Silicon Valley Ballet Dances Modern

Silicon Valley Ballet gave its subscribers and audience three modern works, two of which I have seen and, one, a local premiere under the overall title Director’s Choice, February 19-21.

It started off however, with a classical pas de deux apparently different at every performance. For the matinee it was the Diana and Acteon pas de deux from Esmeralda, the original pas de deux by Marius Petipta adapted by Jose Manuel Carreno with no credit given for the in between Agrippina Vaganova version seen in many gala performances and international competitions.

Carreno cast two corps members, Chloe Sherman and Yuto Ideno in this pas de deux with workmanlike results. Both were correct, but had not danced it enough to feel comfortable or to give it the bravura touch. Sherman’s performance was the more reticent, hueing to correctness rather than the dash of the mythic huntswoman. Ideno danced with more freedom and spirit.

Next on the program was Jorma Elo’s Glow-Stop with its snippets of Mozart and Philip Glass, a work which has gone around the block since it was premiered by Boston Ballet where Elo is the resident choreographer. The dancers are assigned to act or perform like animated puppets, port de bras thrust into angles when finishing pirouettes, sudden bends of the torso, disparate and multiple maneuvers happening all over the stage, sudden arrivals and departures; in essence, it is the classical vocabulary employed to be contradicted. The dancers danced it energetically.

Prisom, the work by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, left me minus lingering thoughts other than flashes of color and a sudden, brief interlude of tights and a white spaghetti stringed bodice with curlicues of black worn by Ommi Pipit-Suksun and her partner.

Ohad Naharin’s Minus Sixteen with a diverse score completed the program. It far and away captured my attention. Outside of the structure, it is Naharin’s satire of orthodox Israeli society and conflicting poles – orthodoxy against near desert climate, youth against tradition before the anomaly of come on, come all, all accented by Klesmer song, repeated multi times. Apart from the lively performance with the visual interest of a line of sixteen-chaired dancers suddenly flopping on the floor, discarding hats, then jackets and shirts, with one stubborn hold out downstage left, who simply collapses while others divest themselves of their clothing, its structure holds even after seeing it three or four times. Undoubtedly a vintage piece, it does remain a distinct statement evoking the social disparities in Israel today. And, of course, when the dancers go out into the audience and acquire temporary partners, the audience enjoyed not only the spectacle of the amateur recruits but are left with amusement and the good sensation it elicits.

The program notes did acknowledge Dennis Nahat as the founding artistic director of Ballet San Jose, but no mention was made of Karen Gabay as Artistic Associate.

Jose Manuel Carreno will move to San Jose, California

The spring signs have been confirmed with Allan Ulrich’s post in the San Francisco Chronicle  that Jose Manuel Carreno will join Ballet San Jose September 3 as its new artistic director, his contract specifying an initial three years.  Carreno also stated that he would not be dancing but would concentrate his energies  on the company.

When I refer to the spring signs Carreno was at the San Jose Performing Arts Center for Ballet San Jose’s final set of performances and was sighted in the lobby with his usual smile.  Rita Felciano and I wondered at the time if this was a signal regarding a new artistic director.  Surprise, surpise.

Ulrich also mentioned that Raymond Rodriguez has been promoted to associate artistic director.  This may mean that Karen Gabay will be named ballet mistress.

I was lucky enough to have been at Jackson to cover the U.S.A. International Ballet Competition when Carreno won the Prix de Jackson, 1990 if my memory is correct.  German Juror Dietmar Seyffert remarked to me at the time “He has such an erotic body”; that sunny sensuality has pervaded his entire career.  He was immediately offered a contract with the English National Ballet which at that time was directed by former American Ballet Principal Ivan Nagy. It was the first time Cuban dancers appeared at the Competition with such distinction and their beautiful training would continue to impress subsequent competitions and jurors.  Carreno’s partner joined The Cleveland Ballet, invited by artistic director Dennis Nahat who was responsible for the Competition’s practice of wielding the seeded dancers into an ensemble which opened the Awards Gala in a  grand splash.

Unless Ballet San Jose’s practices change, and another Gala ensues in the fall,  the repertoire for the 2013-2014 season will be announced only when the company starts its ticketing for their annual Nutcracker.  A summer effort is being made to resurrect Michel Fokine’s Paganini, and this may figure in the spring season.   Paganini was a work  created for the de Basil Ballets Russes which featured Dmitri Rostov in the title role and Tatiana Riabouchinska as the Divine Spirit, and in its final U.S. tour Tatiana Stepanova.  For the Festival del Sole, Tiit Helimets is slated to take over the violinist’s portrait and Amy Marie Briones as the Divine Spirit.

What is remarkable in this announcement is the consistent referencing of American Ballet Theatre personnel for an institution which was created by an earlier American Ballet Theatre alumni, Dennis Nahat.  Clearly, the tradition of dance theatre was firmly established by Nahat,, and one  which Carreno will likely  carry on.

Changes Coming at Ballet San Jose

At the Friday night March 22 program, two Frederick  Ashton ballets, one by Stanton Welsh and the finale by Clark Tippet, publicity spokesperson Lee Kopp  confirmed the rumor that nine current members of Ballet San Jose have been given pink slips.  Though Kopp gave me no specific names, a source informed me that among the roster is the thirty-year old veteran principal dancer  Karen Gabay.  With such a history with the company from the time it was Cleveland Ballet, one hopes Gabay will either be retained in some artistic or advisory capacity or given a wonderful send off, preferably both.

It is hard for any artistic enterprise in this economy to utilize dancers when they relinquish their performing slippers.  One does hope, however,  that the usual bag of related talents dancers manage to possess could be put to productive use for the organization  so much a part of their lives and to which they have contributed many years.

The review of the program will be treated separately.  But to round out this speculation, it was something of a surprise to see Juan Manuel Carreno in the lobby after the performance.  It leads one to speculate why he might be lingering following his appearances in Don Quixote.