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<\/a>Garrett Smith’s Facades, photo by Luke Isley<\/p><\/div>\n
Ballet West produces Innovations<\/i> each spring as a platform for the company\u2019s dancers to explore their own choreographic pursuits alongside more established guest choreographers. While a great opportunity, it is still rare nationally to find full evening programs devoted to dancers\u2019 own choreography. Ballet Arizona, Ballet Arkansas, Ballet Idaho, Ballet West, and Kansas City Ballet are a handful of companies that present such a program in their annual season.<\/p>\n
Innovations<\/i> inspires initial expectations for me as a viewer: that the evening\u2019s works will innovate <\/i>in some way: structurally, choreographically, musically \u2013 in any or all of these ways \u2013 diverging from the typical classical, neo-classical, or contemporary ballet. Some work diverged more than others from these existing categories, but all presented mastery in their crafting.<\/p>\n
Emily Adams\u2019 Homage<\/i> is a narrative work, inspired by Salvador Dali\u2019s \u201cHomage to Terpsichore.\u201d A conflict between the dancers in flowing pink and their shadow-like counterparts emerges both through emoting and a sharp contrast in movement qualities: Adams\u2019 choreography lends itself well to storytelling. While Homage<\/i> falls more under the classical umbrella, Adams (somewhat of an Innovations<\/i> veteran) shows that she is capable of producing a full act ballet that understands narrative arc. Adrian Fry\u2019s Pulse<\/i>, which draws inspiration from qualities of the human heart and a commercial for Google Play, is abstractly movement-centric. The dancers weave in and out amongst each other to create a pulsing quartet. Abandonment of narrative, alongside the Dvorak score,\u00a0feels in this case neo-classical , and the choreography stays within the realm of classical ballet. However, Fry\u2019s choreography does prove a deft vehicle of expression in Pulse<\/i>, even if not one of exploration.<\/p>\n
Katlyn Addison\u2019s The Hunt<\/i> was the most successful piece in terms of risk-taking and divergence from familiar forms. Addison places live drummer Cameron Hodges onstage, which contributes to a heightened sense of urgency and more physical abandon. The dancers place emphasis on both elevation and groundedness, a certain qualitative divergence. Structurally, Addison does not provide a rigid narrative, but the dancers engage in constant movement dialogue with each other and the drummer. Addison\u2019s choreography draws from a variety of influences, both modern and African dance forms; this reinforces The Hunt<\/i>\u2019s sense of purpose to convey a new idea.<\/p>\n
Professional guest (and resident) choreographer Nicolo Fonte\u2019s Presto<\/i> is shorter and features a smaller cast than much of his other work in Ballet West\u2019s repertoire. Yet even in this distilled format for four dancers, Presto<\/i> is an iteration of what has become a contemporary ballet stereotype: mostly classical movement with affectations (a flexed foot, a tilted pelvis, a claw-like hand), a minimalist score (Ezio Bosso, in this case), an exposed lighting grid, and \u201cfuturistic\u201d costuming (silver lam\u00e9). Presto<\/i> is clearly distinct from and more contemporary by definition than the likes of Petipa, Nijinsky, and Balanchine; however, it <\/i>exhibits ideas that have become so familiar in the Era of The Contemporary Ballet that I question if these qualities of a work continue to exhibit innovation on their own.<\/p>\n
Professional guest choreographer Garrett Smith\u2019s world premiere Facades <\/i>could be described as \u201cJiri Kylian meets Phantom of the Opera.<\/i>\u201d Facades<\/i> combines Baroque aesthetic and music with elements found in classical ballet, contemporary ballet, and even commercial dance. The costumes have Baroque and classical silhouettes, yet are flashy and made of non-traditional materials (the men\u2019s \u201cwaistcoats\u201d were sheer, tutus were red and sparkling). The canvas drop painted like an ornate gilded mirror provides an interactive visual aid for the exploration of reality and its reflections or distortions. Smith draws upon classical choreographic devices, yet strays from conventions. The entire women\u2019s corps de ballet<\/em>, though in classical tutus, appear kneeling in profile and continue lying down for a gestural sequence highlighting body-halves. Male\/female partnering sequences employed head tics and quick parallel swivels that were more wind-up doll than pas de deux. Use of a narrative thread is ballet at its most familiar, but the other layers of Facades<\/i> are Smith\u2019s own innovation.<\/p>\n All the works in Innovations<\/i> show excellence in crafting of movement or narrative. But the works that stand out and stood up to my expectations of innovation drew upon many influences to create a unique statement. Recognition of tradition may always be important to ballet as a form, but ballets that feel truly \u201ccontemporary\u201d will continue to defy definition.<\/p>\n Photo by Luke Isley of BW artists in Garrett Smith\u2019s Facades<\/i><\/p>\n