Nevada Ballet Theatre once again presented its season opener on the floating stage at Lake Las Vegas. This year‚s program was a combination of works shown last season and a selection of well-known pas de deux from the company’s wide-ranging repertoire, including a two items new to the company: the “Coppelia Pas de Deux” and the popular “Le Corsaire Pas de Deux.” Heavy on some of the tricky works by George Balanchine, the evening offered an opportunity to gauge the strength of the company for the coming season. Except for some unison problems in the corps, they looked good.
The evening began appropriately with Artistic Director Bruce Steivel‚s Fest Polonaise, based on the national dance that traditionally opens formal social events in Poland. Principal dancers Yoomi Lee and Kyu Dong Kwak elegantly led the ensemble through the intricate moves.
Five stellar pas de deux followed. The first, the “Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux,” is Balanchine’s homage to Petipa and Ivanov. The performance by a sleek and secure Elena Shokhina made the classical work appear fun and breezy. Her partner, Baris Erhan, was also in strong form in his solo. However, the duo had some problems with the timing on the tricky partner material. The following ballet, Tarantalla, also by Balanchine, is a balletic version of a lively and passionate Neopolitan folk dance.
Kara Hamburg and Jared Hunt are so familiar with the intricate choreography that they are free to add the little touches that make this showpiece exciting and pleasurable to watch. Plus, they both now play a mean tambourine.
The pas de deux from Le Corsaire is one of the most famous excerpts in the classical repertoire. Rebecca Brimhall and Grigori Arakelyan, whose well-controlled and sinuous athleticism was perfectly balanced by her delicacy and purity of line, performed the audience favorite to cheers and gasps from the crowd.
The two final duets turned from the grand and exotic to a more human scale. Bruce Steivel’s choreography for the “Coppelia Pas de Deux” was sweetly performed by Evgeny Lushkin and Racheal Hummel-Nole. This work emphasizes Hummel-Nole’s particular ability to retain a romantic graciousness while executing the most difficult passages. Bruce Steivel’s “Romeo & Juliet Pas de Deux” was danced with all the wonder of first love by a girlish Yoomi Lee and a stylish Kyudong Kwak, ending the glittering party pieces.
The evening concluded with another Balanchine work, the light-hearted Who Cares? Danced to music by George Gershwin, this winning ballet always sends the audience out of the theater happy and humming. This night was no exception. A blend of classical ballet and show dancing, it evokes the carefree and elegant mood of a stylish night out on the town in 1930s Manhattan. Standouts were the male corps, all of whom were effectively channeling their inner Gene Kelly, and a newly confident Cathy Colbert, who flirtatiously led the ladies. The work closed with strong and elegant playboy Zeb Nole cheerfully playing the field with Yoomi Lee, Racheal Hummel Nole, and Alissa Verbena Dale.
36th Anniversary Gala
Performance
****
Nevada Ballet Theatre
September 8
Lake Las Vegas Resort