A year after its successful “Pointe/Counterpointe,” the Harvard Ballet
Company (HBC) is a completely different organization—but it has
maintained a high quality of performance in its spring show, “Bravura
and Blues.” With a throng of new, talented freshmen, the greatest
triumph of the HBC’s latest recital is its demonstration of impressive
technical skill on pointe.
Produced by Valentine N. Quadrat ’09 and co-directed by
Caitlin L. M. Kakigi ’09 and Kevin Shee ’10, the HBC performance—the
group’s first major recital since its Loeb Mainstage hit, “American
Grace”—was produced Saturday at the Harvard Dance Center. “Bravura and
Blues,” featuring five short numbers and variations from the famous
piece “Paquita,” provided an evening of elegant entertainment.
Excerpts from “Blue Until June” first took the stage,
featuring six talented dancers in a stylistic mixture of classical
ballet and blues. The dancers embraced the music, capturing jazz-like
riffs in the movement of their body. There were three sections to the
piece, which was staged by Jason Hartley, and each was uniquely
striking: an impressive opening group number, a captivating pas de
deux, and a strange—but nevertheless entertaining—final ensemble.
The second piece, “Untitled (Baroque in Black Dresses),” was
the greatest disappointment of the night. With thoughtful choreography
by Diana L. Limbach ’05, many of the simple movements originated from
minuet dancing, perhaps commenting on old-fashioned dance forms.
However, this choice limited the complexity of the performance, and the
dancers’ long, obtrusive skirts covered the few challenging steps they
executed. Moreover, the sporadic use of a plastic folding chair as a
prop looked awkward and arbitrary. Despite the beautifully illuminated,
single-file exit of “Untitled,” this piece was on the whole
dissatisfying and unexciting.
“Portador del Corazón,” choreographed by Joshua Legg, did not
prove much better than “Untitled.” The costumes were unpleasant,
unflattering, and distracting—clashing bright green and blue velour
leotards matched with too-long white tulle skirts. A trio unfortunately
dressed in bright blue gave a particularly sloppy performance, one of
which opened with an extremely messy pirouette turn. A pair in green
entered with leaps that, because of their bent front legs and little
altitude, were disappointing to watch. Nonetheless, Sarah C. Kenney ’08
(also clad in green) was the one redeeming factor of the piece, giving
a generally clean performance.
Thankfully, “Bravura and Blues” soon took a turn for the
better. “A Little Happy, A Little Sad,” choreographed by Kenney, began
and ended with visually gorgeous poses—black silhouettes against a
bright blue background. The costuming choice was simple: elegant
leotards that allowed the audience to see the dancers’ successes and
mistakes alike, with no distraction from the outfits.
Coral R. Martin ’10 gave a particularly lovely performance as
the highlight of a complex group choreography that felt beautifully
nostalgic.
“Bach Suite” also provided one of the most spectacular
performances of the night. Not only did Larissa D. Koch ’08 contribute
an absolutely exquisite choreography, but the dancers also delivered an
equally enchanting performance.
There is nothing more interesting than to see the phenomenal
juxtaposition of modern ballet set to old-fashioned music—and to see
dancers finding the modern rhythms in that music as successfully as
they did in “Bach Suite.” The pairing of Lauren E. Chin ’08 and Joanna
R. Binney ’08 was visually stunning, with stellar turns, impressive
footwork, and great unison. With this perfect choreography, excellent
execution, and beautiful costumes, “Bach Suite” was the most
spectacular performance of the night.
The second half of “Bravura and Blues” was a series of
excerpts from “Paquita.” Made up of two group numbers, nine solo
variations, and three pas de trios, “Paquita” was a challenging
choice—both for its technical difficulty and requisite Spanish flair.
Arguably the most difficult part of “Paquita” (and also my
personal favorite), the “Esmeralda” variation, was performed by Merritt
A. Moore ’10. Although her turns were often a bit sloppy, Moore’s
natural ballerina extension was beautifully displayed with her gorgeous
grands jetés and footwork. Evoking a Spanish gypsy is no easy task, and
Moore did a generally lovely job.
But one question must be asked: Where was the tambourine? Many
of the most impressive parts of this variation typically come when the
dancer alternates playing a tambourine with her hand, elbow, and pointe
shoe, rapidly. Moore’s dancing, though technically impressive, seemed
incomplete without this key prop.
The other impressive moment in the HBC “Paquita” performance
was the stellar fuete turn sequence during the finale—which was
otherwise a bit lackluster, most likely due to a tired cast. At this
point in the night, the dancers in the finale did not fully finish
their steps and their lines became a bit uneven.
Like the ending of “Paquita,” “Bravura and Blues” provided an
evening of highs and lows. Despite the mediocre “Untitled” and
“Portador,” HBC was hugely successful with the rest of the show.
Considering the presence of so many new talented freshmen with
technically stunning pointe skills, HBC can only expect improvement
from an already admirable quality of performance.
—Reviewer Giselle Barcia can be reached at gbarcia@fas.harvard.edu.
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