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Pacific Northwest Ballet George Balanchine's "Divertimento #15," Nacho Duato's "Jardí Tancat," Pas de Trois from "Le Corsaire," and Peter Martin's "Fearful Symmetries"
July
3, 2002 Pacific Northwest Ballet’s second programme of their London season opened
with George Balanchine’s Divertimento #15 set to Mozart. This clear-cut
classical work full of understated elegance let the musicality of the dancers
shine. There were notable performances in the Variations section and the
eight corps de ballet dancers shone especially in the Minuet. No doubt
the ease with which the company performs this piece is due to careful
preparation by Artistic Director Francia Russell who used to dance one of the
ballerina roles while with New York City Ballet and has since staged Divertimento
#15 for ballet companies throughout Europe. The evening continued with Nacho Duato’s Jardí Tancat (Catalan for Closed
Garden). Duato’s first work, based on Catalonian folk tales collected and
sung by Maria del Mar Bonet, deals with the hardship of peasants working the
barren land praying for rain that does not come and the way they endure their
existence with courage and great spirit. The piece starts in silence with three
couples moving in perfect unison through the simple stylised stage setting. When
the passionately melancholic songs set in we are taken through a series of pas
de deux, solos and ensemble movements all heartbreakingly expressing the people’s
desperation and sadness. The simple costumes, shirts and trousers for the men
and long dresses for the girls, all in warm earth colours, and the warm
lightning design let you almost feel the heat and drought. In tonight’s superb
cast, Alexandra Dickson, Kaori Nakamura and Olivier Wevers especially stood out.
The piece was the highpoint of the evening for me. The evening closed with Peter Martin’s Fearful Symmetries. This
neo-classical work for 23 dancers was created in 1990 for New York City Ballet
and was obviously inspired by typical Balanchine style. PNB’s ensemble again
looked very strong in the fast paced, varied choreography that suits Adam’s
haunting and adrenaline charged, dynamic score perfectly. Kaori Nakamura, Louise
Nadeau and Jonathan Porretta were especially sparkling in the speedy footwork
required. Overall, this well balanced and very enjoyable programme showed off the
company’s versatility in a variety of styles and its strengths in working as
an ensemble with remarkable team spirit. It was one of the best evenings of
dance I have seen in London this year. The Mixed Bill can be seen on Thursday
July 4th and Friday July 5th
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Sadler's
Wells, London
With the famous
pas de trois from Le Corsaire that followed, the evening once again
changed its direction of style. This classic gala show-stopper worked its usual
charm on the audience. Patricia Barker, Stanko Milov and Casey Herd danced with
great skill and enthusiasm but their interpretation was a hint too over the top
for my taste. No matter; last night’s audience loved every minute of it and
rewarded the performers with a lengthy applause.