This is her last night in the audience. She’ll be performing the rest of the performances in the pit, the orchestra pit. This will be her spotlight. This is the calm before chaos. Pansegrau is the IBC music director, guest conductor and is currently at her eighth IBC. For 12 years, she was the Kansas City Ballet’s music director and the Orlando Ballet’s conductor. She has been called the best ballet pianist in the world. What point does she know what program they will perform? She laughs and says, “Hoping, around 2 a.m. the morning.” “Then, I have my first rehearsal with the orchestra and dancers at 11 o’clock. It’s very tight.” What about the first rehearsal? She predicts that it will be “a little hairy.” The Awards Gala is the culmination of the IBC. It brings together two weeks worth of contemporary and classical ballet competition between junior and senior dancers who are competing for cash awards, scholarships, company contracts, and medals in Jackson. “The orchestra has learnt over 42 pieces. Because we don’t know the winner, we had to learn all the pieces for the competition.” She will know this tonight when the Awards Gala audience sees it. The music has been eliminated in three rounds, just like the competition. “We have a huge stack of music and then we practice it all. It’s kind of scary,” Adam Almeter, trombonist, says. As the competition is reduced, pieces are cut down. Recordings are also given to musicians. It was actually quite organized, even though it was a bit difficult due to the small amount. Pansegrau said that she had to make some judgment calls throughout the process. “Just playing the odds a little,” she said. “I had six hours music and five and a quarter hours of rehearsal. She explains that she didn’t rehearse Grand Pas Classique because of the music. This was just minutes after Katherine Barkman and Joseph Phillips, finalist, performed a stunning turn that earned the crowd gasps and roars for their incredible balance. I think, we will probably have to do it in cold weather tomorrow.” It winds up on Friday’s program, and is the first thing they tackle at 11:15 a.m. Conducting music for ballet requires a special skill. Michael Beattie is the MSO president and executivedirector. People could be hurt. The tempo is crucial to the success and well-being of the dancers, especially during rehearsals. Pansegrau states, “You must understand the movements that the dancers make in order to interpret them musically.” Then, you try to make the dancers as beautiful as possible without making the music too complicated. “So, there’s a middle way you try to find.” She keeps her eyes on the dancer onstage. “I have rehearsed with orchestra. They are familiar with me. They follow my hand. They don’t have to see me. “I’m watching the dancers.” Sometimes it’s just a matter matching the beat to their feet. Pansegrau states that in some cases you can watch certain body parts. “For instance, when the ladies do fouettes (fast turns on one leg), I watch the heel come down because that is when the music should stop. It’s a plus that she is “absolutely” a huge ballet fan. “My inner ballet fan is very happy at the competition.” Dancers compete in contemporary and classical ballet to recorded music. The Encore galas will see medal winners dance to classical and pas de deux to live MSO music. Even contemporary selections use recorded music. Brooke Wyatt is the MSO development director. She first met Pansegrau when Wyatt was IBC’s artistic administrator. Wyatt said, “I was blown over by her knowledge of classical ballet.” “I have seen her coach nervous junior medalists through rehearsals with an orchestra in such a positive way. This can result in a more collaborative effort that enhances the dancers’ efforts and energizes them as well as the fans. “This is last-minute. Beattie states that everyone does their part to make art from the last stages of the competition. After Thursday and Wednesday rehearsals, Almeter gets ready for Friday’s two-rehearsal days, as well as the performance on Friday. It’s a long day for everyone involved. It’s always a matter of ‘Get as many in as possible.’ It always turns out okay. It’s my first time, but everyone says it’s going well.” Cheri Waite, piccolo player, describes it as “packing a whole year’s worth of music into one weekend.” While she has played some of the pieces before, it’s been eighteen years since she played at an IBC. This time, she was able to make the final cut for some of the more difficult pieces — pieces that require her to practice and rehearse all by herself. “I prayed a lot. “I prayed a lot. That was amazing! It happened in Jackson, Mississippi.