STUDIO SERIES/MARCH – BLOWS IN WITH BIGGER BALLETS
A COVID-conscious Pandemic-appropriate Program
A Dance Review by Julinda D. Lewis
At: The Richmond Ballet, Canal Street Studios, 407 East Canal Street, RVA 23219
Performances: March 16-28, 2021, live and streamed.
Ticket Prices: In-Person Tickets start at $25; Virtual Tickets $20. [NOTE: On Sunday, March 28th, virtual ticket buyers will receive an email with information on how to access the performance recording, which will be available to stream for one week. Only one virtual ticket is needed per household. Virtual tickets to Studio Series: March must be purchased by 11:59 pm on Saturday, March 27th.]
Info: (804) 344-0906, etix.com, or richmondballet.com. See the Richmond Ballet’s website for their COVID-19 precautions and more.
REPERTORY:
Paquita
Choreography after Marius Petipa
Music by Léon Minkus
Staged by Judy Jacob
World Premiere: 1983, American Ballet Theatre
Richmond Ballet Premiere: April 6, 1990
Violin V.2
Choreography by Val Caniparoli
Music by Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber
World Premiere: March 21, 2006, Richmond Ballet Studio Theatre
After setting the stage by being one of the first American ballet companies to return to live performances in 2020, the Richmond Ballet has taken the lead again by expanding from small works (solos, duets, short in length) to present two full-length ballets on its latest Studio Series program. While maintaining the pandemic precautions that have been in place since returning to the stage in September – dancers who partner are family members, married to one another, or members of the same household, and all dancers wear masks throughout their performance – the latest program included up to nine dancers onstage, and the ballets lasted about 20 minutes each instead of three to five minutes.
Paquita was originally conceived by 19th-century French classical ballet master Marius Petipa as a ballet in two acts. It is more commonly performed today as a one-act divertissement that allows the dancers to display their technical skill and prowess. This performance was a vehicle for soloists Cody Beaton and Trevor Davis and a diverse ensemble including Kate Anderson, Lauren Archer, Eri Nishihara, Hannah Powell, Naomi Robinson, and Naomi Wilson. Anderson and Robinson are currently members of RBII, and Powell is a trainee.
The black lace tutus with white underskirts and touches of red in the hair for the ensemble and in the bodice for the soloist promoted the Spanish origin of the plot: a beautiful gypsy girl falls in love with one of Napoleon’s officers, only to discover that she, too, is of noble birth. Despite its traditional theme and style, Paquita is often light-hearted and fun. But make no mistake, this ballet is intended to be a showpiece for the soloists, Beaton and Davis, with some charming variations for Wilson, Nishihara, and Archer. Wilson shines with precise footwork and elegant flourishes. Nishihara shows off turns, and Archer exhibits control in balances and leaps. Beaton exemplifies beauty and grace, while Davis circles the stage with strength and bravado. Except for the fairy tale story elements – which have been omitted in this iteration – Paquita is the sort of ballet many of us envision when we first learn of ballet, and it lives up to all the expectations.
The second half of the program, which was performed without intermission, was a reworking of Val Caniparoli’s Violin, re-envisioned via Zoom as Violin V.2. The new version allowed the dancers to stay 6′ apart from one another most of the time because, as Caniparoli said via video feed, “The arts have got to stay alive.” This work also featured guest artists Colin Jacob and Joe Seaton.
As in the original, the dancers begin in a circle, as if standing at the edge of a precipice, with a lone female dancer isolated in the shadows outside the circle. She soon fades away, and the large circle morphs into five smaller circles, the first of many iterations, leaving the men to interact in a series of quirky motifs, including an amusing scooting, sideways walk. Initially a men’s dance, the work begins to incorporate the women in trios, quartets, quintets until it crescendos with four men and four women dancing together. The overlapping and ever-changing circles of light and the cool green of the pared-down costumes enhance the unconventional surprises that occasionally spark this contemporary ballet that provides a satisfying movement experience that is at once intricate and uncomplicated.
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