Ballet West's The Wedding

Last night I attended Ballet West's performance of three really intriguing ballets.  I still definitely prefer full-length ballets that tell a story but I am coming around to these smaller pieces in repertoire.  The first one on the program was Les Noces (The Wedding) with choreography by Bronislava Nijinska and music by Igor Stravinsky featuring vocal solos by Seth Keeton, Melissa Heath, Christopher Puckett, and Jin-Xiang Yu.  It tells the story of an arranged marriage between Russian peasants in four vignettes. A Bride (Victoria Vassos) is supported by a group of friends who form very interesting patterns around her while they braid her hair and her parents who comfort her as she expresses her fears about her upcoming marriage.  Next, the Bridegroom (Dominic Ballard) celebrates with his friends and parents with exuberant and athletic dances.  Then, the Bride is shown leaving her home to be married and her mother (Katlyn Addison, my favorite dancer in the company) laments losing her daughter.  Finally, the wedding is celebrated by the entire village, with choreography filled with ritual and symbolism, and then the couple depart for their own home after the Bridegroom promises his Bride a life of happiness. This ballet, in my opinion, is quintessentially Russian with the dancers costumed very simply as peasants in brown and emotional music that sometimes seems like the vocalists are wailing.  I particularly liked it when the choreography had the entire ensemble moving en masse because there was something so powerful and primal about it.  The next piece was In the Night with choreography by Jerome Robbins and music by Frederic Chopin.  It tells the story of three couples as they navigate their relationships in the starlight.  The first couple, Amy Potter and Hadriel Diniz, is costumed in white and purple and their dance is lyrical and incredibly romantic.  The second couple, Emily Adams and Adrian Fry, is costumed in a copper color and their dance is dramatic, tempestuous, and very passionate.  The third couple, Katlyn Addison and Brian Waldrep, is costumed in dark grey and red and their dance is athletic, playful, and filled with longing.  The piano music is beautiful and I think this ballet is really classical and elegant.  The final piece was Light Rain with choreography by Gerald Arpino and music by Douglas Adamz and Russ Gauthier.  This ode to youth is joyous and full of wild abandon and it was my favorite piece of the evening.  I really loved the original music, which is described as Eastern music played on Western instruments, because it is incredibly dynamic with lots of percussion and the acrobatic and sensual choreography was a lot of fun to watch.  The last pose in the Pas de Deux by the central couple, Emily Adams and Hadriel Diniz, is simply incredible and the audience erupted in applause!  The program is a bit eclectic and unconventional but it is really exciting and I thoroughly enjoyed it!  Get tickets here.