She’s a winner for Ballet Kelowna
Cerebral and abstract. Enthralling and playful.
Ballet Kelowna’s presentation of Elles: Extraordinary Dance Created by Women at Kelowna Community Theatre on Friday was a tale of two halves.
The two hours of contemporary dance to a nearly-sold-out theatre featured two world premieres and two previously commissioned works created by four of Canada’s most accomplished female choreographers.
The first half introduced the high-octane Rooms, the fourth work renowned Italian-Canadian dancer and choreographer Giocondo Barbuto has created for Ballet Kelowna.
It was paired with Folie a Cinque by Heather Myers created in 2016 through a Ballet Kelowna commission in collaboration with Toronto’s Continuum Contemporary Music.
Ballet Kelowna dancers Valentin Chou, Desiree Bortolussi and Kurt Werner, who were in the original cast, were joined Friday by dancers Yuka Otsuki and Kelsey Hanna “in weaving a vibrant, fanciful tale that conjures up the magic and madness of artists past and present.”
However, artistic director and CEO Simone Orlando explained to 800 in the audience that short works like these in the 14- to 18-minute timeframe don’t usually have a narrative or storyline. In other words, many of these pieces simply create a mood or a certain atmosphere through physical movement, which Ballet Kelowna does brilliantly.
Add innovative and electronic music from Michael Oesterle (Folie a Cinque), plus Keaton Henson, Gabriel Prokofiev, Owen Belton and Philip Glass (Rooms), and it’s like viewing an abstract painting. Some stare at them for hours trying to figure out what the artist is trying to portray instead of appreciating its uniqueness. Watching all four pieces for the second time (after last week’s rehearsal) proved illuminating.
The second half of Ballet Kelowna’s evening presented Glas, created by American-born choreographer Gabrielle Lamb during The Banff Centre’s 2015 Professional Dance Program where six Ballet Kelowna dancers performed her new creation inspired by the brilliant bluegreen colour of Alberta’s Bow River.
Ballet Kelowna dancers Chou, Bortolussi and Werner, who were involved in the original creation, were joined by Hanna and Charlotte Reid on Friday.
Melodic music from composer Andrew Boyd was in sharp contrast to the first half’s sound and the enthusiastic audience response to the first half was quickly eclipsed.
The final piece was Mambo by Alysa Pires who was making her choreographic debut with Ballet Kelowna. She used Latin swing and jazz tunes from Dean Martin, Rosemary Clooney and Perry Como, among others.
From the first notes of Como singing Papa Loves Mambo, the audience was laughing uproariously as grinning dancers employed her silly, even zany, choreography to full effect. Seconds after the final notes, the crowd leaped to its feet with a sustained ovation and repeated calls of ‘Bravo.’
The best news of the evening was Orlando announcing Ballet Kelowna’s May 1-2 presentation of its first full-length ballet, A Streetcar Named Desire. It’s a steamy, jazz-fuelled rendition adapted from Tennessee Williams’ 1947 Pulitzer Prize-winning drama. Orlando played Blanche in Ballet British Columbia’s production in 2005.
Afterwards, Orlando commented: “I was so pleased with the show last night. Everything went smoothly; the dancers were brilliant; and it was heart-warming to see the audience jump to their feet and give a standing ovation at the end of the show.”
Barbuto added: “I was happy to see a full house with an enthusiastic community supporting Ballet Kelowna. The energy of the crowd was uplifting and contagious, feeding the dancers throughout the performance. And the dancers truly gave their all in all the beautiful works of the evening.
“I was also very proud of the dancers and watching our work come alive on stage, their performance was honest and brimming with human response.”
And Pires said: “I thought Friday’s performance was incredible! It was amazing to see Kelowna come out and support their local company in such large numbers. I was so honoured to be included on this program celebrating female choreographers and was thrilled by the audience’s response. The dancers and the entire Ballet Kelowna team are doing phenomenal work and so deserve this reception.”