Plies and pirouettes perfected the
ballet
Last Wednesday’s ballet showcased impressive dancers
and choreography Ashley Barnas/ Reporter
The Richmond Ballet presented “American Masterpieces
of Dance” last Wednesday in McCrary Theatre. Those who
purchased tickets ahead of time seemed to have enjoyed every
moment and thought the evening was time well spent.
“The ballet was very creative,” senior Mary
Katherin Jarvis said. “I didn’t want it to end.
Each scene was so unique.”
“Allegro Brillante,” a Balanchine® Ballet,
opened the show.
This first piece highlighted the couple’s relationship
through the strong group choreography and the classic
Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 3 in E Major. The fast-paced
movements in this piece were conveyed brilliantly while
keeping with the traditional ballet style.
Light filters giving off a leafy appearance were shone on
the stage floor and instantly created a new mood as the
spring-like music began to play in “Songs in Green
Places.”
One couple performed a flawless duet in which the male
dancer was able to support his partner’s weight as if
to defy gravity as he twirled her around like a scarf. This
pair exhibited an incredible chemistry together that was
obvious to all onlookers.
The final portion of this second act, “You Are My
Peace,” created great contrast, as was immediately
evident in the costuming, with the woman wearing a similar
costume, and the man now wearing red pants. This dance was
youthful and seemed to parallel the first in style but
included new lifts and more playful choreography.
Certainly the most shocking piece of the evening was
“After Eden,” which began with a single yellow
beam of light that shone from upstage right to downstage
left, defining great depth as a male dancer entered with his
female partner curled around his waist horizontally.
An abstract and almost spooky atmosphere was created in this
dance as the choreography once again changed style almost
completely to portray the creation and lives of Adam and
Eve.
The audience was able to follow the storyline symbolically
through the taking of a rib from Adam to give to Eve, the
temptation Eve faced at the Tree of Knowledge, the convincing
of Adam to taste the fruit, and the condemnation of Adam and
Eve and their expulsion from the Garden of Eden. An
aggressive male solo in blue lighting changed the mood within
the piece, along with the noticeable red light shining on
just the pair of dancers while the stage remained
blue.
“After Eden” seemed to be more of a contemporary
dance than a ballet, but this mix of styles was appropriate
for the dance and the lifts and pirouettes were
near-flawless.
In the finale, “From Far Away,” aesthetically
pleasing costumes were countered with the leafy light filters
once more on stage. Music for this final piece included a
deep bass solo and eventually a female solo with
instrumentation in between.
Group lifts were performed well, although sometimes slightly
out of sync. Duets and solos gave a feel of different eras in
history ranging from tribal to colonial to the
present.
A montage of duets, a trio, a quintet, solos, and group
dances was planned smoothly and the transitions from one
piece to the next were flawless.
Again, the ballet style represented in each individual piece
was unique and different from the rest. The trio of men
created interesting formations, but was not as intriguing as
the quintet of women. One couple danced a more jazzy and fun
duet. It was jovially choreographed and they were well
partnered – possibly the strongest couple of the
evening.
The finale displayed another style of ballet that went well
with the change in music. Impressive lifts and pirouettes
that were in sync were performed and the five couples on
stage at once were
gorgeous together.
At the conclusion of the show, the tone of those exiting the
theatre was very positive and excited.
“Overall, it was very pleasing,” sophomore Joy
Baxter said. “It was a refreshing ending to my busy
day. My favorites were ‘Songs in Green Places’
and ‘You Are My Peace.’ [‘Songs in Green
Places’] seems so happy. It reminds me of nature
– like your backyard as a child.”
Contact Ashley Barnas at pendulum@elon.edu or
278-7247 | 
