Ballet’s mixed styles get mixed reaction

On Friday evening, Ballet Spokane’s program offered a variety of distinctive dance styles created by three choreographers.

“Elements,” a ballet that explored water, wind and fire in three movements, was choreographed by the company’s artistic director, Janet Wilder.

In “Water,” a ballet en pointe, the ballerinas were frequently off-center in their partnered turns; however, assistant artistic director Phaedra Jarrett and Patrick DesRosiers offered effortless partnering and lifts.

Guest artist Amanda Lochmiller danced “Wind” in soft shoes with lovely, long classical lines. Unfortunately, the costume, designed by Marty Ray, obscured the beauty of her technique and style.

“Fire” presented a perfect blend of music, dance and costuming. The choreography was riveting in its unexpected and exciting movement combinations. The red unitards hand-painted with gold flames and designed by Ray enhanced the images of flickering flames and raging fire. The company performed with clarity and passion.

One of the most charming dances of the evening, “Artificial Flowers,” was a five-part character study choreographed by company member Marcy Ray. It was a quirky ballet with a sense of humor that blended unrelated pop tunes as it wove a gentle, sad love story.

“Lithium Dreams,” an abstract ballet performed with precision and technical excellence by Ryan Callan, DesRosiers, Jarrett, and Marcy Ray closed the first half of the show. The dance was a flawless union of lighting designed by Brian Ritter, costuming designed by Marty Ray, choreography created by Bay area choreographer Amy Seiwert and music composed especially for the ballet by Jethro De Hart.

Clad in red costumes and dancing in streaks and circles of red light before a black curtain, the individual and partnered dancers melted from one improbable shape into another. Although the partnered shapes were often interlocking, an existential angst pervaded the piece, lending it a sense of aloneness. Cold in its red hot light, partnered but isolated, the dance was ironic yet breathtaking in its exquisite beauty.

The final dance, “Alice in Wonderland,” unfolded much too slowly and resulted in repetitive movements and exaggerated mime that not infrequently turned into mugging instead of acting. During the first half of the ballet, the music’s moderate tempo and plodding rhythm permeated scene after scene. Adults yawned, and children fell asleep.

Although Wilder’s “Wonderland” contained too much mime and not enough dancing, it did incorporate a multitude of dance forms – ballet, modern dance, ballroom, and Irish clogging. Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum’s dance could have been a delightfully humorous version of the three stooges; instead, the action dragged.

“Wonderland,” however, was not without some notable moments. Alice and Tweedle Dum’s short pas de deux, danced by Jaimi McGuire and Callan, was delectable. Marcy Ray captured the essence of the Cheshire Cat so realistically that the audience could almost hear her purr. And Jarrett’s Dor Mouse was endearing and full of surprises as she repeatedly fell asleep – even in the middle of a lift.

In its diverse offerings, Ballet Spokane’s program provides some delightful dance experiences for young and old.