www.umass.edu/fac/
May 1, 2010
by Stacie Beland
The Aspen Santa Fe Ballet, a fairly new company with an already extensive repertoire from the most influential choreographers in the world, presented a stunning showcase of four pieces. The program, which featured unconnected works each by a different choreographer, was tightly bound together by common themes and powerful dancing. Though ballet sometimes has a reputation for being somewhat boringly pretty, these powerful works were nothing short of spectacular.
The first, In Hidden Seconds, choreography by Nicolo Fonte, used stage haze - a shared responsibility of stage design between the choreographer and the lighting designer to create a mood of mystical transition. This powerful show opener presented the company in a stunning exhibition of movement that fluidly moved from staged anarchy to entropy to harmony and back again. It was a riveting, haunting piece.
Twyla Tharp's Sue's Leg followed -- a joyful piece, bolstered by the music of Thomas "Fats" Walker. The dancers, costumed rather contemporarily in khakis and muted colors, moved as though there was a sly and subtle amount of flirtatious underscoring. The controlled actions included a few well-placed finger snaps, winks, and easy movements that highlighted the breezy fun of the choreography.
Slingerland showcased the choreography, lighting design, and costuming by William Forsythe. A contemporary pas-de-deux took a ballerina and her male partner through a series of movements while keeping their hands tightly clasped together the entire time. There was a sense of "catch and release" through each tableau. It was a stirring and beautifully executed.
Lastly, the audience was treated to a work by Jorma Elo. Red Sweet, performed by the company, paired the music of Vivaldi and Biber with calculated, intricate movement. A work of passion, it's comprised of tight scenes of control, release, and play. As the music became bigger, so to did the movements; during the silences of transition between music, Elo set movement with poignancy.
It was a night of stunning, powerful dance -- a visual treat for anyone who stood witness to it. Aspen Santa Fe has leapt into the world of dance and is here to stay.
