Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater

presented by Cal Performances

Zellerbach Hall, Berkeley

April 23^rd, 2013

On the opening night of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s week-long engagement at Zellerbach Hall, both the Director of Cal Performances (Matías Tarnopolsky) and the Artistic Director of AAADT (Robert Battle) took the stage to offer some brief remarks and greet the packed house. Both men shared their regards for and belief in the deep partnership between Cal Performances and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. This unique relationship is one for the record books – a long-standing commitment from both organizations, founded on support, dialog, artistic excellence, community outreach and unforgettable performances. 

First on the bill was Kyle Abraham’s salute to jazz: 2012’s “Another Night”. A gorgeous ensemble work, this was a piece devoted to leg extensions and serpentine torsos, a challenge which the Ailey company can certainly take on. Abraham also included super-human tempo changes. One minute, the dancers were going eighty miles an hour, then they would stop abruptly and hold a still pose for some time. It was like watching biathletes. The biggest take away from Abraham’s energetic, crowd-pleasing composition is that, when it comes to dance and choreography, absolute perfection is not and should not be the goal. Art is about chance, risk, acumen and gumption. Jazz music has this and so does “Another Night”. The unison was not exact and the dancer’s interpretation of the choreography was divergent and personal. Structure was most definitely present while conformity was appropriately absent.

Company members of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater perform "Petite Mort"
Photo: Paul Kolnik

Act II began with Jirí Kylián’s “Petite Mort”; an artistic buffet of form and content. A renaissance piece in the sense that it has a little bit of everything, this short ballet does it all well. With a lack of accompaniment during the unison sword sequence, there is both vulnerability and aggression. Then we move to neo-classicism with the partnering section, as every movement marks moments in Mozart’s score. Kylián even infused a bit of humor as six rolling dresses come on the scene. Next came the first of Battle’s two works, “Strange Humors”, a duet danced by Renaldo Gardner and Michael Francis McBride. “Strange Humors” is a structural etude, featuring unison, canon and accumulation. Gardner and McBride were dynamic perfection as they embodied these different forms, which were all underscored by an unusually fabulous choreographic combination: tribal rhythms meet early 1980s disco.

Battle’s “In/Side”, a solo danced by Samuel Lee Roberts, was completely intense. Toggling between staid and chaotic, one of Roberts’ early turns (which ended with a collapse to the ground) elicited audible gasps from the audience. Battle injected several B+ poses, which in the ballet world, is also referred to as ‘preparatory position’. It seemed calm and quiet, but with an undercurrent – something big was going to happen next. As always, the program closed with Alvin Ailey’s 1960 masterpiece suite, “Revelations”. A modern work that will live forever, the most important thing about “Revelations” is that it transcends time. It is not only a brilliant historic piece, but holds deep meaning and applicability for today. Though the finale “Rocka My Soul in the Bosom of Abraham” often steals the show, the two best sections are “Fix Me, Jesus” and “Sinner Man”. “Fix Me, Jesus” is one of the most beautiful duets I have seen, ever. Danced flawlessly on this opening night by Linda Celeste Sims and Glenn Allen Sims, the short vignette transports you to another place. And, Ms. Sims’ promenade in ecarté cannot go unmentioned.

San Francisco Ballet - Program 6

War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco

April 12^th, 2013

San Francisco Ballet’s eightieth anniversary season continues with an absolutely  delightful sixth program. For mixed performances, Artistic Director Helgi Tomasson tends to highlight the repertory breadth of his world-class company; often selecting three pieces from three very different genres or styles. With this set of works, he ventured outside this pattern, opting to pair one classical ballet with two very contemporary compositions. A little unconventional perhaps, but visually gorgeous and artistically compelling – exactly what one expects from an evening with the San Francisco Ballet.

Opening the program was Act III of Rudolf Nureyev’s 1966 “Raymonda” (choreography after Marius Petipa). Combining character and classical technique, “Raymonda” is a smorgasbord of sensibilities: extravagant and whimsical; folksy and regal. The grand pas classique, with its clean lines and stunning unison, had moments of quiet simplicity as well as instances of extreme challenge - the latter exemplified as all sixteen dancers completed a single jeté entrelacé. Dancing the title role, Frances Chung’s boureés spoke volumes, revealing strength, determination, pride and command. In addition to the  principal characters, four solos and two featured variations provided diversity and range to the work. Wanting Zhao (the first soloist) looked as though she was floating on air throughout a very difficult arabesque relevé sequence while Sarah Van Patten (soloist number three) combined a full back lay-out along with her developpé devant. I have to admit that I was a little torn about the men’s Pas de Quatre. Technically, it was fantastic; all four men quite brilliant, but something really distracted from this achievement. A couple of the guys just weren’t in character, which completely overshadowed their flawless technique. It goes to show that academic perfection can only take you so far.

“Ibsen’s House”, Val Caniparoli’s examination into the famed playwright’s treatment of gender, was an artistic triumph. The ballet began by introducing us to five different female characters from Ibsen’s body of work, the distinct personalities and unique struggles being matched by Caniparoli’s creative movement. Well-communicated and interpreted by each dancer, Lorena Feijoo as Hedda Gabler showed passionate drama; Sofiane Sylve as Nora Helmer oozed desperation; Dana Genshaft’s Mrs. Alving was clearly trapped; Courtney Elizabeth was untamed as Ellida Wangel and Sasha DeSola gave a tortured portrayal of Rebecca West. Though the women’s roles were of course predominant, the partnering of each was imperative to the story, and thus was given the proper attention, choreographically and artistically. “Ibsen’s House” is a beautiful ballet, with its only downfall being that it does go a little long.

San Francisco Ballet in
Liang's "Symphonic Dances"
©Erik Tomasson

Closing San Francisco Ballet’s sixth program was Edwaard Liang’s “Symphonic Dances”, another return appearance from last year’s season. With this 2012 ballet, Liang proves once again that he is a master of creating visual pictures through choreography and painting a living, breathing and evolving canvas before the audience’s eyes (think of the opening moments of his “Wunderland”). “Symphonic Dances” features three main pas de deuxs, the ending of each being one of these gorgeous, dramatic snapshot moments. And how Liang loves using second position (in plié, in relevé, in turns, in lifts); this wide stance was present here too, most notably in a recurring backwards sliding motif. The casting of Yuan Yuan Tan and Vito Mazzeo as the first pas de deux couple was the only puzzling element. Individually, both are fantastic dancers, but together, something is definitely missing. While nothing was wrong from a technical perspective, there was a definite lack of fervor, groundedness and passion in their pairing, which was especially apparent when the other two couples (Sofiane Sylve/Tiit Helimets; Maria Kochetkova/Vitor Luiz) danced their respective variations.  

Maine Island Dance Festival

Maine Island Dance Festival is back for its second year! Register now for this unique summer dance opportunity on Chebeague Island, Maine. Of special note for Bay Area dancers/artists - Lisa Wymore and Sheldon B. Smith of Smith/Wymore Disappearing Acts are joining the festival's faculty this year.