When Amy Wolfe, artistic director of the Manassas Ballet Theater in Virginia, lost her son Colin in Iraq in 2006, she knew she wanted to create a lasting tribute to him. This weekend, her full-length ballet, "Colin," opened at Hylton Performing Arts Center.
Lance Cpl. Colin Wolfe was killed at the age of 18, when a roadside bomb exploded next to him in Habbaniyah, Iraq. According to Military Times, he had been a dancer prior to joining the service. His mother knew that creating an artistic memorial in his honor would be the best way to handle her loss and recognize his immense sacrifice.
The creative process
Wolfe started by creating a 30-minute performance in collaboration with a composer friend. The project drew so much attention that she decided to extend it into a full-length piece. According to Military Times, the emotional ballet shows all aspects of Colin's relationship with the service, from Sept. 11, 2001, when, at the age of 14, he decided he would enlist when he got older, to the moment right before the bomb took his life.
The source noted that Wolfe conducted interviews with his friends and colleagues to construct a realistic yet creative portrayal of her son's experience. It was through these interviews she learned that Colin had been talking about his family and his girlfriend in the moment before his death, a comforting fact for the grieving mother.
Casting the show
CBS News reported that 27-year-old Joshua Burnham is dancing the role of Colin – Wolfe chose him for his resemblance to her son, as well as the fact that he is the exact same age Colin would be if he were alive today. When casting herself, Wolfe knew that no matter how mentally and physically difficult it would be, she would need to be the one to dance the part. Although she had not danced in four years, Wolfe realized that nobody else would be able to lend such vivid emotional realness to the character.
According to CBS News, real active-duty Marines help open the show, which starts with the night Wolfe was told about her son's passing. The source also noted that members of the Marine Corps attend every performance to pay their respects to Colin and his family.
While the process has been a difficult one for Wolfe, she hopes it will help other servicemembers and their families deal with the often devastating challenges of military life.
"Every death helps those of us who are left behind to come together, to reach out to each other, to love each other better. It is sad that sometimes we have to grieve in order to love better, but it is true," Wolfe told CBS News.