{"id":37803,"date":"2017-11-06T09:23:19","date_gmt":"2017-11-06T15:23:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/?p=37803"},"modified":"2018-09-19T09:24:10","modified_gmt":"2018-09-19T15:24:10","slug":"ballet-wests-fall-icons-carmina-burana-and-serenade","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/ballet-wests-fall-icons-carmina-burana-and-serenade\/","title":{"rendered":"Ballet West\u2019s Fall Icons: Carmina Burana and Serenade"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Artists of Ballet West in Nicolo Fonte\u2019s Carmina Burana. Photo by Luke Isley.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Ballet West\u2019s fall offering is loaded with icons. The world premiere of Nicolo Fonte\u2019s\u00a0Carmina Burana<\/em>,<\/em>\u00a0a co-production with the Cincinnati Ballet, draws inspiration from Carl Orff\u2019s well-known score that set the poetry of medieval clergy to music. The opening song, \u201cO Fortuna,\u201d is shorthand for drama, as frequently heard in commercials as it is in theaters.\u00a0Serenade<\/em>, the other ballet of the double-bill, is the first work choreographed by George Balanchine in the United States and a masterwork of 20th-century ballet. Its opening tableau of female dancers in sky blue, ankle-length tutus extending their hands as if shielding their eyes from the sun is central to the origins of American ballet. For the opening performance, Ballet West danced both works with spirit and indulgence, the expert clarity of\u00a0Serenade<\/em>contrasting with\u00a0Carmina Burana\u2019s<\/em>\u00a0excessive flourish.<\/h4>\n

The familiar refrain of \u201cO Fortuna\u201d bellowed as cloisters housing the Cantorum Chamber Choir in an actual choir loft were unveiled. A bone-like light fixture recalling the raftered ceiling of a Catholic church floats over a writhing tangle of bodies. Wearing nude leotards and briefs, the dancers twist until broken shapes emerge. Featuring a full orchestra, full chorus, three vocal soloists, impressive scenery, pointe shoes as well as soft shoes, too many costume changes, and intricate choreography, Nicolo Fonte\u2019s\u00a0Carmina Burana<\/em>\u00a0is a true spectacle.<\/h4>\n

The poems Orff chose to include in his cantata examine themes of fortune, love, and lust. Like many versions of\u00a0Carmina Burana<\/em>, Fonte uses the sensual words as a muse and aesthetic choices reference the authors of the lyrics, though the costumes have a trendier bent with metallic leotards and hooded crop tops paired with bronze circle skirts that recall monks\u2019 robes. With the men and women of the ensemble clothed in the same hooded costume, the emergence of the monks is a magnificently anonymous moment.<\/h4>\n

The ensuing vignettes are visually impactful and only occasionally overwrought. The dancers clearly delight in the movement, giving a heightened energy to Fonte\u2019s choreography. Demonstratively musical, the choreography charged the stage with tension and hinted at the idea of humanity\u2019s dual nature. Even in calm moments, Fonte can skillfully craft drama. This intensity can get exhausting, but Arolyn Williams had a refreshingly joyous solo that interrupted the turmoil.<\/h4>\n

Though\u00a0Carmina Burana\u2019s<\/em>\u00a0movement was rigorously detailed and sinuously danced, I craved a through-line. There were hints of this in an elegantly ambiguous duet between Alexander MacFarlan and Oliver Oguma that lightly referenced an earlier embrace. The arc of Beckanne Sisk and Chase O\u2019Connell\u2019s roles also felt like a potential theme.<\/h4>\n

At first dancing separately, O\u2019Connell appeared in a solo that showcased his spaciously sophisticated movement and Sisk emerged as a broken bird with only one wing and one pointe shoe. Though I did not understand why she was only wearing one shoe, Sisk expertly navigated the challenge, embodying a character trapped by her halved nature. \u00a0The pair\u2019s eventual union in a climactic\u00a0pas de deux<\/em>\u00a0was the highlight of the ballet. Much of the partnering in the rest of\u00a0Carmina Burana<\/em>\u00a0felt manipulative but O\u2019Connell met Sisk as a peer, supporting rather than controlling her. They danced with abandon and trust. O\u2019Connell\u2019s elegance and seamless partnering skills perfectly matched Sisk\u2019s technical consistency and emotional intensity.<\/h4>\n
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Principal Artists Beckanne Sisk and Chase O\u2019Connell in Nicolo Fonte\u2019s Carmina Burana. Photo by Luke Isley.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Unlike the embellishment of Fonte\u2019s\u00a0Carmina Burana<\/em>,\u00a0Serenade<\/em>\u00a0was brilliant in its refined clarity. As the emotive chords of Tchaikovsky\u2019s \u201cSerenade for Strings in C Major\u201d swelled, the\u00a0corps de ballet\u00a0<\/em>extend their fingertips, floating their wrists down to rest on their foreheads, then their hearts, their arms finally arriving in low circles and feet opening to first position below the hems of their tutus. These first gestures of\u00a0Serenade<\/em>, choreographed in 1934, are emblematic of Balanchine and of American ballet. Despite being over 80 years old,\u00a0Serenade<\/em>\u00a0feels vital.<\/h4>\n

Serenade<\/em>\u00a0exemplifies the idealized feminine qualities of Balanchine\u2019s ballets, only turning problematic when one of the soloist men \u201cawakens\u201d the collapsed Waltz Girl. The distilled movement and calming yet innovative arrangement of the dancers is an ode to the foundations of the art form: the\u00a0corps de ballet<\/em>, the ritual of class, and the crystalline technique it fosters. Most of the ballet\u2019s striking moments are simple and based in class exercises. The stage erupts in unified repetitions of\u00a0pirouettes<\/em>. Staccato\u00a0port des bras<\/em>\u00a0illustrate the interplay between the orchestra\u2019s instruments. Dozens of dancers extend their legs into\u00a0tendus<\/em>\u00a0that perfectly slide into fifth positions, a movement that signifies the start of an exercise.<\/h4>\n

In Ballet West\u2019s production of this classic, the\u00a0corps de ballet<\/em>\u00a0artfully and effortlessly lays the ballet\u2019s technical foundation without feeling cold or removed. I have admired the unity of Ballet West\u2019s\u00a0corps<\/em>\u00a0before, but I have never seen them as easily connected as they were on opening night. The balance between their singular openness and the meticulous choreography is enthralling. If I had the words to laud each individual corps member, I would.<\/h4>\n

At its heart\u00a0Serenade<\/em>\u00a0is an ensemble work, but an abstract relationship between five soloists, three women and two men, underpins the ballet. Weaving amongst the\u00a0corps de ballet<\/em>\u00a0in the first movement, joyfully expansive leaps and\u00a0pizzicato<\/em>\u00a0steps introduce the three female soloists. Katherine Lawrence\u2019s calm warmth permeated her sparkling technique and Emily Adams brimmed with vitality and confidence. Adams was superb, playing with the music and enticing the audience with her fully enlivened physicality. The role of Waltz Girl magnified Beckanne Sisk\u2019s unique and growing ability to convey emotional depth. Her performance was lush, exhilarating, and sincere in its gravity. While the ballet is renowned for being story-less, Sisk imbued\u00a0Serenade<\/em>\u00a0with an emotional resonance often found only in narrative. She stretched her arms backward and opened her chest to the heavens as the masthead of\u00a0Serenade\u2019s<\/em>\u00a0iconic final lift and I saw all the complexity of ballet, the torment, joy, sacrifice, and transcendence, embodied in her arch.<\/h4>\n

Ballet West\u2019s\u00a0Carmina Burana<\/em>\u00a0with\u00a0Serenade<\/em><\/a>\u00a0runs now through Saturday, Nov. 11.<\/p>\n

This article is published in collaboration with\u00a0loveDANCEmore.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Further explore Ballet West\u2019s Carmina Burana with RadioWest Film\u2019s \u201cThat One Moment\u201d<\/p>\n