Tulsa Ballet Review: The Celebration
May 14, 2021 | Digital Live Stream
We’ve seen a lot of Tulsa Ballet‘s Managing Director Scott Black this 2020-2021 season as he’s served as the dynamic emcee for the company’s performances, but it was at Thursday evening’s show of “The Celebration” that we finally got to really see him. I mean… his entire face.
It was only hours before the curtain opened that night when the CDC lifted the mask mandate for vaccinated folks, so there Mr. Black was, bare-faced and all, passionately hosting the program dedicated to rejoicing Tulsa Ballet’s evolution from regional to international dance company.
And it wasn’t only Mr. Black’s genuine smile that we are privy to; as of April 19th, Tulsa Ballet became the first U.S. company to have all of their dancers vaccinated which means that since then they have been able to rehearse in one studio and be on stage unmasked.
Imagine that.
In fact, let’s take a moment to recognize just how significant this is.
And Thursday’s performance was streamed the next for the anyone in the world – like me – who wished to see a company whose collective facial delight was in itself priceless.
On top of that, watching Artistic Director Marcello Angelini‘s beautifully crafted “sentimental journey” (as described by Mr. Black) of his twenty-six years in leadership is a visual tale of diversity executed by a spirited generation of talent.
At first glance, to the unknowing eye of the beholder, the works on the program may appear discordant, a cornucopia of movement thrown together without much thought. It is through Mr. Black’s non-fictional storytelling (see how integral he is to the experience?!) that the thread which holds them together is revealed.
Opening is an excerpt from Val Caniparoli’s Prawn-Watching, during which five men’s strong-swinging arms are the metronome to Michael Nyman’s pulsing music. This was the first piece Angelini brought to his company, a move ultimately resulting in Caniparoli being appointed as Tulsa Ballet’s first resident choreographer.
Going for Baroque – whose ladies dance is vibrant in color, emotion, and choreography – would mark the American’s debut work in this position and a huge stepping stone for the company. The ballet has just enough quirk to make the viewer exclaim, “How clever!” rather than ponder, “How strange…” and bringing it on tour to Portugal would put Tulsa Ballet’s inaugural stamp on the international map.
Nested between the two Caniparoli pieces is one that introduced Oklahoma audiences to the contemporary masterpieces of Spain’s Nacho Duato. In 1999, and even to this day, Duato’s expanse into the American landscape is limited, and Tulsa Ballet boasts having one of the largest collections in their repertoire on this side of the Atlantic. Jaime Cullen is especially beautiful in Na Floresta (as she is later on in the Derek Deane showing), as fluid and expressive in the grounded floor work as when raised over six feet above.
A ballet company would be remiss to go without showing where they stand on the classical repertory totem pole, and the decision to include the third act pas de deux from Don Quixote shows just how confident Angelini is in the technical prowess of his dancers. Aina Oiko and Jun Masuda – despite a couple of minuscule miscalculations – are a couple that demonstrate the balance of control and bravura necessary for this iconic excerpt.
And speaking of icons, prestige in any kind of professional circle is often associated with reputable name dropping of which John Cranko’s holds a particularly reputable weight in our ballet space. After years of persistence, Angelini achieved what many agree to be one of the hallmarks of what ballet companies of the highest prestige have – the rights to perform the renowned choreographer’s works.
Tulsa Ballet’s only two Principals – Madalina Stoica and Arman Zazyan – perform the famous mirror pas de deux from Onegin with an ease and emotion of seasoned dancers. From what I’ve witnessed this season, Stoica is the ballerina of the company and Zazyan very often her male counterpart, but this title goes beyond the ubiquitous pointe shoes and graceful lifts; as observed in the finale of the evening – these two are also not-too-shabby hip hop dancers.
Being an artistic playground for rising choreographers is an indication that a ballet company receives with open arms the innovation and discoveries that develop when working alongside the likes of Edwaard Liang (Artistic Director of BalletMet) and Ma Cong (Resident Choreographer of Tulsa Ballet), both who made names for themselves as dancers with prestigious companies around the globe.
In the mens dance from Age of Innocence and the pas de deux from Blue Flame (by Liang and Cong, respectively) we see some similarity in their uses of suspension giving way to weight, or perhaps weight being supported by suspension. Both choreographers have the gift of creating phrases of dance so full and seamless that intention and expression are the principal focus. In other words, we see art in its wholeness rather than the distinction of the pieces that compose it.
And my first exposure to a Derek Deane ballet is an incredibly pleasant one. The “Who Cares?” and “The Man I Love” sections from the British choreographer’s Strictly Gershwin are such a welcome deviation from the much more widely performed Who Cares? by Balanchine.
But where Who Cares? sparkles with the bright, jazzy flash of the anti-prohibition sentiment, Strictly Gershwin oozes more of the jewel-toned glamour that also accompanied the style of the roaring twenties. With this disposition, Cullen is ravishing, her upper body maintaining an aloof elegance while her feet bourrée to match the trill of the singer’s voice.
Probably the most anticipated moment of the evening is the finale – the premiere of Jennifer Weber’s While You Were Gone.
The first hip hop piece ever commissioned by Angelini, resulting from a conversation at a Zoom birthday party, While You Were Gone is an interesting experiment in merging the seemingly divergent paths of ballet and hip hop. The concept of peeking into a world in which theatre ghosts roam and create is brilliant, both literally and figuratively.
Set on casters that allow it to be manipulated in a way that give it a life of its own, the glowing ghost light is at times the center of attention and at others, an incorporated member of the sea of jumpsuit clad ghosts. One often wonders when they see props on a stage whether they will be an unnecessary distraction or a well-incorporated element; Weber and the dancers with flying colors achieve the latter.
My overriding take away from this piece is that perhaps these aforementioned ballet and hip hop paths are getting blurred. Aside from the obvious differences in vernacular, what makes a step “balletic” or “hip hop”? Is it the attitude with which it is done? Or perhaps the music it is set to and consequently its emphasis? And is this lack of clear definition a positive step in making dancers more well-rounded artists, or is it maybe undermining the particular skills required in making a person elite at what s/he does? Talk amongst yourselves.
Featured Photo for this review of Tulsa Ballet The Celebration of the Company in Val Caniparoli’s Going for Baroque, photo by Bethany Kirby
So proud of you! All your reviews are insightful and honest. I hope you are happy and enjoying another side of the dance world. Keep up the great insights in your reviews. Please keep in touch.