Carolina Ballet subscriber Phyllis Gordon attended the inaugural performance on UNC Wilmington’s campus in July 2007 and posts this review of her experience.

I loved the student performance! When I saw that the program consisted of ten pieces, in addition to four pas de deux from Carolina Ballet, my initial reaction was, "We're going to be here forever!" Instead, what we were treated to was a professional, quickly-paced presentation that seemed much shorter than the two hours running time. The new choreography by Tyler Walters and Marin Boieru was wonderfully suited to the students' abilities, and quite beautiful – the students were clearly challenged and rose to the occasion. Seeing these young dancers of varying experience dance both Balanchine and Weiss choreography was exhilarating. The severe weather of the afternoon added drama, especially when the darkness, thunder, and lightning emphasized the passion with which Peggy Severin-Hansen and Richie Krusch danced the pas de deux from Weiss' Romeo and Juliet. And when the power went out just as Jan Burkhard and Nick Smirnov began Balanchine's Tarantella, the entire auditorium waited in hushed darkness. After a few minutes, the lights came back on, and Jan and Nick bounded out once more. As I watched their superb performance, I kept thinking, "A star is born - times two!" They received the biggest ovation of the afternoon. I left feeling almost overwhelmed by the accomplishments of Carolina Ballet’s first residency. Tyler Walters and Julie Janus Walters especially did an unbelievable job in creating and managing what was by all accounts an extraordinary success.

The evening gala was one of the highlights of my ballet-going career. My impression of Attila Bongar's previous choreography was that it was cerebral, avant-garde, somewhat abstract, and challenging. I've always enjoyed his pieces, but I was thoroughly unprepared for his gorgeous, emotionally draining, romantic presentation of Cavalleria Rusticana. I fervently hope that we will see it on a regular Carolina Ballet program in Raleigh this season. I have never seen Timour Bourtasenkov dance better - the strength and beauty of his dancing, and the depth and artistry of his dramatic skills combined for a characterization that transcended the steps and the music. And Hong Yang - well, she's always exquisite, but, in this piece with Timour, her beauty, elegance, technique, and acting skills resulted in one of the most intense and touching performances I've ever seen. At the end of the piece, as she danced to the famous Intermezzo, I started crying, surprising even myself; I usually never weep at performances. I looked down the row, and most of the ladies seated near me had tears on their cheeks. I can’t imagine how Timour and Hong were able to transition from Rustincana to Ricky's wonderful Waltzes of Old Vienna, but they did it will professional aplomb. The two Weiss’ pas de deux performed in the student matinee were intense and emotionally intimate pieces that had been previously presented in Raleigh. But Old Vienna absolutely exploded off the stage for me with its joy and exuberance. This is the work Ricky created during the residency, and it was one of the happiest pieces I've seen from him in a while - effervescent, like champagne. I loved especially "Roses from the South," a Pas de Trois with Attila, Hong, and Lara O'Brien - playful, flirtatious, altogether delightful. The contrast with Attila's Cavalleria illustrated for me this part of Keats' "Ode on Melancholy" - "Veil'd Melancholy has her sovran shrine,/ Though seen of none save him whose strenuous tongue/ Can burst Joy's grape against his palate fine." I think most of the audience would agree we experienced a very satisfying emotional range that night! It was indeed an unforgettable day, the culmination of a successful month. The UNCW/Carolina Ballet partnership is a gift to the artistic world.

If you would like to submit your review of a Carolina Ballet performance please e-mail Joan Caviness, jcaviness@carolinaballet.com.
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