Richmond Ballet proves a modern pointe

Charles Czarny’s “Bach Brandenburg III,” paired with Jessica Lang’s “A Maiden’s Hymn,” created a unique experience that you could only get from the Richmond Ballet. The third of the Ballet’s studio series combined a dramatic ballet with a fun and nonlinear take on the dance form.

The first performance, “Bach Brandenburg III” was adorable. The dance troupe members donned balloons on their heads for select dances, but the best part of this dance was the sequence involving the doors.

The way in which the dancers leaned in and out of the doors, slamming them and running about looked like a scene out of a cartoon. The expression that the dancers put into this piece made it truly enjoyable to watch.

However, the highlight of the night was the more serous piece, “A Maiden’s Hymn.” The story line of this dance follows a girl who is dying and has to deal with a cruel and a comforting death, while her lover fights for her.

The dance opened with a group in the middle of the stage in gray outfits, striking poses that made it seem like they were leaning toward modern dance. They then paired up with each other, and two men in red and blue outfits entered onto the stage.

These men represented cruel death (performed by Bryan Skates) and comforting death (performed by Pedro Szalay). They kept courting the maiden (performed by Kristen Gallagher), but the group always retrieved her.

One of the best dance sequences was when the two deaths formed a diamond with a pair of dancers and did some impressive high-energy dances that made it seem as if the two pairs were competing with each other.

Szalay and Skates both tried to win the girl. While Szalay tried to woo her, Skates was more violent and pushy about it. The dances in which these two tried to outdo each other were spectacular. In one such sequence, Skates did some high jump kicks that were breathtaking.

The best dance sequence of “A Maiden’s Hymn” was when the entire cast of dancers performed a short dance together. Their graceful moves were even more noteworthy when a stage full of people had to perform them at the same time.

Studio 4, which will include “Bow Out,” a sleek jazzy dance, a tribute to company member Kristen Gallagher, and the world premiere of “Faces,” will be performed March 27 through April 6. Call Ticketmaster at 262-8100 for tickets. For more information on the Richmond Ballet and their upcoming performances go to www.richmondballet.com.

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