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Show The Daily Utah Chronicle "Tl ii 6 - The Daily i ,NTERTAINMENT Utah Chronicle Christy Karras, Feature Editor: c.karraschronicle.utah.edu Tuesday, September 8, 1998 oesn'ft Ballet Company Mpm BY JESSICA ROMINE SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE Aspen Ballet's performance Thursday, September the Marriott Center for Dance was not even at 3 comparable to its performance last year at Park City. Perhaps they were just working out the kinks, get- ting ready to knock the socks off of their Friday night audience. Unfortunately, those of us in Thurs-- ; day's audience had to make-d- o with an inconsistent level of energy. That shock 'em, blow 'em away effect was not at its peak. Because Aspen Ballet is defined by its strong, clean, contemporary repertoire, sitting through the classical choreography of George Ballanchine in was almost unbearable. However, artistic directors Malaty and Tom Mossbrucker succeeded in demonstrating the company's versatility and control over the varying styles of ballet. Leads Angela Rogers and Brandon Becker showed their innate, seamless, technical prowess as a very complimentary duo. Rogers was forever light and delicate on her feet and gained favor of the audience early on in the show with her defying balances. Becker made the classical crossover quite well also, showing impressive strength and height in his jumps, and charming us with his multiple turns. Had it not been for the virtuosity of these two would have failed to hold dancers,"Valse-Fantasy- " any ground at all. The Ballanchine style is not especially tailored to the Aspen Ballet Company as a whole. After seeing its unique hold on the more contemporary styles of; one can't ballet, and then viewing help but ask, "why"? There were some casting changes in the insanely provocative "Wired" since ABC's premiere in Park City. Instead of a male and female dancer, two male dancers - Seth DelGrasso and Patrick Thompson -wore the fluorescent colored body suits and got crazed and zapped together amid a strobe-li- t background. It had its definite moments of hilarity However, version that worked with difference the female-mal- e in body structure and bodily interpretation of the . "Valsc-Fantaisi- e" Jean-Philip- "Valse-Fantasie- ", pe electrocuted, shocked movement was more readable to the audience. This piece wants to get you laughing. Truthfully, I laughed harder the first time. m. The "Black White" pas de dieux demonstrated and difficult partnering innovative exceptionally maneuvers. Dancers Dawn Kopf and Brian McSween created and moved through unique shapes. It left the audience to wonder how they would get out of one tangled position on the ground to an upright and locked balance. Again, it was the striking flexibility and strong dynamics of this piece that made up for the lack of performer enthusiasm. Even the most subtle or withdrawn expressions can be powerful. The performers Thursday Night did not remain consistent with a personalized performance quality; they merely executed the dancing. They offered sections that were intriguing but not from beginning to end. "Fluctuating Hemlines" made an impact with its powerfully athletic and technical choreography. ; Shedding the costumes and wigs worn in the opening effectively portray a piece of dancing that emphasizes the beauty and accuracy of movement while leaving the nonsense and distraction of costumes behind. The audience is forced to take the crucial perspective of what dancing really means once the superficial layer of costumes is removed. Again, effect was in and of that g itself fluctuating. There were strong, moments, but they were stagnant. For d that kind of choreography the the energy level needed to be high from start to finish. Opening piece, "Djangology" (set to the music of Django Reinhart) left the evening's performance on the best note. If there was one piece that remained entertaining and high on energy and enthusiasm it was this one. The collaboration of rag and blues guitar music and fun, lively choreography was superb. From exciting lifts to hilarious facia! and body expressions this appeared to be the piece the company felt most at home in. Sometimes you're on and sometimes you're not! Thursday's performance showed us that Aspen Ballet has got what it takes to move an provoke an audience. May they lose the moments of low energy and return to dazzle as they have done before . attention-demandin- power-packe- |
