SUNSHINE IN DANCE
Miami ballet oozes heat
The Miami City Ballet
At Southam Hall
Reviewed Thursday night
The Miami City Ballet brought a badly needed dose of tropical calor to Ottawa last night, performing a triple bill that showcased the company’s virtuosity, versatility and va-va-voom.
Under the direction of the great Cuban-American ballerina Lourdes Lopez, MCB is consistently among the top companies in the U.S., known for its technical dazzle and a particular brand of Miami heat that translates into passionate, seductive performances.
The centrepiece was Carmen choreographed by Richard Alston in 2009 for the Scottish Ballet. MCB danced the work’s North American premiere in Miami just last month, and Thursday was the Canadian premiere.
Set to Rodion Shchedrin’s percussion-heavy arrangement of Bizet’s Carmen suite, the short ballet remains more or less faithful to the familiar opera plot. Company principals Patricia Delgado (Carmen), Chase Swatosh (Don José), and Reinan Cerdeiro (Escamillo) were all making their debuts in the three lead roles.
Delgado was an electrifying Gypsy, making the most of her endless limbs and long, slender feet (if there is such a thing as come-hither legs, Delgado has them). Swatosh has beautiful lines but fell somewhat short in character development, seeming more embarrassed than tormented by his love for Carmen. But his cool, Scandinavian looks were a striking contrast to Cerdeiro’s red-blooded, 100 per cent Latin toreador. In fact, it would have been nice to see him affect an even prouder cambrure in his torso. The chemistry between him and Delgado was palpable.
Peter Mumford’s gorgeous lighting and austere, sunbleached, vaguely Moorish set design offered a master class in luxurious restraint. Antony McDonald’s wonderful costumes echoed couturier Christian Lacroix’ famous Arles collection, with heavy, colourful flounced skirts and sequined bolero jackets.
Balanchine’s Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux was a sparkling, elegant palate cleanser. Mary Carmen Catoya and Renato Penteado made the piece’s formidable challenges seem effortless, attacking everything with Balanchine’s love for speed and daring in mind. Penteado may not have the prettiest male legs but they get the work done, propelling him to fantastic heights in his jumps. His manége was spectacular. That these two dimpled, smiling dancers are as adorable as they are brilliant only added to the pair’s charm.
For its 2011-12 season, MCB commissioned a major new piece by the lavishly gifted Alexei Ratmansky. The result was Symphonic Dances, set to Rachmaninoff ’s opus of the same name.
It’s vintage Ratmansky, sensual and romantic, with his trademark musical sensitivity and deep classical soul. The waltz-tempo middle section offers unforgettable images — the women in gauzy, technicolour gowns that make them look like exotic birds — and moments of pure, catch-yourbreath ballet pleasure. The NAC Orchestra played this demanding music especially well, in particular the woodwinds.
The performance continues Saturday evening.