Also this issue: Kelly's Girl John Kelly is a man of many faces -- including Joni Mitchell’s. -David Warner Drawing Borders It's Mural Arts Month, and the Mural Arts Program is celebrating new growth and facing new controversy. -Ted Mann Nancy Crow at Snyderman Gallery Form and function collide in Nancy Crow's quilts. -Robin Rice Stan and Jan's Plan -Debra Auspitz Word From Your Mtter -David Warner Crowns at McCarter Theatre -Toby Zinman Fully Committed at Philadelphia Theatre Co. -David Anthony Fox Eternal Spiral Project's I Stand Before You Naked -David Anthony Fox

October 24-30, 2002

dance

Balanchine Favorites at Pennsylvania Ballet

by Janet Anderson

Pennsylvania Ballet was founded under George Balanchine’s watchful eye, and cut its teeth on his streamlined neo-classic choreography. PAB acknowledged its own roots with Balanchine Favorites as its season kickoff program -- and the three pieces, “Apollo,” “Bugaku” and “Scotch Symphony,” really are favorites. But the program also looked to the future, as seen in the young dancers filling out the company, especially the corps. This is now artistic director Roy Kaiser’s company. These are mostly dancers he selected and he’s fussy -- ballet dancers yes, but movers as well.

Principal Arantxa Ochoa was mesmerizing in "Bugaku," an exotic courtship dance which mixes classical ballet and stylized Japanese movement. Opening night it was hard to take your eyes off the intense, sinuous Ochoa, who transformed the bride's submissiveness into something close to domination, all the while wrapping herself around David Krensing. This is an odd Balanchine piece -- part erotica, part homage to woman (or is it conquest of?) and lots of pseudo-Orientalia and attendants in black wigs. Krensing was good but the steam didn't roll off him as it did Ochoa.

Then it was back to floaty white lady’s tutus, handsome male kilts and fairy-tale forests with “Scotch Symphony,” a pretty audience-friendly ballet that thoroughly lowered any eyebrows raised by “Bugaku.” This is a valentine Balanchine concocted in the 19th-century Romantic ballet style. Dede Barfield has the soft shoulders, drifting, lyric arms and quick tiny feet that epitomize this style, and she was charming in the lead, as was her partner, Alexei Borovik, who leapt and turned with ease.

“Apollo,” which actually opened the program, got the least-assured performance of the three ballets. This grandly conceived early Balanchine-Stravinsky collaboration is crammed with famous moments and visual snapshots where crisp body lines, perfect timing and panache are required. This is a ballet where a flip of a wrist by Apollo ought to hit the Stravinsky note exactly and evoke an audience gasp. That didn’t happen opening night. It was a lukewarm performance where things often seemed out of sync.

The most interesting thing about PAB these days is that Kaiser’s put together a company where talent isn’t concentrated at the top. This meant that on opening night there was a steady level of high quality dancing in every piece, and also some high-profile chances for corps dancers to look terrific, like Charity Eagens in “Apollo” and James Ihde in “Scotch.” Power to the corps people.