Last August, Sally Rousse decided to become unemployed.

Since moving from New York to Minneapolis in 1993 with James Sewell Ballet (and her husband, James Sewell), Rousse has lit up Twin Cities stages with her interpretations of classical and contemporary ballets. In July 2001, she also appeared in an independent production performing the magnificent solo "Chair Bones," choreographed for her by Arturo Fernandez, ballet master for Alonzo King's LINES Ballet.

But when she was awarded a McKnight Fellowship for Dancers in 2001, she decided it was time to take a sabbatical "and explore my movement potential," she said while rehearsing last week. "If we want ballet to stay relevant, we need to look at our real bodies, real events in our lives, and be open to new possibilities."

Rousse compiled a list of people with whom she wanted to work, and New York aerialist Chelsea Bacon was at the top. She saw Bacon four years ago at a Three Legged Race "Summer Blizzard" show.

She loved how Bacon "transcended that circusy, showy virtuosity, that 'ta da!' element of aerial work, and was personal, theatrical and engaging all at the same time," she said. "I wanted to try that myself."

The result of their collaboration, "trickpony," premieres Thursday in Minneapolis. The 75-minute piece investigates the mechanics of the brain and the phenomenon of savantism through the juxtaposition of classical ballet and aerial dance. The work is inspired, in part, by Dr. Temple Grandin's book "Thinking in Pictures and Other Reports From My Life in Autism" and the book "Nadia: A Case of Extraordinary Drawing Ability in an Autistic Child," by Lorna Selfe.

"Sometimes an autistic person has a savantism," Rousse explained. "They can't speak, but they can paint, draw or count the number of toothpicks that fell out of a box. How does that happen? And what does society do to celebrate it?"

Unfortunately, she continued, savantism often is treated as an oddity, and the autistic person is regarded as a "one-trick pony."

Rousse and Bacon see their aerial work on a trapeze-like apparatus as a metaphor for the area above the shoulders. At times, they portray two halves of one brain, Bacon added, "and we also morph in and out of characters like a little girl and a pony."

Rousse and Bacon display their own expertise on daredevil aerial tricks performed by such acts as Cirque du Soleil and the grand leaps and quicksilver fouettes that draw applause from ballet audiences. Rousse rose effortlessly on pointe, lifted one leg and said she could continue for more than a minute. Bacon added that she can hang from her neck for the same length of time.

"We love those things. They're virtuosic," Rousse said. "But I want to create something that more fully reflects my life choices, my interests, my intelligence. I want to express what I find fascinating, and I hope others will be fascinated, as well."

Trained at the School of American Ballet, Rousse has performed works by George Balanchine, Maurice Bejart and Jiri Kylian over the years.

"There are still a few other ballets I want to do to," she said.

She'll perform with James Sewell Ballet this fall and next spring. But aerial work, she said, is a welcome change, building her upper-body strength.

"I have to give up being the fragile, ethereal sylph," she said, her eyes flashing. "I've come to a place where I want to be the witch now."

IF YOU GO

trickpony

Who: Performers Sally Rousse and Chelsea Bacon.

Tickets: $18. 612-340-1725.

-- Camille LeFevre is a St. Paul writer.