Festival Ballet Dances Into Fall,Island Moving Company’
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Festival Ballet Dances into Fall After a bit of a delay, Festival Ballet Providence announced its schedule for their upcoming 37th season. Of note, they will present one less performance at The Vets but will add a third installment of the popular Up Close On Hope dance series. Chatterboxtheatre, dance geared toward children, returns with an encore production of Peter and the Wolf. In December, FBP moves into PPAC for their annual holiday presentation of The Nutcracker. They then take the stage at The Vets in March with JuxtaPOSE, featuring resident choreographer Viktor Plotnikov’s groundbreaking and critically acclaimed “Coma”; the program also includes “Etudes,” allowing audience members to, as the title suggests, compare Plotnikov’s contemporary masterpiece alongside a classical masterpiece. FBP’s season officially opens with the first installment of UCOH. And, as has become the norm, it is an ambitious program totaling nine works including four world premieres, two company premieres, one musical premiere and two new choreographers. With an exciting blend of contemporary dance and classical ballet, these performances allow company members and world renowned choreographers to present their work in an intimate setting with “dance so close you can touch it.” On a recent Wednesday evening, I attended an UCOH rehearsal just as FBP company member Louisa Chapman was setting her piece “The Elements,” a company premiere. With the earth, air, water and fire as her muse, Chapman creates some stunning visuals. I spoke with her briefly before rehearsal began. When asked about what inspired her, Chapman recalls how she would go on walks and “observe nature. Watch how the wind catches the leaves, how the water ripples when something is thrown into it. Or watch the fire in a fire pit and how the coals burn and how the fire spreads.” When asked about the biggest challenges thus far, she admits that the choreography for “Earth” is still in the works complicated by her decision to forgo music in this segment. Rather, she wants “earth sounds, sounds that are human and tangible so the audience can connect with the piece,” coming up with such “sounds” has proven to be difficult. She also details some of the difficulties with “Air.” It features five women and, as Chapman notes, “female dancers want everything to look so beautiful. But I am trying to get them to give-up their weight, to let go and be natural.” The most striking thing about this young dancer/choreographer is her confidence and the specificity of what she is trying to convey. Though she asks a lot of the dancers, she has a very easy way of explaining herself; one marvels at the remarkable give and take between Chapman and the dancers. And, after several run-throughs, her vision begins taking shape. “Air” opens with the dancers squatting, arms out by their sides like wings. As the music builds, they soar like birds of prey on the hunt, strong and majestic. Then they become trees with arms lifting and bodies swaying as if being tossed about by gusts of wind. Chapman reminds them “let the wind catch you. This is too much like ballet. I need more movement.” And while she encourages the dancers to be more “natural” and abandon some of their classical training, the choreography still projects a certain grace and beauty. Then she moves onto “Fire” with two male dancers also starting in a squatting position. As the music builds, their arms and torsos flicker and flutter until they are standing. This piece utilizes big jumps allowing the dancers to “eat up space” much like “the way fire spreads,” explains Chapman. But, much like fire, it burns itself out as the dancing slows and the dancers return to flickering and fluttering until they are motionless. As the rehearsal draws to a close, Chapman and the dancers begin working on “Water.” In addition to Chapman’s premiere, this UCOH program will also feature world premieres by Plotnikov, frequent FBP contributor Gianni DiMarco and Ty Parmenter, a former FBP dancer who recently rejoined the company. And for those looking to have their classical ballet itch scratched, the “Peasant pas de Deux” from “Giselle” and “Chopiniana” should do the trick. Finally, FBP Artistic Director Mihailo Djuric is thrilled to announce that Ilya Kozadayev will be making his FBP choreographic debut contributing a company premiere and a world premiere, Djuric has been a big fan of his work for quite some time. From a family of dancers, Kozadayev received his early ballet training in St. Petersburg Russia. He has toured nationally and internationally as a member of many prestigious ballet companies in the US, most recently as a soloist with Houston Ballet. Currently, he serves as Assistant Professor of Ballet at the University of Oklahoma. For more information about FBP’s complete season, visit: festivalballet.com. Island Moving Company’s A Thousand Reflections Fresh off a road trip from Richmond, Va., where they were invited to perform with Amaranth Arts as part of their Great Friends Touring Project, Island Moving Company had one more stop before returning home to Newport. On Friday, October 10, they presented “A Thousand Reflections” at Rhode Island College’s Sapinsley Hall. This one-evening-only performance sponsored by The Rhode Island College Dance Company featured contemporary and modern dance with a touch of classical ballet. The program begins with “Taking Watch,” which they performed in Richmond. A very lively and up- tempo piece, it features women wearing brightly colored, free-flowing skirts and tops with bare midriffs, and the men wearing form fitting pants with red suspenders. This energetic number ends with a very nice pas de deux set to silence. Lauren Difede and Shane Farrell follow with IMC Associate Artistic Director Spencer Gavin Hering’s “Levitation.” With R&B singer Lee Dorsey providing the vocals and the constant refrain of “get together” sung throughout the song, Difede and Farrell certainly keep it together in a fun and cute piece with each dancer mirroring the other’s movements. It ends with Difede attempting to piggyback Farrell off stage with Farrell quickly aborting and carrying his partner to the wings with her hand gently resting on his head. Just before intermission, the female dancers strap on their pointe shoes for the evening’s only classical offering in Hering’s “Breathing Space.” Here, Motif’s 2013 Dancer of the Year, Brooke DiFrancesco, shines. For her, the transition from contemporary dance to classical dance seems the most seamless of all the dancers. With long, clean elegant lines and pointed feet, she is a pleasure to watch. Difede and Glen Lewis also stand out with a simple but nicely executed pas de deux; I only wish it had been longer. IMC Artistic Director Miki Ohlsen’s “Continua Metamorfosi” opens the second half of the program. Another energetic piece, Difrancesco and Farrell impress with some nice partnering. Azamat Asangul uulu also stands out with some nice jumps and turns; he was one dancer I wish I saw more of throughout the evening. Then Difede returns for a solo piece, “Dante’s Beatrice,” a very mystical and mysterious number with a gypsy-like feel. Wearing a long black gown, she expertly uses a hand fan, opening and closing it to shield her face, almost as if hiding from the audience and we are merely voyeurs. Based on one of the guides from Dante’s “Divine Comedy” whose name implies beatific love, Defede nicely captures her character’s “Beatific vision.” The evening concludes with “Land of a Thousand Reflections.” This was also performed in Richmond and was choreographed by Amaranth Arts Artistic Director Scott Putnam. Featuring the entire company, this piece certainly emerges as the program’s most interesting, though a bit long. With the dancers wearing metallic-like colored costumes, “Reflections” has a futuristic look and feel with bit of a Middle-Eastern flare. The dance itself seems to be a quest for something with a sense of longing and desperation. With long strands of reflective paper hanging to the floor, the dancers intermittently stop to check their reflections. At times, the music slows and the movements become strained and exaggerated. Then the music picks up and the dancers erupt into frantic, almost orgy-like movements. Overall, it was a very satisfying evening of dance enhanced by Lighting Designer Alan Pickart’s beautiful lighting and color schemes always projecting the appropriate sense of mood and emotions. Next up for IMC is their annual production of “Newport Nutcracker at Roseclifff,” their original adaption of this holiday classic performed throughout various rooms in Newport’s historic mansion. For additional information, visit islandmovingco.org. Dancing Into Fall With summer drawing to a close, a common theme echoed by many is that it was too short and it was too cool. Yet, even with fall fast approaching, area dance companies are ready to turn up the heat. Following a very busy summer with its summer dance intensive and various performances throughout the summer, Festival Ballet Providence is still putting the finishing touches on its 2014/2015 performance schedule. And, as this article was set to go to press, they were reluctant to divulge any details until they are able to finalize all they have planned for their 37th season. As Providence’s resident professional ballet company, one can expect, according to their website, “audience favorites to timeless traditions to never-before-seen new works.” In keeping with past years, they will present several full-scale productions at The Vets along with their annual production of The Nutcracker at PPAC. Dance fans can also expect more from their critically acclaimed Up Close On Hope dance series, featuring many world and RI premieres, and the wildly popular chatterboxtheatre, a dance series for children.