By Julie Halversen Tate
Odyssey Dance Theatre, which is celebrating its 25th year as a professional dance company in Utah, is running its spring Shut Up and Dance series at Kingsbury Hall on the University of Utah campus in Salt Lake City. The series consists of three different full-length productions: Chicago Nights, Romeo + Juliet, and Reflections. A rainy Wednesday evening was the perfect time to make my way down to Kingsbury Hall to feast upon Odyssey’s artistic retelling of this age-old Shakespearean story of star-crossed lovers from feuding families who struggle to find a way for their love to survive. While I am well-acquainted with this story, I anticipated that the production would present it like I’d never seen it before, and that proved to be more true than I could’ve imagined.
Conceived and Directed by Odyssey Artistic Director Derryl Yeager with Choreography by Eldon Johnson, we meet a new set of Montagues, renamed the Monte Krew, who present as a Hip Hop edgy crew who are a little rough around the edges while full of life and love for each other. Complete with camouflage, denim cutoffs, spicy midriff tops, sneakers, and snap-back hats, they are the epitome of the rough-around-the-edges ghetto kids your parents might not want coming home with you for dinner. Through their interactions with each other, it’s also easy to see their love for each other and protective nature they have as a group. With Casey Peterson leading the crew as the lovesick, love-struck Romeo and Diego Ballesteros) as an obnoxiously provocative yet still lovable Mercutio, this crew delivers nothing short of masterful choreography as a team every time they dance. Their movement is fun yet sophisticated and complete with tumbling passes, floor work, and every manner of hip-hop choreography integrated. Some highlights are the pop-and-lock sequences by the male dancers, which also include Sage Swenson as Benvolio, as well as the female group hip hop sequences, and one notable humorous and entertaining scene is performed by Ballesteros during the duel with the Capulet party where he adds his hip-hop edge to their ballroom style and a sly and sassy edge to infuriate them, which is most certainly does.
The Capulets, or Caputans, as they are called in this production, present as a classy, Latin ballroom team, the antithesis to the Monte Krew’s roughness. The men show up clean-cut in red oxford shirts and black slacks, and the women in classy variations of silky short dresses in varying reds. As a group onstage they move with flair and finesse. We meet Juliet, danced by Darby Jones, and she appears as youthful and innocent as Juliet should always appear, contrasting her company by wearing a pink, lacy dress. Other significant performances among the Caputans include Tommy Green as a domestic-abusive Paris, and Peiter Mortensen as the overprotective Tybalt, as well as Laura Brick as the loving companion to Juliet, Amaranta. The entire Capulet company is polished and graceful in every dance, and their speed of spins and kicks and movement is such a pleasure to watch. They are every bit the ballroom match to the Monte Krew’s hip-hop precision and swagger with their flair, style and grace. To have this timeless story re-imagined with this modern twist of dance style juxtaposition is creative genius.
For me, the highlights of the show are the breathtaking scenes where Romeo and Juliet dance their love duets, which so obviously fuse the two worlds with elements of hip-hop from Romeo’s world mixed with the class and grace of the ballroom of Juliet’s world. Peterson and Jones convincingly perform the roles of the young lovers and their acting is as impeccable as their dancing. Their dancing, however, captures the heart of every audience member as they portray their worlds colliding and their hearts mingling, first as puppy lovers, then as they become as one in their marriage scene, and then later as their hearts break when their deaths are imminent. The more their relationship matures and progresses, the more it ventures away from their “families” and becomes their own type of contemporary dance. Their dances enrapture their audience as they demonstrate their unbreakable bond. Peterson’s performance as a devastated young man in the final scenes is nothing short of heartbreaking.
The dancing is obviously the main feature of this show, but the technical aspects are equally as foundational to the show’s success. The lighting design by Kyle Baumann brings the perfect touch of light and darkness to highlight poignant moments. From blinking to flashing to dim to bright, every beam of light is perfectly positioned to add to the overall experience of each dancer and dance. The lights shine or dim just enough to highlight the scenes but never detract from the dancers. There are definitely moments when the lighting provides the exact finishing touch to a scene to complete the dramatic effect. The set design is simple yet stunning. Steel scaffoldings and moving staircases provide the perfect backdrop for a street scene where the duals between the rival gangs take place. The use of the moving staircases becomes part of the dance when Romeo and Juliet marry, which is surprising, as I don’t think I’ve ever been inspired by the movement of steel staircases before. The scaffolding creates levels for the dancers to use in their scenes, adding dimension. Above the scaffolding at the top of the stage is a giant screen which is used to add a technological flair to the show, complete with news stories delivered by real-life newscasters as well as other dramatic scenery. The video design is by Dustin O’Neill. The costumes, by Cheryl Yeager, complete the modern-day feel of the production, with modern elements that could be found in the dancers’ closets but still look great on stage. Additionally, the use of color (or lack of color) in the costumes plays a role in the dramatic nature of the show.
We are so fortunate to have such a stellar dance community here in Utah. Odyssey Dance Theatre, which performs many dance genres at the professional level, covers the vast ground between the other professional dance companies in the valley, and this production is of the highest quality. It is moving, it is dramatic, it is well-executed and poignant, and I highly recommend heading out to see it before its run ends. There is only one more showing of Romeo + Juliet, but I’m certain the other two shows are just as stellar. Because some of the dances deal with difficult issues of our day, such as gang violence, domestic abuse, and provocative sexuality, I suggest Romeo + Juliet for ages 12 & older.
Odyssey Dance Theatre presents Shut Up and Dance—Romeo + Juliet, Chicago Nights, and Reflections.
Kingsbury Hall, 1395 President’s Circle, SLC, UT 84112
February 27-March 9, 7:30 PM, Saturday matinees 2:00 PM.
Tickets: $20-40
Contact: 801-581-7100
Odyssey Dance Theatre Facebook Page
Odyssey Dance Theatre Presents Shut Up and Dance Facebook Event
Odyssey Dance Theatre Presents Shut Up and Dance Facebook Event
All three shows were awesome – Chicago Nights, Romeo and Juliet,and Relections! Loved it because it was a total package of entertainment! Superior dancing, awesome lighting And sets, and beautiful costumes!