Virginia Arts Festival
The Virginia Arts Festival has grown into a very bright, talented six-year-old phenomenon, more than able to hold its own against older festivals throughout the nation.
Its dance series, sponsored by SunCom, is simply exceptional.
The 2002 season proved no different, much to audiences' delight, opening with Grigorovich Ballet's "Swan Lake." Russian dancers and "Swan Lake" are always a fine pair, but this performance was a bit unusual. Grigorovich, former ballet master at the Kirov, then Artistic Director of the Bolshoi Ballet for 30 years, dared to change the beloved original choreography of Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov in many places. And in many places, it worked well. Grigorovich wisely kept the swan scenes true to the original creators' design, but brought the court and folk dances to a technical level equal to his dancers' beautiful training.
The choreography flowed beautifully, with ensemble work as only the Russians seem to master. He cut the court pageantry, posing, pomp and circumstance, giving us a closer look at what brings most of us to a ballet - the dancers. The outstanding performer of the evening was The Fool, played by Vadym Slavitski. Though soloists Tatiana Vladimirova (Odette/Odile) and Denis Vladimirov (Siegfried) were up to the task, Slavistski danced brilliantly.
The only jarring note in this fine production was the ballerina-length tutu skirts' overlays in both court scenes. Too, too many had what appeared to be modernistic scraps and pieces of metallic cuttings sprinkled over the top. It quite upstaged the lovely dancers. And the group of Act III Spanish brides-to-be had very distracting bull's eye designs over their breasts.
Other than those easily adjusted errors, it was a must-see version of "Swan Lake."
The Virginia International Tattoo was dedicated to heroes this year. We were looking forward to a massive, overwhelming display of massed bands that never materialized. Parts of the Tattoo were moving, but this year especially we needed to see what we did last year, powerful, stirring, heart-pounding displays of bands and brass and pipes.
The Queens' Colour Squadron of the Royal Air Force was a tightly knit drill team, with impressive work, but they were soon upstaged. The old theatrical adage of never working with children or animals was true in this show. Along came the Lochiel Marching Team from Wellington, New Zealand. This championship team of young ladies, in mini-kilts and white jackets, bested the Canadian men by performing some of the same maneuvers backwards, then adding even more complex drills. The Scottish Dance Theatre under the direction of Eleanor Unger was as well-ordered as any drill team or professional ballet troupe could be, beautifully outfitted and exceptionally well-groomed and well-rehearsed. Both groups were so precise that they could have measured, but they also performed with grace and energy.
And then there was the Marine Corps mascot. The darling white bulldog was hard to miss, especially when he settled down near the end of the program, the full cast of the evening facing fore and he aft, his short little legs stretched out behind him, tummy enjoying the cool concrete floor, looking like a pale turkey ready for basting. It was a moment of sheer dogginess we all needed.
The Dance Theatre of Harlem's performances were the highlight of this year's dance series. Every dancer, every musician, every costume and every single step was simply perfect. One had the feeling that the dancers were there to dance for us and enjoyed doing so, instead of merely presenting a performance.
"South African Suite," with music by the Soweto String Quartet and Artistic Director and choreographer Arthur Mitchell, was fresh and sparkling, with fine, strong young men dancing as warriors, and flexible-as-feline women to show off for. Pointe shoes and bare feet, ballet and basic African steps merged in a very beautiful work of art, with past meeting present seamlessly.
"Dougla," however, was the most mesmerizing, breathtaking dance piece of all. Music, choreography and costumes were all by the multi-talented genius Geoffrey Holder. A simple tale of a wedding became an event of monumental color, movement and music. From the tiniest gesture, to expert folk make-up, to the dancers' execution, this was a knockout presentation in every aspect.
Robert Garland's upbeat "Return" knocked to shreds the myth that ballet dancers - males, especially - are sissy. This was a sassy, jazzy offering that the audience loved.
"New Bach" fell into the same category. Also by Garland, the dancers bubbled through a witty blend of ballet and touches of be-bop. Both his pieces showed the audience that ballet is far from stuffy and has to be done in tutus. Garland weaves ballet, jazz , modern and Afro-jazz together unbelievably well.
"Firebird" is a signature work of the Dance Theatre of Harlem. It was elegant and well done. Firebird Kellye A. Saunders has to have the fastest courus and bourrees on record. She caught every nuance of a quick, tiny feathered creature and morphed into an ethereal being.
The ubiquitous standing ovations that so many regional audiences give was well, well deserved at every performance of the Dance Theatre of Harlem. They also deserved an encore. "Dougla" would have been nice!
The Virginia Arts Festival has named the Mark Morris Dance Group the official Dance Company of the Festival through 2005. It is an honor for us. Morris still astounds with his musicality and his ability to bring new insights to the uses of music and dance. His "Canonic 3/4 Studies" was an excellent example of his brilliance, a continual stream of patterns, humor, unexpected rises, falls and plops in choreography, as if the dancers had become the piano keys being struck. The piece could have been subtitled "The Life of a Musical Note." It was fascinating to watch, and as always with Morris, he brings musical nuances to the stage that change how we hear that piece of music for ever after.
His contrapuntal choreography, the round (and around and around) of ballet lifts, and the athleticism and acting from his dancers made this piece the best of his evening.
"The Argument" was a interplay of "he said, she said, they danced," a tangled tango of body language and emotions about spats and making up, which was followed by "Foursome." This ersatz folk dance disturbed some in the audience. Was it about relationships? Gay life? Some found it humorous. Was it a silly trifle, a folk dance for four men, an exploration of group dynamics? All of the above? Or "just" a choreographic exercise? Or did that even matter if it was compelling to watch for its patterns, for its use of simple movements made stunning by the use of simplicity and emphasis, and for its weave of bodies, music, blocking and dance. Many times, dances such as this, and especially folk dances, are more fun to do than to watch, but this Odd Quad, indeed anything by Morris, begs watching.
"V" was a similar puzzler if people spent the evening trying to find the real meaning in why they think Morris created the piece. Created October 16, 2001, dedicated to the City of New York, dancers in seemingly unrelated costumes flowed and swirled, then crossed, merged and rose from each others' patterns and places in a cycle of movement and pairing, silver spirits to blue birds. The most dramatic moments came as dancers crossed the stage toward each other, one group vertical, one quite horizontal. The ones on all fours, moving almost lizard-like, would take on verticality as the two groups passed each other, four-legged phoenixes rising and taking the next step in their evolution.
Morris can be obscure, teasing and confusing, but he is never, never boring.
Kudos to the MMDG Music Ensemble accompanying him, and to the Virginia Symphony, which improves yearly in its ability to accompany dancers well.
Word of the Virginia Arts Festival's outstanding dance series is spreading. Publications such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, and CBS' "Sunday Morning" have covered the festival. As such, many events sell out quite early. The 2003 events will run April 25th- May 25th. Visit them online at www.virginiaartsfest.com and begin planning now. •