Technique takes center stage in 'Balanchine'
By Orla Swift, Staff Writer
RALEIGH - The most indelible moment of Carolina Ballet's “Balanchine Favorites” program occurs in “Apollo,” in which the muses of Greek mythology visit their patron god. Melissa Podcasy, as Terpsichore, and Timour Bourtasenkov, as Apollo, lightly touch fingers before they join for a pas de deux in which Terpsichore seems to fuel Apollo with renewed inspiration.
This brief connection is inspired by Michelangelo's God and Adam in the Sistine Chapel, but it also encapsulates the feel of the program presented Thursday in Fletcher Opera Theater. The dances feature little in the way of character development and emotional connection, which may be disappointing to fans of story ballet. But in terms of invention and flawless technique, the evening is full.
Balanchine's legacy as the father of American ballet goes back to his study at Russia's Imperial Ballet School, where Marius Petipa had instilled the values of classical technique. “Raymonda Variations,” a 1961 creation that Carolina Ballet is performing for the first time, is a nod to the French-born Petipa, whose “Raymonda” featured the Alexander Glazunov score that these variations draw from.
Petipa's 1898 ballet was a story, whereas Balanchine's “Variations” is a series of joyful toasts to technique. Carolina Ballet's principals are always up for the demands of Balanchine's choreography, with its ceaseless athleticism and complex musicality. This ballet's nine solo variations underscore the charisma and technical prowess of the company's less frequently spotlighted second- and third-tier soloists, including Randi Osetek's and Erica Sabatini's dizzying spins, and the corps dancers here and elsewhere in the program give their most polished performances in years.
Star ballerina Lilyan Vigo is luminous as always, though the long-held pointe poses near the ballet's start had her shaking at times, magnified by the audience's proximity in Fletcher. Attila Bongar – the “Variations' ” only male – was technically proficient, but his expressionless face during his solo detracted from the ballet's jubilant tone.
“Raymonda Variations” closed the opening night show, and the audience's applause at the sight of the 12 female dancers in their brilliant aqua costumes as the ballet began suggested that the preponderance of black and white costumes all evening – and the lack of scenery – had left them starved for color.
“Valse Fantaisie” is a lighthearted and colorful Balanchine confection, led by Pablo Javier Perez and Margaret Severin- Hansen. This compact pair's delicate and spontaneous-feeling style made them seem carried like tumbleweeds by Mikhail Glinka's lively score.
“Apollo,” set to Stravinsky, is weightier. It was Balanchine's first “white ballet,” stripped of all but the bare essentials, and it shows his own muses at work, with its stunning images, complex partnering and dashes of humor.
The program opened with “Oblique Dreamscape,” an intriguing new work by company artistic director Robert Weiss, who spent 16 years dancing for Balanchine. Mannequins scattered on the ground and suspended above the stage underscored the peculiarity of dancer Wei Ni's odd journey.
As its title suggests, the ballet has no easily discernible meaning. But its montage of strange encounters – particularly with Hong Yang's mysterious ringleader – offers ample building blocks for dance fans to craft their own interpretations.
The “Balanchine Favorites” program and lead dancers will vary through the run, though “Raymonda Variations” and “Apollo,” which the company has presented before, will be constants. “Valse Triste” by Peter Martins, Balanchine's successor at New York City Ballet, is also in the mix.
orla.swift@newsobserver.com or (919) 829-4764.