Audience, dancers enjoyed Balanchine program

By Sheila Orysiek

SAN DIEGO — City Ballet of San Diego’s “Balanchine Spectacular” on Sunday, March 8, presented three ballets representative of the choreographer’s iconic signatures: “Rubies” – glittering and sharp, “The Four Temperaments” with its haunting shapes and “Walpurgisnacht,” driven by splendid music.

The program opened with “Rubies,” which is the second of three sections of  a longer ballet: “Jewels.”  Created by George Balanchine for New York City Ballet in 1967 to Igor Stravinsky’s music, it still looks bright and fresh in ruby red jewel besparkled costumes.  It is very much a test of skill and panache – which the dancers easily met.

Ariana Gonzalez and Stephano Candreva were crisp and clear – with flashing allegro and good rapport.  I loved their eye contact as they danced not only for the audience, but also for one another.  It was fun to watch them.  However, no matter how well the principals do, the corps de ballet supporting them has to be an integral part of any success – and they were.

Caitlyn Gallison, listed in the Company program as an “apprentice,”  danced with verve and wit as the “Solo Girl.”  She showed only one seam in otherwise seamless dancing.  In the midst of swirling allegro the choreography calls for sudden stillness in the supporting leg as the dancer  executes a series of slow developpé arabesques ending in penchée. The unfolding leg is not the problem – it is the supporting leg – which must achieve a complete reversal from what it has been doing; from quick movement to sudden stasis.

The dancer has to quiet both heart and breath.  Gallison’s slight wobble (not an issue of balance – but of nerve/muscle twitch) as the arabesque leg unfolds, is not a problem of weakness.  She has all the strength and technique she needs – it is maturity of the muscle.  It will learn with time and she will learn to trust it.  Meanwhile, this is certainly a dancer to watch with joy and hope.

Balanchine’s “The Four Temperaments” to music by Paul Hindemith is danced in simple tights and leotards.  Two of the dancers, Rony Lenis (in the “First Theme” partnering beautiful Megan Jacobs) and Kaylee Skelton (“Choleric”), listed as Company “apprentices,” were given important roles and both met the challenge.

It is well known that Balanchine adored choreographing for women but in this ballet the male dancers are given an opportunity to truly dance and the men of the Company took full advantage of it.  Of special mention: Adam Bloodgood, Ryosuke Ogura, Derek Lauer and Stephano Candreva, infused their various solos with an ease and flow in the chest and back.  This gave their dancing an emotional component which is often missing from male dancing when it becomes too intent on the displays of jumps and turns.

In “Walpurgisnacht,” Charles Gounod’s music (from the opera “Faust”), begins sweetly and then sweeps and builds into a bacchanal of dance.  Clothed in soft lavender, the corps de ballet of women literally let their hair down, and tore into the music ably led by Karin Yamada as the “Solo Girl.”

Erica Alvarado and Ryosuke Ogura flew across the stage, together and separately, showing how most of us would dance to that wonderful music – if only we could.

The entire program was on taped music which is not the norm for the Company’s programs. It was not by choice, as Artistic Director/Founder Steven Wistrich explained in the pre-performance chat with the audience and hopefully live orchestra accompaniment will return in the next program.

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Orysiek is a freelance writer who specializes in coverage of the arts and literature.