This was a lovely evening of obvious partnerships made manifest. That between Los Angeles Ballet (LAB), and the LA Philharmonic, and the Hollywood Bowl seems a no-brainer and yet this was LAB’s debut at the Bowl. The program danced was a smart choice by Melissa Barak, Artistic Director of LAB. “Who Cares?” featured eight of the original seventeen dances choreographed by George Balanchine and set to music by George Gershwin. These included such classics as “I’ll Build a Stairway to Paradise”, “Embraceable You”, “Fascinatin’ Rhythm”, and “I Got Rhythm” among others. Ballet steps to Gershwins’ jazz is a tall order and it was met with panache by Balanchine’s neoclassical choreographic style. There was great speed, syncopated off-balance footwork and lightening change of direction in the body. The dancers performed beautifully.
LA Ballet with the LA Phil – Dancers John Dekle and Chloe Oronoz in George Balanchine’s “Who Cares?” – Photo by Cheryl Mann.
There was a slight gaff in the second partnered arabesque promenade between Sarah-Ashley Chicola and Evan Gorbell in the first section, “The Man I love”. It is a difficult approach to partnering her arabesque as she is turning into it and has some momentum and he is coming in at an oblique angle to her waist for support. God knows what the Marley condition was like. This is what I love to see – how to handle when something is off in live performance. Gorbell was on her in an instant as Chicola regained her pointe and proceeded with the end of the promenade. I’m sure 80% of the crowd did not even notice it. I mention it here because ballet is tricky, pointe work is dancing on a razor’s edge and if one little thing is off, she can go down or easily become injured. A mark of professionalism is how to handle the unexpected. It is also a reminder of how difficult Balanchine’s choreography is in this duet. The commitment between the two performers must be absolute. When I first started partnering, my teacher said: “You die before she does”. Which means in classical pas-de-deux the male partner makes sure she does not fall or get injured. This was a perfect expression of that sentiment. Kudos to both Chicola and Gorbell.
LA Ballet with the LA Phil – Dancers Sarah Ashley Chicola and Evan Gorbell in George Balanchine’s “Who Cares?” – Photo by Cheryl Mann.
Chloe Oronoz had a solo to “I’ll Build a Stairway to Paradise”. Some may know “I’ll Build a Stairway to Paradise” and “I Got Rhythm” from the movie “An American in Paris” 1951. These were fantastic musical numbers choreographed by Gene Kelly for the movie. I loved Georges Guétary in the movie, “An American in Paris” where he got to dance up and down an entire massive staircase that lights up with every step he takes. Oronoz did not get the staircase but more than made up for the visual with incredibly fast and intricate footwork. Her changes of direction and detail were fantastic throughout. The rest of the cast: Kate Inoue, Marcos Ramirez, and John Dekle were very clean and precise rounding out the piece. Costumes by Chloée O’Haton-Crosby were short ballet skirts with tight tops making for an elegant and somewhat sporty visual as the women flew through their pointe work and black pants and white blousy shirts for the men reminiscent of the Romantic Period.
LA Ballet with the LA Phil – Full cast in Melissa Barak’s “Kauyumari” – Photo by Cheryl Mann.
The second piece that featured LAB was “Kauyumari” by composer Gabriela Ortiz. This was a piece commissioned by the LA Phil, choreographed by Melissa Barak, and was entirely successful in its emotional scope. According to the program notes, “among the Huichol people Kauyumari means “Blue Deer”. The blue deer represents a spiritual guide… that is transformed through an extended pilgrimage aided by a hallucinogenic cactus called peyote”. Anyone familiar with Don Juan Matus and Carlos Casteneda know exactly how powerful and commanding “Mescalito” can be. The piece began with individual dancers entering the stage in various formations of duets, trios, and some unison movement all reflecting the melodies of the piece and hinting at some ritual agreed upon by the group. There was emotional delight in the movement and attack of the dancers conveying a feeling of joy and belonging to the music, to each other, and to us. Costumes by Chloée O’Haton-Crosby were clean and effective solid colors offset with black patterns. Each couple had their matching counterpoint in their color of red, green, purple, yellow, etc. Dancers: Julianne Kinasiewicz, Lilly Fife, Lilly Leech, Taylor Hugens, Chloe Oronoz, Paige Wilkey, John Dekle, Bryce Broedell, Jacob Soltero, Marco Biella, Felipe Zapiola, Nick Sedano.
LA Ballet with the LA Phil – L-R: Taylor Hugens, Lilly Fife, Paige Wilkey in Melissa Barak’s “Kauyumari” – Photo by Cheryl Mann.
Conductor Carlos Miguel Prieto introduced the works on the program which included Mexican and American composers in a fantastic comingling of styles. Prieto was happy to comment on the various composers who worked both in Mexico and the United States and influenced so many other musicians following in their footsteps. The Composers featured were Silvestre Revueltas, George Gershwin, Aaron Copeland, José Pablo Moncayo and Gabriela Ortiz. This was a fabulous blend of artistic excellence spilling over between Mexico and the U.S. It was a sharing of different perspectives through music, some of it made visual by the Los Angeles Ballet. It was a welcome acknowledgment of how much both countries have interacted, exchanged and enriched the other.
To learn more about the Los Angeles Ballet, please visit their website.
For more information about the Los Angeles Philharmonic, please visit their website.
To see what else is playing at the Hollywood Bowl, please visit their website.
Written by Brian Fretté for LA Dance Chronicle.
Featured image: LA Ballet with the LA Phil – Kauyumari choreography by Melissa Barak – L-R: Nick Sedano, Chloe Oronoz, Marco Biella, Taylor Hugens, Jacob Soltero, Paige Wilkey – Photo by Cheryl Mann.
