Magic moments

Festival Ballet’s “Up CLOSE, on HOPE”

November 6, 2007 5:27:56 PM

INSPIRED BY SPEKTOR Harootian and
Putrius.

Dance fans who come to Festival Ballet Providence’s “Up CLOSE, on HOPE” series expect to see a wide variety of works and a few breathtaking moments, and they are seldom disappointed. This fall’s program (continuing November 10, 11, and 17) is especially jam-packed and diverse, with nine works by local and regional choreographers, plus a classical showcase by Marius Petipa. That piece, Le Corsaire (1858), as well as For Susan (1986), by Festival’s artistic director Mihailo Djuric, have been seen at “Up CLOSE” before, but it’s fascinating to see how the works change with different dancers. The latter (with Ashley Andries and Henry Montilla, on this particular evening) is a lovely romantic duet, short but sweet. The former is a traditional pas de deux, with solos taken by each dancer — two dozen leg-whipping fouettés by Lauren Kennedy, multiple leaps and mid-air whirls by Ilya Burov.

Another classic piece, re-staged by Piotr Ostaltsov from a 1903 ballet, Fairy Doll, by Nicolai and Sergei Legat, is a charming trio, with a frilly-tutu-ed ballerina (Järvi Raudsepp) and two clowns in white Pierrot-like costumes and white-face (Davide Vittorino and Roger Fonnegra). They vie for her attention, with here a pratfall and there a mime, all the while partnering her in tandem, while she remains cool and flirtatious. Charming and fun.

Two more company premieres in the first half of the program are captivating (Colleen Cavanaugh’s Queen Bees) and jaw-dropping (Spring Waters, staged by Boston-based Viktor Plotnikov, on the choreography of Asaf Messerer). Lauren Menger and Erica Chipp illustrate the mother-daughter conflict of the “bees,” with attitudes shown as tender when a bent arm circles the face and as defiant when hands turn to fists.

Spring Waters featured Leticia Guerrero and Eivar Martinez on that evening (and also November 11). This duet is a fast-paced series of lifts, which these two performed with flawless daring. Twice Guerrero seemed to hang in the air for a moment, twice she leaped and was caught prone, once with what seemed a triple-whirl of her body — absolutely stunning!

Company member Mark Harootian presented two pieces in the second half of the program, both remarkable in their inventiveness. Vishnu, danced by Harootian, Martinez, and Joo-Hee Baek, incorporates unusual angles of legs and arms (and even a pirouette in plié), as Baek is held, lifted, or turned by the two men. It’s very reminiscent of the multi-limbed Hindu deity.

Harootian’s second dance, A Spektor of Things, is called a work-in-progress and is set to four songs by Regina Spektor: “On the Radio,” “Field Below,” “Music Box,” and “Fidelity.” The first is a sassy, rockin’ quartet en pointe; the second a memorable solo by Jennifer Ricci, who brings new meaning to “pole dancing,” with the assistance of two male dancers, as she leans on, hangs from or is lifted by two poles. The third is an expressive solo by Vilia Putrius, set to Spektor’s rambling rumination on mortality; and the fourth is an amazingly full-tilt and delightful duet by Harootian and Chipp.

The last two pieces have French songs in common, but quite contrasting styles. To Maestro Fellini, set to Edith Piaff, Verdi, and Nino Rota, was choreographed by Festival’s new (and second) ballet mistress Jolanta Valeikaite. The first of three movements begins with three dancers (Christine Blanck, Elizabeth Jessee, Andries) in black cocktail dresses, berets, and heels, very Parisian, quite playful, singing along with Piaf’s “la-la-la’s” at the end. In the second sequence, they become dreamy and melancholy, en pointe. The third sequence is a male solo (Montilla that evening) with a heavy French accent.

The other French-backed dance is set to a song by German composer Kurt Weill, sung by Teresa Stratas, Je Ne T’Aime Pas (I Don’t Love You). Boston-based choreographer Gianni Di Marco created this compelling duet to portray the push-pull of passion. Guerrero, with Alexander Akulov, gave it a heart-tugging urgency, as she threw his arms to one side in one mo¬ment and ran to jump into them at another.

Despite cast injuries discussed before the program began, this “Up CLOSE” was as good as they get, with sparkling and burgeoning talents in both performance and choreography. Don’t miss it.