Tuesday was not just the opening night of the
Richmond Ballet’s 2007-2008 season – it was also
a celebration of Suzanne Grandis, who took the
ballet’s photos for about 30 years.
Grandis was honored with the audience standing
ovation and a heartfelt speech by artistic director
Stoner Winslett. A display of Grandis’ photos, which
truly capture the essence of dance, cover nearly every
wall space in the lobby of the studio theater.
The evening also marked the world premiere of
Jessica Lang’s fourth choreographic creation for
the company, “La Belle Danse.” The dance piece
reflects the baroque and renaissance dance period,
which influenced modern-day ballet.
When she first learned about baroque dance,
Lang said, her teacher stressed that there was
no bumping in baroque, and the women’s skirts
shouldn’t rise too high. In rebellion, Lang created
a baroque-themed work “all about bumping and
allowing the skirt to dance.”
The piece combines the differing dance styles
of baroque, ballet, modern and jazz. The product
is a joyous celebration composed of flat-footed
circle dances, elegant lines, small and quick steps,
rolling on the floor and lots of spinning.
Handel, Corelli, Des Prez and Mozart are
powerful and virtuostic choices for the work’s
soundtrack. Lang said the choreography has
religious themes to reflect how important God
was to the composers.
To her, the music is about reaching up to the
heavens, she said.
Lang uses kneeling and clasped hands to signify
religious themes, as well as a frequent upward
focus. Props and stairs are frequently used in her
choreography, but Lang said for this piece, she
only wanted musical and dance elements.
Lang’s performance received a standing ovation
from the almost-packed audience.
Next on the bill was “Other Places,” a tender
and traditional pas de deux excerpt from
Winslett’s 1990 ballet. A short and very classically
traditional ballet piece, the work is probably
intended as a romantic duet, but the ballerina’s
demeanor is so sweet and innocent, it stunts
the couple’s chemistry. It calls to mind the
classical innocence of the young Sleeping
Beauty, shyly choosing a partner.
Finally, to cap off the short-lived evening
of dance is the passionately intense “Terra.”
This is the first piece former Limon Dance
Company soloist Colin Conner created for
the company in 1996.
In true fiery and exotic Limon style,
Conner’s choreography is powerful, sensual
and grounded. Set to traditional music from
the Mediterranean, eight orange-and red-clad
dancers run, leap, twist, turn and lift each
other with refreshing energy.
Unusual lifts, jutting angles and the creation
of bizarre shapes make this piece stand out
among the three. One all-too-brief solo section
sees a topless six-pack-laden male dancer
undulating his torso and hips. He oozes sex
and poses balanced on his forearms and face
with his legs over his head impressively for
what seems like an eternity.
Despite their differences, each of the
evening’s pieces boasted floaty chiffon
costumes, sweeping partnered lifts and solid
technique.