to take myself to her high level." Tcherkassky, who admitted she had some misgivings about Maynard, expresses admiration for how hard he worked to develop the skills needed for Albrecht. She compares their partnership in Giselle to a painting. At the start they were working with a blank canvas, learning the form of Giselle. Together they applied the basic colors of partnering and motivation; then came the fine brushwork of detail and nuance to create a finished work the audience would see. The process of helping a younger dancer bring a difficult character to life still excites Tcherkassky: "I find myself rooting for Parrish because he deserves the success we've worked so intensely to achieve."

McKenzie showed his faith in Maynard's abilities and promise by giving him an unusually long rehearsal period of four and a half months to prepare this performance and by pairing him with one of the company's most experienced romantic ballerinas. Maynard admitted that Tcherkassky's security sometimes made him feel a bit less secure. So he worked extra hard at making his Albrecht equal to those of her other partners, some of the finest dancers in ABT's history. Maynard's goal, he says, was to so live up to Tcherkassky's expectations that she would say, "I remember the wonderful performance of Giselle that I did with Parrish." He adds, with a little less modesty, "My dream is to have my name listed with the great Albrechts: Rudolf Nureyev, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Erik Bruhn, Ivan Nagy, Kevin McKenzie, and me."

As a rising star with Joffrey Ballet, Maynard danced in diverse works by Gerald Arpino and Robert Joffrey and especially relished roles in such Frederick Ashton classics as Monotones and The Dream (in which he danced Puck). At the invitation of Baryshnikov, Maynard joined ABT in 1988. Since then, controversy, financial insecurity, and management changes have threatened the very foundations of ABT. "Its been frightening," he recalls. "I've been through a lot of directors in my career, but I feel that fight now we have a very good management team." He gives much of the credit for the revitalization of the company to McKenzie, who insists that dancers bring their own interpretation to roles and who seems confident that Maynard can do so.

Terry Orr, a ballet master at ABT, has worked with Maynard since he joined the company: "He's really a thoughtful and hardworking dancer with a gorgeous line and beautiful muscles. Now he's started to show a mastery of the art of characterization, and when that happens, people in the audience care."

Connecting with his audience comes naturally to Maynard, an intense but easygoing dancer. He was born in Epernay, France, almost twenty-seven years ago, but his parents (both now American citizens) moved to California when he was two. He began his early training with Barbara Crockett and continued at the San Francisco Ballet School. Initially he took dance classes to enhance his skills as a member of his public school's diving team, but his fascination with ballet soon became dominant. An only child and very shy, he admits that dance became his method of communication and gave him a certain sense of self-worth: "I learned to talk with my feet, and dance was a means of self-expression."

Wanting the audience to leave the theater with an upbeat feeling after each performance is his goal: "That's probably one of the greatest gifts I can give to anyone." His willingness to give, his reputation for self-discipline, and his ready grasp of complex choreography have made him a much-sought-after guest artist. He has appeared in the Philippines dancing Don Quixote, with Australian Ballet in a variety of principal roles, and with English National Ballet in Etudes. Called in by ENB in 1993 as a last-minute replacement for an injured dancer, Maynard scored such a success that artistic director Derek Deane invited him back. Deane has recognized Maynard's extraordinary talent, offering him Coppelia, The Sleeping Beauty, Act II of La Bayadere, and the opportunity to re-create his success in Etudes. Working as a guest artist is intriguing as well as gratifying for Maynard, for it gives him the chance to dance roles not currently in ABT's repertoire.

Choreographers have welcomed his exceptional versatility and flexibility. At Joffrey Ballet and in the beginning at ABT, Maynard was often identified only by his distinctive over-the-head extensions and amazing split jetes. He scored a huge success at ABT in 1993 when Ulysses Dove choreographed Serious Pleasures on him, focusing on this unique ability. Although he enjoyed the experience, Maynard fears exploitation of that aspect of his technique. Always open to new challenges, he has used the off-season from ABT to explore such roles as Balanchine's Symphony in C and Night Shadow (La Sonnambula) and to expand his repertoire even further. Capable of performing in modern, contemporary, and classic works, Maynard would be a valuable asset for any company.

Considering the competitiveness of the ballet world, it is surprising that Maynard elicits only praise from colleagues. Wes Chapman, the ABT principal dancer who appeared last year with Bavarian National Ballet, believes that Maynard will succeed since, in addition to a fantastic technique, he has the ability to project himself onstage. Remarking on Maynard's inquisitive mind, which questions and then applies everything said to him, Chapman notes that "he can pull things off in pressure situations, and, for an artistic director, that's the best type of dancer to have in your company." Orr agrees: "Maynard has a certain sense of pride and understanding in himself, with the result that he can pull it together. Under pressure, he'll hang onto it."

Hang on is what Maynard has had to do at ABT. Last year its New York City season lasted only six weeks, and in such a large company the opportunities for a young dancer to prove himself are rare. Maynard' s Albrecht was only his second full-length principal role with ABT (the first was The Nutcracker in December 1993 in California). He was doing well to have added the role of Gurn in La Sylphide to his repertoire. The delicacy and precision inherent in Bournonville are tailor-made for this slim, long-legged dancer. Frequently compared to British premier danseur Anthony Dowell, Maynard credits his precision to Crockett and to Patricia Standard of Royal Ballet. Standard emphasized the extended line and stretched feet of the British style, while Crockett taught him from his earliest lessons that although turnout and feet are important, they must be complemented by correct port de bras.

That kind of guidance had not always been available to Maynard after he joined ABT. Under McKenzie's directorship, however, there has been a much more active development of the company's younger talent. McKenzie worked closely with Maynard last season, particularly on Albrecht, a role in which he had scored a great success as a dancer. By taking him along step by step, Maynard explains, McKenzie helped him avoid the mistakes that can readily be made in Giselle by showing how every gesture, every motion, is crucial to the story line. Maynard discovered that "it requires far more depth of understanding than I realized, and Kevin has given me more insight into the character, helping me to determine how far I can and can't go."

The intense hours of rehearsal were amply rewarded last June, when Maynard made his debut as Albrecht in remarkably impressive fashion. After he had convinced the audience of his sincere love for Giselle in Act I, his guilt and remorse at her death starkly contrasted with the rapture that had been so joyously evident earlier. In the second act, his Albrecht was a young man matured and sobered by the tragedy he had caused, desperately seeking Giselle's forgiveness. The effortless partnering of the pas de deux evoked memories of the tenderness and devotion of each gesture in Act I. The performance was a triumph for Tcherkassky as well, but it was a particular success for Maynard. One critic compared him favorably to Erik Bruhn. Maynard was satisfied that the audience had understood what he had tried to convey through his acting and dancing.

And what does the future hold? Orr believes that Maynard will become one of the greatest dancers America has ever produced. As for Maynard himself, he looks forward to a varied and dramatic repertoire that has already started to grow. Solor in La Bayadere, Basilio in Don Quixote, and Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet are already his, along with Paquita, Gaite Parisienne, and Tharp's In the Upper Room. The ballets of Antony Tudor remain high on his wish list; he wants to delve deeply into the psychological underpinnings of these works. When asked if he has given any consideration to what he will do when he stops dancing, he says, "I would hope to pass on what I've experienced to a younger, more talented person. I would liketo be one of those dancers who give something backto their art."

Janet P. Levitt is a photographer who often contributes articles to Dance Magazine.