‘Sleepy Hollow’ ballet spooks, and Orlando celebrates Día de los Muertos
It’s peak Halloween season for the arts, so this past weekend Orlando saw the Headless Horseman on stage and this Thursday the streets of downtown will be overrun by monsters.
The Downtown Arts District’s annual Día de los Muertos and Monster Event returns for a 13th year with something new — a Día de los Muertos Procession to kick off festivities at 6 p.m.
Something new also took place over the weekend as Ballet Tessera debuted its first-ever production, an original retelling of “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” It was quite original, or liberal, in its adaptation — taking a particularly dark turn at the climax that original author Washington Irving did not envision.
But it’s good, spooky fun — even if the somewhat overcomplicated storytelling requires reading the synopsis provided in the program.
For a first production, the company impresses with attractive costuming, atmospheric video-projection backdrops and smart choices for set pieces and props.
The recorded classical-music selections are well chosen by artistic director Diane Withee, who also devised the plot and choreographed the 75-minute work.
In this version, still set in the 18th century, the townspeople of Sleepy Hollow are beholden to the witch Minerva and the Headless Horseman and must offer them a human sacrifice each year. The perfect choice? The itinerant schoolteachers who visit. Enter bookish Ichabod Crane, who promptly falls for the town beauty, Katrina, drawing the ire of the town heartthrob, Brom Bones.
Withee’s choreography plays to the strengths of her young cast, who mostly fall in the preprofessional age range. Her witches coven moves with menace, while she paints a beautiful rustic picture as women brandishing sickles for the harvest dance in unison.
Among the leads, David Hasselberger uses his long legs to his advantage, even if it appears Brom’s condescension doesn’t come naturally to him. Rachel Visosky moves well but doesn’t make it clear which suitor she truly prefers.
Katie Kassner proves graceful and sinister — not an easy combination — simultaneously as witch Minerva, and Brad Akus, who gives very good I-am-frightened face, nicely conveys Ichabod’s awkwardness while not actually being awkward in his dancing — another difficult combo to pull off with flair.
Some of the storytelling could still be sharper, and the emotional triangle could be amped up more beyond an entertaining pas de trois, but the production boasts numerous nifty ideas — real scary things lurking under your bed — and legitimate surprises (I jumped more than once in my seat). And the Headless Horseman’s steed, red eyes glowing and smoke billowing from his nostrils, is a wonderfully awful sight.
Next from Ballet Tessera is a mid-December production of “The Nutcracker” — but before we get to Christmas fare, there’s still plenty of Halloween entertainment to come. The Downtown Arts District’s Día de los Muertos and Monster Event, for one.
An opening-night reception for the themed art exhibitions will take place from 6-11 p.m. Oct. 20 at CityArts, 39 S. Magnolia St. in Orlando. Inside, find traditional ofrendas and catrina dolls marking the Mexican “Day of the Dead” holiday provided by Casa de Mexico and the Mexican Consulate of Orlando. A second exhibition features Halloween and monsterthemed art.
Outside there is a block party on Pine Street starting at 6:30 p.m. with food trucks; tequila tastings; performances by a Mariachi band, Mexico Lindo Folklorico Ballet and Phantasmagoria; and zombie-themed entertainment by Midnight Mayhem. Unleash your inner monster and come in costume.