BALLET UNDER THE STARS run dates: 6/6/2008 - 6/8/2008 Ballet Quad Cities at the Lincoln Park Classic Theater, Rock Island _________________________________________________________________________________
Ballet Quad Cities opens the 2008 summer season at the Lincoln Park Classic Theater with a program that includes PETER AND THE WOLF and a handful of other pieces.
Titled BALLET UNDER THE STARS, the show is a family-friendly one that includes dancers from the Horace Mann Choice School and the Ballet Quad Cities School of Dance – as well as professional dancers from the company – and the material covers a wide range as well. A fun number by the young dancers from Horace Mann kicks off the first act, and is followed by the program’s centerpiece, Prokofiev’s PETER AND THE WOLF. The second act includes tap and contemporary pieces as well as ballet, with music that ranges from classic to classical.
The Horace Mann dancers are simply adorable, and before you can recover from the sheer cuteness of their dancing to music by Hank Adams, the Prokofiev ballet has already begun.
With choreography by Courtney Lyon, and set to a recording that is not narrated (unlike other performances of this work, which often use a narrated version of this story ballet for children), a group of the professional dancers do a very nice job of bringing the tale to life.
Jenna Lenmeyer is a fine Peter, lending the character a fresh-faced, sprightly likability that endears Peter to us from her first moments on stage. She dances this "trouser role" with grace, but keeps her movements boyish enough that her performance is believable.
Anna Fiore’s pretty dancing as the Birdie is also enjoyable to watch, and Heidi Dunn (clad in a lovely bronze tutu that doesn’t exactly look right for the role) also dances the part of the Duck with plenty of grace. A half-dozen young ladies – Caitlin Hagerty, Anne Gray, Alexis Young, Shannon Beshears, Carolyn McGuire and Martinelli Holmes – create a River with their lovely dancing, and Jacob Lyon is comical as the Wolf.
As the Cat, Iona Newell (who is always a stand-out dancer, even in this talented company) does wonderful work, making me almost want to watch her and her reactions to the other action on stage – instead of the action itself. The Hunters – Margaret Huling, Natalie Harris and Britta Anderson – are the last to arrive in this cute story, but they also are the ones earning the biggest laughs with their danced antics.
The pieces in Act Two are also well-done. "Blush" and "Touche Par La Lune" were reviewed earlier this year (see DANCE PIANO EXTRAORDINAIRE under the Archived Reviews tab elsewhere on this website), and both still look great. Even with only four dancers and without the dreamy lighting from the February show, the strong work by choreographer Deanna Carter still shines through on "Touche."
The "Sing, Sing, Sing" number, choreographed by Lana Brown Rogal, features Bailey Trondson, Beshears, McGuire, Holmes, Anna Fobair and Young in a tap number that lets these young dancers show off their skills during an a capella segment as well as to the title song, by Benny Goodman.
"Enlightenment" is the contemporary work that closes out the program. Featuring lovely white costuming and choreography by Huling, this nicely-done energetic work (set to Ginko Garden’s "Voices From the Past") is a great way to end this eclectic and thoroughly enjoyable program.
Diverse enough to showcase the range of talents from the professional company and its dance students, this BALLET UNDER THE STARS has something to offer just about everyone. At a price that can’t be beat, take this chance to see a live dance performance.
The annual BALLET UNDER THE STARS has had a tradition of impressing, thrilling and even humoring an audience, and this year’s show is no exception.
Ballet Quad Cities’ rendition of PETER AND THE WOLF, choreographed by Courtney Lyon, is a high-quality and well-rehearsed ballet performance.
Among the featured soloists – which include Jenna Lensmeyer, Anna Fiore, Heidi Dunn, Iona Newell, Jason Gomez and Jacob Lyon – the highlights of the production are the Hunters, played by Margaret Huling, Natalie Harris and Britta Anderson. The dancers add personality to their performances, going above and beyond the call for the roles, which provides excellent comic relief.
One criticism is of the costumes for the Birdie (Fiore) and the Duck (Dunn). Although beautiful, the outfits don’t add to the story, and are confusing — I couldn’t immediately tell who was who. I felt the costumes were inconsistent; Peter (Lensmeyer), the Cat (Newell), Grandfather (Gomez) and the Hunters all wear more literal costumes, whereas Duck and Birdie wear classical ballet tutus.
An interesting twist to what I’ve seen in the past is younger dancers representing the River where the duck lives. They gracefully sway in their purple and blue leotards.
Along with the main performance of PETER AND THE WOLF, the program includes a group of children from Horace Mann Choice School, dancing to Margaret Huling, Courtney Lyon and the dancers themselves. Ballet Quad Cities also performs an additional four pieces titled "Blush," "Sing, Sing, Sing," "Touche Par La Lune," and "Enlightenment."
In "Blush," the music and dance go perfectly with the choreography, featuring impressive solos, and varied designs and patterns. "Sing, Sing, Sing," a tap piece, begins in an a capella style and ends with music. The costumes used in the piece add to the performance, with sparkly tops that are a highlight to the simple costuming. The staccato rhythms were crisp, clear and precise.
"Touche Par La Lune" was pretty and enjoyable, too. However, I wasn’t sure if there was a story being told – although the music and the movement seemed to contain sadness, longing, love, desire, loneliness and companionship.
One of my favorite pieces, "Enlightenment" (choreographed by Huling), has a wonderfully free feeling. The costumes, consisting of white pants and leotards, work really well with this piece. The dance feels appropriately light and reminds me of a good day, as though the dancers were the clouds in a perfect sky.
I enjoyed the choreography in all the pieces. Courtney Lyon, Lana Brown Rogal, Deanna Carter and Huling do an excellent job, and I’m excited to see what they create in the future.
If you like stories and dance, this is a great chance to see what Ballet Quad Cities has to offer. Come check out BALLET UNDER THE STARS.
