BALLET WEST; "An Evening of Ballets" in the Capitol Theatre on Nov. 2, 7:30 p.m. Additional performances Nov. 3, 7-10, 7:30 p.m. with a 2 p.m. matinee on Nov. 10. Tickets available through ArtTix at 355-ARTS.
Ballet West couldn't have picked a better tribute to its late founder Willam F. Christensen.
"Evening of Ballets I" began its weeklong run at the Capitol Theatre last night, and the audience was treated with balanced images of tight technique, innovated contemporary ballet and a glitzy and energetic tribute to New York.
The evening began with a few words from current artistic director Jonas Kge.
"(We) will all carry on," he said. With that the students of the Ballet West Academy, students of the University of Utah ballet department and the artists of Ballet West entered the stage under a projected slide of Christensen's gentle face. Ben Arnold, director of the Ballet West Academy and former Ballet West artistic directors Bruce Marks and John Hart, M.B.E., also paid a heartfelt tribute to their predecessor.
After a short pause, the exciting, quick-paced "Allegro Brillante," choreographed by one of Christensen's friends, George Balanchine, literally kicked off the program. The work is steep with technique, but with enough space that the dancers could dance to their hearts' content. A big welcome back to principal dancer Maggie Wright, who was in top form last night. She took part of last season off to give birth to a daughter.
At the beginning, the dancers were a tad out of sync, but they remedied that in the second movement and held on until the frantically controlled finale.
Hans van Manen's "Solo" singled out three of the company's male dancers — Christopher Ruud, Jeff F. Herbig and Seth Olsen.
The three nimble-footed artists danced in a continuous line of quick-paced movements, pirouettes and leaps in this physically demanding work.
Olsen appeared to be dancing overtime, because he was also the principal male in the evening's closing number, "Who Cares?" by Balanchine.
This 12-movement work is based on the Broadway songs of George Gershwin. And with the New York skyline painted on the backdrop, the work became a fitting and poignant nod to the Big Apple.
The variations moved from chorus-line inspired images to scenes of romantic strolls through Central Park. And Olsen — along with Michiyo Hayashi, Amy Foster and Jessica Harston — stole the hearts of the audience.
Val Caniparoli's "Book of Alleged Dances" served as the centerpiece of the production. This ultra contemporary work, which for some reason last night dragged a bit, took cues from Irish step dancing, Mideastern celebration dances and technical pas de deux. The rich music, written by John Adams and conducted by Terence Kern, only added to the hypnotic mysticism.
E-mail: scott@desnews.com