By Perry Tannenbaum
SEVEN LADIES LEAPING: Rhoden, Bolero & Balanchine
Could a technicolor dream at CPCC be providing a quick spurt of inspiration to an NC Dance Theatre choreographer? Behold, there were seven women onstage at Booth Playhouse -- less than a week after Pharaoh, transformed into a swivel-hipped king by Andrew Lloyd Webber, had his dream of seven fat cows and seven lean cows explained at Halton Theater. Still I'm certain that when Mark Diamond conceived his erotic vision of lean dancers for the Charlotte premiere of his Bolero, he wasn't taking his cue from cows or Jacob's favorite son.
No, if there's any scriptural source for Diamond's concept, I'd say it was Herod's daughter and the legendary dance of the seven veils. Although the seven women of Bolero work seductively to rouse seven bucks from siesta, as Ravel's music sinuously crescendoes to climax, there's a Roman aspect to the scanty togas Diamond has designed for his torrid temptresses. A stack of sombreros, however, veils these Salomès as they form their lusty lineup.
David Ingram is the only hombre immediately prepared to take the ladies' heat, radiated most abundantly by Traci Gilchrest and Nicholle Rochelle, while Sasha Janes is the most responsive of those who must be roused from their slumbers. Suffice it to say that North Carolina Dance Theatre hasn't hatched a fertility rite with this kind of passionate intensity since the halcyon days of Salvatore Aiello.
Neither of the other two dances in the Rhoden, Bolero & Balanchine turns up the heat nearly as high as Diamond's rousing finale. Rhoden's world premiere, Momentary Forevers, is almost chilly by comparison -- nearly as conceptual as Bolero is visceral. We start with two of NCDT's hottest new additions for 2007-08, Kara Wilkes and David Ingram, moving in and out of a large chrome frame during a pas-de-deux that alternates between elegant intimacy and indifference. Harpsichord music by Handel, succeeded by some John Cage, underscores the classical brittleness of Rhoden's choreography -- compounded by futuristic peach-and-yellow tutus designed by Christine Dauch.
Three other couples interact with the chrome frame in this mystifying work, mirroring whatever truth about relationships Rhoden is struggling to express. Elusive as that truth may be, there's no doubting the quality and fascination of the dancers. Seia Rassenti and Joseph Watson are two other newbies who shine.
Rest your gray cells and simply delight in George Balanchine's Who Cares?, a string of flapper pearls set to prime-cut Gershwin. Patricia McBride, a member of the original New York City Ballet cast when the full choreography premiered in 1970, judiciously pares it down to an eight-piece suite.
Solos are distributed to all three flappers -- Gilchrest in a bright blue frock ("I'll Build a Stairway to Paradise"), Alessandra Ball in pink ("Fascinatin' Rhythm"), and Anna Gerberich in teal ("My One and Only"). Simply clad in black, without even a belt, Janes gets a solo ("Liza") and partners with each of the three women. The effervescent finale, "I Got Rhythm," gathers the whole foursome together.
All of these dancers reprise their performances this Friday. Re-mixes of the cast occur on Thursday and Saturday night for Who Cares? and Forevers. Six of Bolero's wantons continue throughout Week 2 as the luminous Mia Cunningham sneaks into line. |
