Ballet Quad Cities

10/20/2026

I am dancing the role of Governor Bellingham in the upcoming production of The Scarlet Letter. He represents the puritan standard in Massachusetts Bay Colony. Bellingham is the embodiment of rigid authority and the upholding of societal standards.
What has been the most challenging part of this production? The most challenging part of this production has been the evolution of Bellingham’s character choices through movement. When being a part of a new production and experiencing the ballet from the ground up, a lot of extra thought and care must go into the character’s development. I often have to question “Is this something Bellingham would do in this moment?” “Is this the reaction Bellingham would have to this?” Within the challenge comes a lot of great fun and piecing together an internal dialogue for myself!
What is your favorite moment in the performance? My favorite part of parts of the ballet include small glimpses into the hypocrisy of the dancers representing puritan values. A small skirt lift to show the ankles or frequent gossiping. It shows a depth to the story that Hester is truly no different from the ones pointing fingers.
What has this experience taught you as a dancer? This experience has broadened more horizons into my internal dialogue process, and the true development of a brand new ballet. Courtney Lyon, our Artistic Director and the choreographer, has an intense sense for bringing the text to life with our movement. Much of this process focused heavily on her sharing the pages with us to fully immerse us into the scene page-to-page; word-to-word.
I hope the audience walks away with an appreciation for live art performance. Whatever the story, being in a theatre and watching a production is something a screen will never replicate! There has been a lot of hard work put into the production, and I hope that everyone enjoys!

10/20/2026

I play two different roles in The Scarlet Letter. One of my roles is a temptation in the forest scenes. This role is very fluid and spirit-like to me. The temptations really help set the atmosphere of the forest scenes and cultivate the mysterious and intriguing mood right at the start of the ballet. The second role I portray is a puritan. The role of a puritan is much more severe in aesthetics and energies. The shapes are strong and defined, much like their opinions on society and “right from wrong.”

What is your favorite moment in the performance? My favorite moment from the performance is the opening scene of the temptations in the forest. I find this scene to be the perfect opening to the ballet. It fully immerses the audience into the world of the story. The choreography makes me feel powerful and really gets me in the zone to start a great show!

10/19/2026

"On behalf of the Ballet Quad Cities Board of Directors, we are thrilled to congratulate Joedy Cook on receiving the Nation of Neighbors Empowerment Award. Joedy's grit, grace, and commitment to her vision have made Ballet Quad Cities a source of inspiration and opportunity for generations of women and girls. Her leadership demonstrates what is possible when passion is matched with perseverance, and we are proud to celebrate this well-deserved honor." - Maura Warner, Board of Directors Secretary, Ballet Quad Cities

Content by Royal Neighbors of America®. Through a $20,000 Nation of NeighborsSM Empowerment Grant, Royal Neighbors of America is helping Ballet Quad Cities take their work further.

10/19/2026

What role do you play in The Scarlet Letter, and how would you describe your character? I dance the roles of Temptations of the Forest and a Puritan. The Temptations are spirit-like beings that are the physical embodiment of what is deemed immoral by Puritan standards. They reside in the forest, which serves as a protection from the moralizing eyes of the Puritans. In contrast, the Puritans are the prideful townspeople of Massachusetts Bay Colony. They are characterized by a strong sense of right and wrong.
How do you use movement to communicate your character's emotions? The Temptations and the Puritans have a distinctly different movement vocabulary. The Puritans movement is held and bound, almost two dimensional at times. These movement qualities communicate how Puritans are strictly confined to their moral standards. The Temptations movement is more free and grounded, representing the breakaway from Puritan culture and is interpretive of the forest’s earthliness.
What is your favorite moment in the performance? One of my favorite moments in this ballet is the opening scene. As the curtain rises, the audience is met with the Temptations in the forest. What I enjoy most about this scene is the sense of empowerment and strength I get from dancing alongside the other company women. This, coupled with the powerful music and choreography, creates a captivating beginning and sets the scene for the story we are going to tell.

10/18/2026

What is your favorite moment in the performance? Act 2, Scene 1 when the story zooms into Dimmesdale’s mind and there are the contrasting puritans and temptations dancing simultaneously. I think this part is going to really going to come to life on stage with the added effects of the production.

What do you think makes The Scarlet Letter meaningful or relevant to audiences today? I believe that this story highlights and emphasizes that nobody is without imperfections; it’s all too easy to judge somebody else for their choices whether knowing the full story or not. We shouldn’t be worrying about what another person chooses to do or not do, but rather our own individual choices in life and becoming the person we set out to be.

10/17/2026

What role do you play in The Scarlet Letter, and how would you describe your character? I am both a puritan and a physical representation of temptation. When being temptation we have a lot more freedom in our movement and energy, the puritans are still committing many sins (gossiping/showing ankle) but we are ridged in our movements and try to have a “holier than thou” attitude.

What has been the most challenging part of this production? Keeping the two movement styles separate and not letting them become one constant quality.

What is your favorite moment in the performance? I really enjoy the temptations 2nd major group section while Marcus (Dimmsdale) is on the scaffold and we are haunting him.

What are you most excited for the audience to see? I’m excited for them to see Nora (Hester) continue to grow and age gracefully as she embraces the choices she’s made, while the men who blame her alone for the situation deteriorate mentally.

What do you hope the audience walks away thinking or feeling after watching the show? I hope audiences can understand that embracing your choices and trying to do better in the future can be freeing instead of wallowing in your shame.

10/17/2026

In The Scarlet Letter I am one of the temptations of the forest and one of the puritans. When I am a temptation, I envision myself as Spanish moss. The moment is nature inspired and when we all dance together, it reminds me of all the texture that is Spanish moss. As a puritan, I would describe us as proud and orderly. We follow the rules, go to church, and do everything that we deem is “right”.

What is your favorite moment in the performance? I have two favorite parts of the ballet. The first is the opening temptations dance. The music, movement, and corps of the temptations dancing together is really powerful and sets the ballet perfectly. My second favorite part is the scene where Hester reveals to Dimmesdale that she was married. There’s so much drama! And a beautiful pas de deux!

What are you most excited for the audience to see? I'm excited for the audience to watch a story they have read come to life with sets, costumes, lights, music, and choreography. Artistic Director, Courtney Lyon has been reading us parts of the book while creating this ballet to inspire movement and bring specific ideas to the stage.

10/16/2026

I play Roger Chillingworth, the estranged husband of Hester Prynne. After being presumed dead, he arrives in town and assumes the identity of Roger Chillingworth to torment Hester and find who the father of her child is.

What has been the most challenging part of this production? A story like this that's so well known and has so much depth can be very difficult to convey on stage. There's a lot of acting between the dances where we need to show the audience the important plot points so each movement needs to be very specific in its intention.

What is your favorite moment in the performance? My favorite part is later in the show when several years have passed and Chillingworth has grown old. I get to be a grumpy old man with a walking stick collecting leaves from the forest.

10/15/2026

What role do you play in The Scarlet Letter, and how would you describe your character? I play the role of Hester Prynne. The first word that comes to mind to describe Hester is strong. She goes through so much, yet always remains dignified and does her best to do good in the world after making her initial mistake.

What has been the most challenging part of this production? The most challenging part of this production for me has been getting inside of Hester’s head. Because she is consistently composed throughout the story, it has been a fun challenge to piece together her emotions and motivations.

How do you use movement to communicate your character's emotions? A lot of the time, Hawthorne gives us a description of characters’ movements to show how they are feeling in the story. For example, he might write that Hester “froze,” or “recoiled.” Courtney Lyon, our artistic director and choreographer, has been pulling these words straight from the text to inform our movement, and then we develop it out into more formal dance phrases. In this way, the choreography is designed to show the characters’ emotions and tell the story.

What is your favorite moment in the performance? My favorite moments in the performance are the scenes that happen in the forest. In contrast to the scenes in town, the forest allows us to explore sin and think outside of Puritan propriety.

What do you think makes The Scarlet Letter meaningful or relevant to audiences today? The Scarlet Letter is incredibly relevant to today because of its themes of being an insider versus an outsider and how sin can be differently defined (and responded to) depending on a person’s circumstances.

What do you hope the audience walks away thinking or feeling after watching the show? I hope the audience walks away from this show feeling inspired to think outside of the confines of conventional society about what constitutes “good” or “evil.” I also hope that they feel like they were able to connect with fellow humans (whether characters on stage or other audience members) over the course of the evening. Come see live art!

10/14/2026

I play Arthur Dimmesdale, the Reverend who commits adultery with Hester.

What has been the most challenging part of this production? The most challenging part for me has been trying to express the deeper thoughts that Dimmesdale has. He knows he is in the wrong and it eats away at him slowly.

How do you use movement to communicate your character's emotions? I have been working with Courtney Lyon on mostly abstract interpretations of Dimmesdale’s psyche. Outwardly he is the town’s Reverend so he has to use gestures that communicate godliness. There are also gestures that indicate a sickness growing within him.

What is your favorite moment in the performance? My favorite moment in the performance so far is the pas de deux with Hester in which everything is laid out and they finally deal with their past.

What has this experience taught you as a dancer? his experience has taught me to be open to playing complicated characters.

What do you think makes The Scarlet Letter meaningful or relevant to audiences today?Today’s audiences will find meaning in The Scarlet Letter’s very human themes of secrets and openness.

What are you most excited for the audience to see? I’m most excited for the audience to see how the music and choreography are able to reflect this intense story.

What do you hope the audience walks away thinking or feeling after watching the show? I hope the audience walks away from this performance feeling more connected to this story, its characters, and the possibilities of dance.