Ballet West's Rodeo

Even though I usually prefer seeing full-length ballets, I was excited for Ballet West's latest production featuring Concerto Baracco, Return to a Strange Land, and Rodeo last night.  I really enjoyed the program, especially since my favorite dancer, Katlyn Addison, was featured in two of the ballets!  The first piece, Concerto Baracco, is a classical ballet with choreography by George Balanchine and music by Johann Sebastian Bach and it was my favorite of the evening.  Two female soloists, the aforementioned Addison and Emily Adams, interact with each other by coming together and pulling apart with a corps of eight female dancers who mimic their movements.  When a male soloist, Hadriel Diniz, joins them, it appears that he is dancing with with all of the women because of the intricate patterns they form around him.  The vivid cerulean blue backdrop and the flowing white costumes add to the beauty of the performance and I loved it!  Next came Return to a Strange Land which is a more modern piece with choreography by Jirí Kylián and music by Leoš Janáček.  The solo piano music is haunting and, instead of telling a story, the ballet evokes a feeling of loss.  Two groups of three dancers are featured, including Amy Potter with Hadriel Diniz and Brian Waldrep, and Addison with Tyler Gum and Robert Fowler, and the choreography is incredibly innovative with shapes and silhouettes that I had never seen before.  The moody atmosphere is enhanced by the earth-toned leotards worn by the dancers and the autumn leaves flowing across the stage (fallen leaves always symbolize loss to me).  This was absolutely brilliant and it elicited thunderous applause from the audience.  The program concluded with Rodeo featuring choreography by Agnes de Mille and music by Aaron Copland.  A Cowgirl (Chelsea Keefer) wants to show the cowboys that she is just as skilled on a horse as they are but she also wants to catch the attention of the Head Wrangler (Brian Waldrep).  Unfortunately, he is more interested in the more feminine Rancher's Daughter (Victoria Vassos) but a Champion Roper (David Huffmire) notices her.  When she arrives at the hoe-down wearing a dress, she has both the Wrangler and the Roper vying for her affections.  The choreography is so much fun with movements that realistically mimic roping, riding, and square dancing  (it reminded me of the type of dancing you would see in a Broadway musical) while the music is instantly recognizable, especially during the hoe-down.  I was so impressed with Keefer because ballerinas are usually the epitome of grace and elegance but she appears awkward and uncoordinated!  The colored jeans worn by the cowboys, the calico dresses worn by the womenfolk, and the set of a large ranch house add authenticity to the story.  This was another big crowd-pleaser!  I think I will always prefer the full-length ballets but I am so glad that I got to see this triple-bill!  It continues at Capitol Theatre for three more performances including a matinee on Nov. 10 (go here for tickets).