Ballet West
During its 42-year history, Ballet West has grown into a company worth its sweat. The three works chosen to close the 2005-06 season displayed the company’s diversity and willingness to explore different avenues of ballet.
This season finale, an “Evening of Ballets,” began a six-night run at the Capitol Theatre in May. The production, which comprised three groundbreaking works—Hans van Manen’s In and Out, Antony Tudor’s Echoing of Trumpets and George Balanchine’s Theme and Variations—also marked the end of an era. Artistic Director Jonas Kåge is leaving his post after nine years, following a dispute with the board.
Friday night’s performance gave Kåge the perfect send-off. The company rose to the occasion and treated the audience to a dynamic and diverse performance.
Ballet West first performed In and Out in 1998. As before, this revival offered a visual smorgasbord weaving together contemporary dance and ballet technique. The dancers added spice to the choreography by shouting and speaking theatrically, while walking in (and out) of three wardrobe cabinets in a dramatic lighting design that highlighted the action.
Whether merely walking into a cabinet or performing a complex variation, the artists gave the work their utmost concentration; and the audience cheered at each interval.
Tudor’s 1963 masterpiece, Echoing of Trumpets, making its Utah debut, hushed the crowd with its powerful and captivating drama of war, occupation, and violence. Created for the Royal Swedish Ballet in memory of the Nazi occupation of the Czech village of Lidice, Trumpets is rich with conflict and rife with emotion. Its straightforward depiction of arrogant soldiers raping and abusing the local women was disturbing, but beautifully executed.
The lifts ranged from playful to angry to murderous. The women’s zombie-like extensions added to the dimension of the work, which eventually showed that the human spirit will not be silenced even during life’s darkest hours. How fitting this ballet appeared on the eve of the Memorial Day weekend.
Theme and Variations wrapped the evening into a tidy package. From the get-go, the dancers caught the spirit of this kaleidoscopic, neoclassical work. Ballerina Michiyo Hayashi (retiring at the end of the season) and Christopher Ruud worked well together as they danced the sometimes quick and tricky footwork.
Ruud engaged the audience with strength and confidence during his solos. His turns were accurate, and his leaps had extra spring. Hayashi’s lighter-than-air solos were spry and full of energy. Overall, her dancing appeared effortless and smooth, and her captivating smile was the icing on the cake of her dainty, precise presentation. The audience rewarded her grace and mobility with rousing applause.
It’s a shame the board felt Kåge needed to leave. Poised on the cusp of the future, the company needs a leader who will help them take the next step.
Scott Iwasaki is the dance editor for the Deseret Morning News in Salt Lake City.
