Texas Ballet Theater Review: Ballet al Fresco
May 14, 2021 | Annette Strauss Square
For weeks I eagerly anticipated Texas Ballet Theater’s emergence following a year of virtual performances, and it did not disappoint.
Performed in an open-air theater, Al Fresco is a collection of classic and contemporary pieces, including selections from Swan Lake and The Sleeping Beauty as well as the world premiere of a pas de deux choreographed by TBT Artistic Director Ben Stevenson O.B.E.
The program begins with excerpts from The Sleeping Beauty featuring company dancers Dara Oda as Beauty, Laura Gruener as Generosity, Adeline Melcher as Charm, Rayleigh Vendt as Song, Rieko Hatato as Temperament and Paige Nyman as Lilac Fairy.
On behalf of the entire company, Nyman is the first to take to the stage. She enters onto an empty stage absent of both set and scenery. She conveys an initial sense of hesitancy which is quickly replaced with an enthralling confidence as soon as she is accompanied by the other fairies. Though each variation may be defined by effortless control, together they dance in hypnotic synchrony while consuming the entire space.
Next, while considered a pas de deux, Prelude may as well have been a pas de trois by the seamless integration of the ballet barre. Company dancers Amanda Fairweather and Riley Moyano made even the most rudimentary steps appear absolutely exquisite.
Perhaps the ballet barre and the white costumes are embodiments of classical ballet, yet conventionality was readily abandoned through grand lifts and glides as the dancers overcame the physical barring them from one another… as if a testament to what we have all experienced throughout these past few months.
In stark contrast to the soft intimacy of Prelude, we then witness Samantha Pille gracefully attack each step of the iconic Black Swan Solo. I found this transition as well as the others throughout the program to be a bit too abrupt, as it often took me a moment to acknowledge a change had occurred.
Following Swan Lake is the debut of Stevenson’s Afternoon of a Faun where Andre Silva shines. This was the highlight of the program for me. Inspired by the poem L’Après-midi d’un faune by Stéphane Mallarmé, this playful pas de deux follows the flirtatious meeting of a young faun and a young woman, Vanessa.
Coming from a theater background, I enjoyed immensely the theatrics demonstrated by both Silva as he excellently conveys the maturity of a young fawn finding familiarity with his limbs and his partner Carolyn Judson who radiates the spirit of a coquettish young woman.
I am reticent to say it was unfair to sandwich Afternoon of a Faun between two excerpts from Swan Lake. Albeit how much I admire Alexandra Farber’s dancing and the life she breathes into Dying Swan with her careful upper body articulation, the stage appeared quite lonely following such jovial banter for which I feel we have all been longing. I believe this piece could have been better appreciated with a reorganization of the program.
Nicole Von Enck and Joamanuel Velazquez close the evening with a pas de deux from Sylvia. Both danced beautifully and with unmatched precision, and at no fault of theirs did I feel the emphasis rested with the choreography rather than the plot. I was unfamiliar with Sylvia and had only to refer to my playbill once or twice before coming to better appreciate the intricacy of their steps and the story they were attempting to portray.
Von Enck was wonderfully whimsical, bringing a light and arid quality to the choreography, while Velazquez’s movements were as grand and jubilant as the score accompanying him. Once more coming off of a year in which social endeavors seemed tabooed, wonderful to watch was the way in which Von Enck and Velazquez harmoniously interacted, for there were not many moments, barring their brief solos, they were apart.
Words are incapable of describing how exhilarating it was to return to a theater and experience a live production, and I believe this was reciprocated throughout the audience by the manner in which the lawn unhesitatingly offered a hard-earned standing ovation to the performers.
Featured Photo for this Texas Ballet Theater Ballet al Fresco review of Paige Nyman as the Lilac Fairy © Sharen Bradford
