Escape, set to Leo Brouwer’s Concerto for Guitar and Violin, started slow, but gave way to lively beats and a cacophony of movement.  Angie DeWolf was featured in this piece, and radiated in the principle role.  Opposite DeWolf, was Mark Kehlet Schou.  Schou, as always, was remarkable.  Together the two entwined the audience in the ballet’s tension and emotion.  These two dancers, however, were not the only gems of this piece.  The entire corps de ballet was unified, even in the more brisk allegro portions.

Ayer Pasado was choreographed to Manuel Saumell’s Danzas.  Madeleine Bonn exudes elegance and exquisiteness.  It is not just her technique that makes her so enjoyable, but it is her stage presence, and her commitment to the movement and characterization of the piece.  Jacob Hoover continually surprises me with his strength and agility.  It was nice to see Jenna-marie Nagel featured.  There is effortlessness in her movement.  Despite the traditional sound of the music, Mateo brought playfulness to the piece, that broke away from the sometimes somber milieu of ballet.  I particularly loved the white cloth that acted as the common thread through a series of pas de deux sequences.

Pagano Y No was the evenings premier.  This was set to Aruan Ortiz’s Santiarican Blues Suite and back dropped against the photographic artwork of Linda Hirsh.  This piece was exciting, beautiful and entertaining.  The bright colors and Latin rhythms made were enrapturing, and before I knew it the piece had come to an end before I was ready.  The second movement of the piece was my favorite.  In particular, I was enthralled by Elisabeth Scherer, Gloria Benedikt and Emma Ward as a trio.  Their movements were concise and precise.   I will say that I was slightly disappointed in the parts of August Lincoln Pozgay’s performance where he seemed tentative, and not fully sure of or committed to his choreography.  This, however, was a minor distraction, and hardly took away from the overall effect of the piece.

The stand out performer of the evening was by far and away Joanna Binney.  As a member of the corps, Binney drew my eye every time she was on stage, but not at all as a distraction from the corps’s choreography at large.  Here extension was beautiful and seemed only to stop when she willed it to do so.  Binney also had an air of delight in her dance.  Binney deserves respect for her skill and ability to contribute to the beauty of the group while excelling individually.

¡Cubiania!, in my humble opinion, was a success.  Three works of art culminating not only to celebrate the brilliance of Jose Mateo, but to celebrate his roots, and his heritage.  After a season long series of concerts, this milestone year has come to an end, and only sets the bar higher for what to expect in future.  I look forward to what the company will produce in the coming season and what Mateo will create in the years to follow.

The Company

Dark Profiles used the chaotic themes of Beethoven’s Fugue to create the zeitgeist of navigating one’s own identity.  Madeleine Bonn was captivating as the ballet’s principle character.  She brought to life the graceful tension of love.  Bonn has a magnetic appeal in her dance.  Each extension of her arm and point of her toe captivates the audience.  It seems she can’t but help draw your eye.  Complimenting Bonn’s enthralling presence was Kehlet Schou.  Schou has proven to be one of my favorite company members.  His performance in Dark Profiles was no exception.  His strength and finesse make him most exhilarating to watch.  The choreography of the piece seemed to make sense of Beethoven’s sometimes knee-jerk melodies.  Unfortunately, however, the corps de ballet was not entirely cohesive.  Their lines were a bit loose.  What was most disappointing about the corps’ lack of synchronization was that it could almost still be seen how beautiful the combinations might have been had they been better coordinated.

The second Ballet of the evening, House of Ballet, offered a beautifully unfolding story.  The piece opened with a tick-tock type train of steps that pulled the audience right in.  The piece unfolds to reveal an obsessed Balletomane played by Jacob Hoover.  Hoover, once again, surprised me with his strength and power.  Hoover demonstrated this most brilliantly with his fouettes rond de Jambe en tournant.  Elisabeth Scherer beautifully played the object of Hoover’s obsession, a prima ballerina.  Scherer was statuesque in her bright white tutu.  Scherer was enjoyable to watch. Her coupe jete en tournant were beautiful.  This piece was fun.  It escaped the clichés of ballet, and told a story that contradicts the romance of the dance.

The closing ballet of the concert was Timeless Attractions. I had the joy of seeing this piece when it premiered.  I enjoyed it more the second time.  Each pas de deux pair performed excellently.  Once again, however, Sybil Geddes stole this piece.  Emotions pour out of her when she dances.  Her performance was evocative and beautiful. The final movement of the piece features the entire company in a cacophony of music and dance.  In my previous viewing of Timeless Attractions I was distracted by an incongruous corps.  In this performance, the final movement was my favorite.  The corps was cohesive in spite of the speeding tempo.

Beauty Strange was an enjoyable evening.  This installment of the celebrating of Jose Mateo’s beautiful creations gave way to an enjoyable evening of emotion.  Seeing three works spanning 17 years gives a glimpse into the mind of Mateo.  The innovations and ideas never stop.   From dark to light, from sadness to laughter, this concert offered a range of emotions.  Beauty Strange wet my palate for dance, and leaves me anticipating Tidal Forces.

Streams, premiered in 2009, was an explosion of movement. Covens, from 2006, was haunting.  Sound Secret, premiering with this second concert of the season, was an irreverent display. I found all three of the musical selections to be powerful in their own right. Terry Riley’s The Cusp of Magic for String Quartet and Pipa created the lively cacophony that was mirrored in the movements of the corps de ballet. James MacMillan’s Symphony No. 3 was ominously booming. Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion by Bela Bartok explored the depth of percussive instruments from piano to xylophone to snare, with out a single woodwind, reed, brass or string this piece was richly melodic.

In reviewing Elements of Passion at the open of this landmark season, I stated a desire to see the men of the company featured; in the way they usually showcase ballerinas. Ask and you shall receive. In this fall concert my wish came true (though I doubt my expressed wish as the cause of the desired result). The men of the company were given combinations that demonstrated that ballet should not merely be considered a feminine sport. Athletic but graceful, the gentlemen of the company were, in my humble opinion, the crowning jewel of Realm of Suspense. Such exaltation of the males should in no way diminish the grace and beauty of the women, but I must say it is always nice to see men doing an equitable amount of dancing, when it is all to common to see a man performing as a workhorse in service of his pas de deux partner. Mateo’s choreography, combined with the talent of his company, takes what is colloquially considered a delicate art, and injected it with the socio-normative concepts of masculinity. As the stand out performer of the evening Kehlet Schou was the very essence of such strength. Schou, as always, performed each piece with finesse and tenderness, but never at the expense of muscle or brawn.

The performances abound, however, were exquisite. The company appeared to be charged up, most prevalent in the performance of Elisabeth Scherer. Scherer seemed to have a certain spark about her performance that made her the most enjoyable I’ve had the opportunity of seeing her. In particular Scherer’s performance in Streams held the attention of the audience. The newest addition to the company Ivaylo Alexiev performed like a technician. His lines were beautiful, and his agility enrapturing.  Jacob Hoover and Madeleine Bonn were conjoined partners in their dance in Covens. These two each bring their own presence to the stage, but together possessed beautiful chemistry and characterization. Angie DeWolf, featured more than once in the course of the program, entrances the audience with her apparent joy derived in dance. DeWolf’s joy is contagious, and while she is dancing so do the hearts of the audience.

It is always a privilege to take in a concert from the Jose Mateo Ballet Theatre. Judging from the audience reaction, this is a shared sentiment. From the whispered “wows” to the shouted “bravos”, the entire audience found Realm of Suspense to be an exhilarating and entertaining program. My hat goes off to Jose Mateo, the company of dancers, and the company at large. I have yet to be disappointed, and I continue to be surprised. JMBT has set my expectations set quite high for the remainder of their season.

Covens

Choreographed to Oliver Messiaen’s Quartet for the end of time is the tale of an ill-fated couple. Sybil Geddes and August Lincoln Pozgay were featured in the peace, and coalesced a captivating chemistry. Geddes, as always, dances with character and grace. Her energy drew ones eye, even if merely crossing the stage. Geddes’s arabesques and développés were drawn in pristine lines. Through a series of musical movements, the story of this couple unfolds through Mateo’s signature layering of core de ballet combinations. Through an assembly line resembling sequence of lifts and poses somehow gave the “everyman” feeling of the story.

Schubert’s Quintet in C was soundtrack of Schubert Adagio, the second offering of the evening. Sequence, repetition and bands of light underlined the linear themes of the music. The piece began with, and again reprised, a conveyor belt series of steps reminiscent, and perhaps the precursor to the counter cycles of movement in the previous piece. The simplicity of the quintet and Madeline Bonn shone bright in this piece, displayed beautifully by Jacob Hoover. Bonn executed the choreography with an air of ease and with her engaging presence. Hoover played his part in the dance of seduction with an engendering tenderness. The delicacy and subtlety of this piece made it my favorite of the evening.

In the third and final piece, Back to Bach, the company of dancers danced jubilantly to Johan Sebastian Bach’s Concerto in C Minor. Though the core could have been better synchronized, the choreography of the piece read beautifully. Splashes of colored light reflected off the dancers and set to elevate the elative mood the piece. Angie DeWolf lit up the stage with her smile. Kehlet Schou, once again, demonstrated a masculine athleticism so important in a male dancer. Schou’s movements were crisp and clean.

I have come to expect the utmost from the JMBT. I am seldom left wanting for much from dancers, choreography or music. I will say, however, that after the performance, I had a desire to see more out of the men of the company. In particular Hoover, Pozgay, and Schou each demonstrate technique, strength and stamina. It would thrill me, and I’m sure audiences abound, to see Mateo choreography unleashed on their apparent talent.

Judging by this opener, the 25^th season of The Jose Mateo Ballet Theatre will be a landmark event. I enjoy the renaissance effect of watching pieces of varying times in the company’s history. In the progress of a concert one can see the progression of Mateo’s craft. JMBT distinguishes itself as among the elite in ballet.



Time Beyond Time

When Christmas parties, yankee swaps, secret santas, maxed out credit cards, boxes, tissue, ribbon and wrapping paper have taken hold of your life, attending a third or fourth holiday performance can seem like a chore.  Even after a Christmas show on Friday, and a family Christmas party on Sunday, the Jose Mateo Ballet Theatre’s production of The Nutcracker was hardly a chore.  While there was talent and excellence in many aspects of this ballet, what was most delectating was that it was primarily a performance of study.  The Core De Ballet was composed entirely of students.  The Ballet Theatre is the only professional production of The Nutcracker in the area that holds open auditions for students outside its own school.  Casting rotations of 200+ Children ages 6-18 hailing from Massachusetts and New Hampshire resonates as a true commitment to ballet education.

This integration of students from different studios may be the explanation for the lack of cohesion in the execution of the choreography.  On the note of execution, there seemed to be a lack of commitment in the performing the steps. Ching Hosier, a former ballet instructor at the Hartt School of Music, would say that the energy should start at the center and radiate through and beyond the ends of the extremities.  While the dancing was quite lovely, it seemed at times as though the energy was cut short at the knees and elbows.  There were times when some dancers almost appeared to be marking it.

Most impressive, however, was Nicole Finken in the role of Clara.  Her arms moved with a grace and delicacy beyond her years.  Finken filled the role sur les pointes, the untraditional choice, however, executed excellently.  Madeleine Bonn and August Pozgay took the Coffee/Arabian Divertissement, one I have never really enjoyed, and created something captivating.  Bonn was also quite brilliant, both in color and dance, in the Waltz of the Flowers. Despite some trouble with his tour en l’aire, Henoch Spinola performed strappingly as the Cavalier. Spinola also demonstrated fine coupé jetté en tourment manàges.  Spinola, most importantly, truly filled the primary job of the Cavalier; showcasing Sugar Plum Fairy, Elisabeth Sherer, who danced the role decorously.  Gloria Benedikt performed dulcetly as the snow queen and Jacob Hoover was a technician in his grande pirouette à las seconde as both Harlequin and the Russian in the Trepek/Russia Divertissement.   A special tip of the hat must go to the mice.  I was tickled to death by the pot bellied little rodents frisking about.

The stand out performer of the evening was Jose Mateo himself.  Mateo did indeed perform in the role of Drosselmeyer, yet what stood out more was his choreography.  Notwithstanding minor problems in execution, the movement of this piece was beautiful and engaging.  By employing sequences of layered combinations, as in the Waltz of the Flowers, like harmonious counter melodies, each stratum of steps complemented but never detracted from the others.  The only critique being offered by way of the choreography would be that at times, though inspiring and innovative, the it did not suit the strengths and abilities of some of the dancers.  Quite pleasing was the choreography for Coffee/Arabia.  Too often it seems as though this divertissement is choreographed like the fashion at H & M.  It’s almost always as though someone had taken some choreography from the women’s section of the store, and simply put it on a man.  I’ve seen many men work hard to bring masculinity to such choreography. Mateo, however, confounded this expectation.  He appeared to have designed this piece with a man in mind.

The Jose Mateo Ballet Theatre’s Production of The Nutcracker was terrific. Mateo’s choreography combined with the work of some wonderful dancers brings to life this holiday tradition.  The inclusion of many students of many levels of experience presented a sort of “progression of man” of ballet education; an inspiring image.  I will certainly be keeping my eye on the upcoming season of the Jose Mateo Ballet Theatre.  If this piece is in any way a representation of the company caliber, there are great things to come.

Clara (Nicole Finken) receives her beloved gift.

As Christmas approaches the airwaves are filled with Christmas Carols.  Holiday Specials are broadcast on television, interrupted by holiday advertisement.  Retail stores are filled with gifts and their wrappings.  Town squares and city blocks are decorated with the flavors of the season.  Most prevalent in my recollection of a Bostonian’s holiday season tradition is Boston Ballet’s The Nutcracker.

If one could describe the experience that is Boston Ballet’s The Nutcracker in one word it would most certainly be “spectacular”.  The ornate set pieces and the lavish costumes paired with fly systems and snow flurries; this piece is a visual magnum opus.  The production quality of the ballet is always superb.  Mikko Nissinen choreographed the piece exquisitely, beautifully filling each musical phrase with complimentary combinations.  Notably of Mr. Nissinen’s choreography was his use of thematic repetition, in the Waltz of the Flowers, for example, establish a progression and build up in the steps until he is ultimately filling the trills of the music with tricks and lifts.  Often distinct musical sequences are filled quite repetitively equating the same set of steps with the same sounds in the music.  Mr. Nissinen chose to save those moments of where the choreography onomonapoetically fills the trills.  This created a dissonance between the dance and composition that cadenced quite nicely once the musical notation was quintessentially matched by the movement.

It must be said that, albeit nonetheless beautiful, the dance itself not the most breathtaking aspect of the performance.  The expectation of Boston Ballet is quite lofty.  It is, therefore, a disappointment to see unclean lines and seemingly laborious lifts of the Snow Queen and King, the loose synchronization of the Pastorale, or the prepped but not performed trick of the Arabian dancers.  This is in no way to suggest that the ballet being performed was of poor technique.  There were, with out a doubt, moments of prodigious form and athleticism.

One of the most enjoyable elements of the ballet was the Corps de Ballet.  In years past, I have been distracted by that one flower in the corps who’s a half a beat behind, or whose lines are sloppy.  This performance, however, left me captivated by the cohesion of “the group”, whether it was the Snowflakes or Flowers.  Precision and grace was the emblem of these ladies dancing as one.  Quite impressive was also the Young Man danced brilliantly.  He made his entrance with a switch leap with such an airtime that would give Michael Jordan an inferiority complex.  With his left foot fixated firmly to the stage as though it were the pin in a wheel he pirouetted and fuetéd dizzyingly and beautifully.  Harlequin and Columbine danced were a brief but boffo bit.  Columbine was exceptional in the affectation of her movement to capture the spring-loaded bounce of a wind up doll.  A mite of special recognition is warranted for the masculinity brought to the Arabian dance.  Often in this Divertissement the slinky style of the music inspires choreography and performance most characteristic of femininity.

Despite what seemed to be a problem in partnering, the Snow Queen was a technician with an extension that seemed limited only by her own discretion.  The ease with which her développé unfurled is the stuff of ballerina’s dreams.  Of the same ilk was James Whiteside as The Nutcracker/Cavalier.  As the Cavalier Mr. Whiteside turned out fluent Chainé leaps that gave the impression that any contact between his feet and the stage was more of a courtesy to the stage than a necessity to propel his movement.  The stand out performance of the evening was by far away the Russian in the Trepak Divertissement.  Athletic, energetic and precise, the most recognizable section of the suite was performed with bravado.

The Boston Ballet’s production of The Nutcracker was quite enjoyable.  Technically and Musically, Boston Ballet has once again demonstrated their commitment to the spectacle of the piece and season.  The dancers performed proficiently to bring delightful life to the choreography and vision or the company’s Artistic Director, Mikko Nissinen.  This staple of Boston’s holiday season has once again captured the hearts of the audience and declared the start of Christmas.

A beautiful tableau of The Land of Sweets