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Risks Pay Beautiful Dividends for La Danserie
By Karen Trachtenberg
Contemporary ballet company La Danserie is known for following its own beat and took some big risks last Saturday night with "Pathway," an eclectic program of pieces featuring a number of premieres by Artistic Director Patrick Frantz, Choreographer Judy Pisarro-Grant, Choreographer Nicole Mathis, and guest Artist Rei Aoo.
The night at Plaza del Sol Performance Hall at Cal State Northridge was mostly entertaining, save for a lack of good technique from a few dancers. Overall, though, the corps de ballet is a talented group.
Uniquely, there was only one appearance by a male dancer, Francisco Preciado, in the brilliantly choreographed Impatience, half of "Excerpts of Emotion," a modern piece set to the music of Lorenza Ponce and Ben Zebelmen by guest artist Rei Aoo.
"Excerpts" was the night's highlight. I wanted to see more of Francisco Preciado and the equally brilliant Kaitlin Alena. Both dancers conveyed anger, impatience, and real strength. There was a frenetic energy and chemistry between the pair, and after two acts, I finally really felt something. Kaitlin Alena (for me) was what you want in a good modern dancer; she was sharp, strong, precise, and graceful, and displayed a fantastic series of grand jétes toward the conclusion of this very moving and well-staged piece.
Several pieces debuted and were mostly well-received, including the lovely "From Here," set to Stravinsky's Duo Concertante by choreographer Judy Pisarro-Grant. Yoko Ambe and Ksenia Litomisky showed grace and artistic expression and the choreography was good. I loved the interpretation of this piece; Ksenia Litomisky's flowing hair and movements coupled with Yoko Ambe's interpretation of what looked to be a lost lover was a nice combination. Ambe in particular is a technically superior and artistically gifted dancer, and dominated for much of the night.
Pisarro-Grant presented two others Saturday, including "Light Passing," a mixture of classical and modern ballet style that was set to Sergei Prokofiev's Piano Concerto no. 2 and "The Low-Down," set to Mingus's Canon.
Neither piece showed well for me, especially the "Low-Down" for which I had high expectations. Fiery red costumes and Mingus's sensual music introduced loose, relaxed dancers. However, as the piece wore on, movements seemed pained and uncomfortable, and it was obvious that ballerinas trying to perform complicated jazz choreography felt out of their comfort zones.
I didn't get enough feeling and emotional expression from "Light Passing." I didn't feel the urgency of the music conveyed through choreography - the dancers weren't forceful enough and their movements for me did not match the crescendo before the end.
Artistic director Patrick Frantz's premiere, "Proof Sheet," was a modern classical piece en pointe set to Igor Stravinsky's Tango, Suite No. 1 and Scherzo a la Russe. It was seductive and humorous and an audience favorite. The piece opened with pink and black dueling tutus. Danced by almost the entire corps de ballet, "Proof Sheet" was entertaining and fun. The ensemble reminded me of happy dolls; they had a blast and so did I. Yoko Ambe especially displayed great facial and artistic expression - she enjoys what she is doing, and I enjoyed this very different, cool (for lack of a better word) piece of ballet.
Nicole Mathis's premiere, "Lost Angels" was nicely set en pointe to accompany Sergei Rachmaninov's Vocalise. Yoko Ambe was again the featured dancer, well complemented by Tamara McCartney and Ellen Rosa.
"Mercy Pity Peace and Love," also set by Mathis, was also a well-danced and choreographed classical piece set to Beethoven. I am not sure how long Mathis has choreographed for La Danserie but both pieces she staged were lovely.
Saturday's diverse program of mostly new works highlighted by dancer Yoko Ambe's incredible performances and guest Artist Rei Aoo's "Excerpts" was mostly a joy to watch. Lighting and costumes were pared down. I don't know whether or not it was a budgetary thing, but it's what I personally prefer, regardless, when watching dancers. It allows for a better view of bodies and technique. It's a risk, of course, because it also makes poor technique easy to spot. I did see a lot of hopping around, loss of balance and dancers trying to get centered and placed properly on the marley floor.
Most of the mistakes on Saturday were pretty easy to forget though because of the thrill of the dance.