Review: LA Ballet Presents Brilliant BALANCHINE BLACK & WHITE ~ IN AGON, APOLLO & CONCERTO BAROCCO at The Broad Stage

The Theatre was abuzz with excitement. The long anticipated performance by the Los Angeles Ballet Company of George Balanchines' works was upon us. February 26, 2020, a night of glorious dancing! Two additional nights to follow! Preceding the performance, the Artistic Director Colleen Neary gave us a brief history of the makings of these pieces to be presented, and some facts and anecdotes to boot, as she is the one who has staged this entire evening and recreated pieces she was a part of during the creation of them. Talk about your inside story!

Colleen Neary and Thordal Christensen founded the LAB in 2004, the one and only professional classical ballet company in Los Angeles. Of all ballet companies in existence, this company is a valuable resource for not only preserving classic ballets, but nurturing the creativity of the future work to be evolved.

"Agon," with an incredible score by Stravinsky, is a study in the versatility of dance, given license by the intense and obscure, tonally and tempo-wise, score. It utilizes formations, groupings and specific dance steps and continuity to paint pictures and sections of a whole range of social interactions and competitions. Much like the French court dances, such as the saraband and the two-person galliard, it gives order to the range of possibilities. Beautifully danced and executed by the entire company; one of the standout sections being the pas de deux with Petra Conti and Eris Nezha. The dancers are extremely precise and give us a real feel for Balanchine's specificity.

"Apollo," created by Balanchine when he was only 24 years old, again, with a score by Stravinsky, with whom he had a long collaboration with, is quintessentially his mark on the world of Dance. The turning point to where he began to choreograph from his own unique vision of creations from the past. It is a stunning piece of visualization of the journey of Apollo, the young God of Music, enacted and personified by Tigran Sargsyan, with the perfect amount of virility, and presence, in his time of prominence. His muses, the three daughters of Zeus are Terpsichore, danced by the incomparable Petra Conti, Calliope, the muse of poetry, effervescently danced by Laura Chachich and Polyhymnia, bewitchingly portrayed by Jasmine Perry. The range of versatility and perfection, as you would expect from Apollo, was all there. A mesmerizing performance by all.

"Concerto Barocco."a masterful piece with music by Bach; heavenly, harmonious and intricate, it is perfectly suited to Mr. Balanchine's touch. Using his own personal inspiration to embellish a perceived orchestra, he utilizes the dancers as instruments. The corp de ballet represents the orchestra, as in the rest of the string section, the horns, the percussion and keyboard, and Petra Conti and Jasmine Perry, two absolutely flawless soloists, personify first and second violinists. The beauty of the entangled musical structure and the aesthetics of the movements was so moving, and when the pas de deux between Petra Conti and Magnus Christoffersen began, it provided a countermelody to what was already established, further magnifying the intricacy of the composition. The conclusion is the entire company, representing a full orchestra, bursting forth the full extent of the virtuosity of each component of the inner workings. Brilliant.

The lighting, by Tyler Lambert-Perkins was superb throughout the evening. It is obvious, the collaboration between all creative departments were in tune with each other.

The thread that entwined each piece in the evening's offerings was the costuming; all three in different interpretations of black and white; signifying an array of visuals in a simplified way as to not get in the way of the significance of the movement., touching on the essence of dance itself.

I need to give credence to the incomparable Colleen Neary, as she is the one who's vision and memory made this company vital and it's worth, historical. A gift she graciously bestows upon us.

The performances of "Concerto Barocco," "Apollo," and "Agon" are presented by arrangement with the George Balanchine Trust and are produced in accordance with the Balanchine style and Balanchine Technique service standards established by the Trust.

Visit https://losangelesballet.org/balanchine-black-and-white for more information.

Photos Courtesy of Reed Hutchinson

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