By Kathryn Olsen
It is always a delight to attend a dance performance at Salt Lake City‘s Capitol Theatre, but this weekend, Ballet West teamed up with dancers from around the world as well as the prestigious Youth America Grand Prix to showcase a Night of Shining Stars. It was noted that the majority of the company is currently performing in Minnesota, but a few local talents joined the guest artists for a program that was as inspired as it was varied.
The majority of the program was devoted to famous pas de deux numbers that were often from familiar works. Sarah Lane from the American Ballet Theatre and Taras Domitro, an alumnus of San Francisco Ballet, opened the first half with a performance from Ludwig Minkus‘ La Bayadere that breathtakingly set the stage for a night of grace and intense emotion.
Husband and wife ballroom dancers Casey and Kaci Treu from Brigham Young University came next and were welcomed as hometown favorites. Their rigorous salsa dance to “Come Alive” from The Greatest Showman demonstrated why they are veterans of the National Ballroom Championships.
The next pair were also local talent, as Katherine Lawrence and Tyler Gunn from Ballet West performed the Nocturne Pas de Deux from The Dream to music by Felix Mendelssohn. As was appropriate to the title, their synergy and ethereal movements enabled the audience to question the reality of their story.
The first half closed with a visiting pair from the Royal Ballet in London. Mayara Magri and Cesar Corrales teamed up for the balcony scene from Sergei Prokofiev‘s Romeo and Juliet and brought to the stage a youthful energy and chemistry that was both tender and passionate while technically demanding.
The second act brought even greater variety and memorable artistry. Ballet West was again represented by Sayaka Ohtaki and Rex Tilton in Ruth, Ricordi Per Dueset to the Adagio in g minor by Tomasso Albioni. The performance was an outpouring of grief with an expression of love in which the artistry and perfect interpretation of the repertoire were equally matched and spellbinding.
Allison Walsh, alumna of the Joffrey Ballet, and Robbie Fairchild of the New York City Ballet‘s alumni were the penultimate performance and their selection from George Gershwin‘s iconic An American in Paris was somehow both playful and intimate, set in the jazz era, but timeless in the emotions that it evoked from the audience members.
The final piece of the night was both a famous and infamous selection of the Black Swan pas de deux and coda from Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky‘s Swan Lake. This duet demands that the participants dance in concert with each other while having antagonistic intentions. Lane and Domitro took the stage again for this moment in which the false swan maiden tricks the prince into falling in love with her and the prince rejoices over finally being able to swear his loyalty to the woman he adores. Lane’s black swan was sinister and enchanting, while her victory lap that included the famous fouette (whip turns) choreography by Marius Petipa was thrilling. Domitro soared seemingly effortlessly and jubilantly and their collaboration was the perfect
The contributions of younger performers as part of the Youth America Grand Prix were certainly crowd favorites, ranging from a 13-year-old soloist’s performance of the Nutcracker Prince’s coda to a trio of young girls who fused swinging music and remarkable ballet skills. Larger ensembles from academies often impressed the audience with the complexity and scale of the pieces they tackled. It is a competition that gives out millions of dollars in scholarships to students and this showcase of semi-finalists, finalists, winners, and alumni was a testament to the good it has done for the dance world.
The stage was always bare of set or props, but the entire atmosphere was guided by the Lighting Supervisor, William Peterson.
This performance was for one night only, but Ballet West never fails to craft a season of productions that enthrall newcomers to and lifelong lovers of dance. No one should miss an opportunity to come see what is in store for the rest of the season.
Ballet West presents Night of Shining Stars.
Capitol Theatre, 50 W 200 S, Salt Lake City, UT 84101
Feb 22, 2020, 7:30 PM
Tickets: $34-89
Contact: 801-869-6900
www.balletwest.org
Ballet West Facebook Page
Night of Shining Stars Facebook Event
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