October 5, 2004
By ROY C. DICKS, Correspondent
RALEIGH -- Part Two of Carolina Ballet's Balanchine celebration features a pair of groundbreaking works by the famed choreographer. But it's the new work by artistic director Robert Weiss that makes the program a must-see.
"Symposium" is one of Weiss' best creations. The title comes from the work by Plato, a series of dialogues in praise of love. The ballet's sections correspond to those of the literary work, though one can enjoy the dance without knowing its source.
The ballet is lovely, moving and perfectly matched to the music, Leonard Bernstein's "Serenade." This miniature violin concerto has wistful yearning but also uplifting hope and invigorating joy.
The ballet showcases the company's depth of talent. Christopher Rudd, who has developed as a soloist over the years, boldly embodies Dionysus, symbol of the life force, with sinuous spins and powerful leaps. After his opening solo, exhibiting lyricism and flexibility, he has a gripping pas de deux with Randi Osetek enmeshing himself intimately with her. In the final section, he returns to scamper about, overseeing three happily paired couples. Throughout, Rudd displays marvelous strength and athleticism.As varying faces of love, three sets of partnered dancers are featured, two well established and a grand new one. Newcomer Cyrille de la Barre and Lilyan Vigo hold hands throughout a series of supple motions, culminating in unusual back-to-back combinations. Margaret Severin-Hansen and Pablo Javier Perez have diminutive frames that belie the energy and precision at their command, their quirky steps mirroring the skittering music. Melissa Podcasy and Timor Bourtasenkov trace breathtaking patterns in their soaring lifts and turns.
"Symposium," with its atmospheric lighting by Ross Kolman and marvelous projections of works by artist Kazimir Malevich, already feels like a classic.
Balanchine's "Square Dance" was innovative in 1957, making a connection between violin works by Corelli and Vivaldi and the rhythms of a country fiddler. A caller (area actor Martin Thompson) humorously shouts out steps as a dozen dancers and a solo couple work out the combinations.
The idea is more intriguing than the execution. The folksy phrases ("make your feet go wicky-wacky" "shoot the rooster") don't really go with the balletic style, and the unrelenting barrage of words quickly becomes distracting. Luckily, Severin-Hansen and especially Perez (how does he float like that?) give the piece interest, aided by live music from violinists Izabela Cohen and Tazi Matthews and pianist Nancy Whelan
"Who Cares?" was inventive in 1970 because it melded the Fred-and-Ginger style of movie dancing with classical technique. There is a certain satisfaction in seeing formal steps used in a popular style, and there's no denying the familiar pull of George Gershwin's syncopated tunes (jazzily rendered here by pianist Karl Moraski, bassist John Simonetti and percussionist Vincent E. Moss). But the piece becomes repetitive, copying but not really illuminating its sources. Nonetheless, it is smartly danced and certainly a crowd-pleaser.
While this second Balanchine program is on the lighter side, Carolina Ballet proves its versatility, and with Weiss's new work, its viability.
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