Graham Lustig, Artistic Director of Oakland Ballet, opened May 20’s spring performance, “Forwards!”, acknowledging the presence of founding director Ronn Guidi and eleven former dancers with the 40 year old East Bay company with former ballet master Howard Sayette in from Colorado.
The spring season, four performances at Laney College’s charming theater, featured two Lustig ballets, one a premiere and one work each for choreographers Amy Siewart and Mills College dance chair Sonya del Waide. “…” Lustig’s contributions included a premiere “Words Within Words,” to Philip Glass’ Etudes No.5 and Escape plus spoken words from poet Robert
Duncan danced by Brandon Freeman and Sharon Wehner of Colorado Ballet, plus Vista as a finale. David Elliott provided the lighting design, Jamielyn Duggan, Soncheree Giles and Graham Lustig minimal costume ideas.
Seiwart’s Response to Change to Madison Bate’s The Life of Bees, opened the program, eight dancers dressed in trunks and tunics of grey accented by bronze, accenting the paleness of bare skin. The classicism including two centers of choreography, fairly intricate partnering, some fine grand jetes by Ikolo Griffin and need for more rehearsal.
Lustig’s premiere of words within words followed, sensitively performed by Freeman and Wehner, the spoken text frequently swallowed by the space. Overall, Lustig spaced declamation to the dancers’ lung capacity. The two met their challenges, from the legato to the semi-acrobatic with shuddery passages where both dancers were attuned to each other’s vulnerabilities.
Sonya Del Waide’s “…” concerned six inebriated dancers, the elegant chandelier originally constructed for Carvajal’s Crystal Slipper and Mozart played with a glass harmonica. Del Waide’s witty invention seemed inexhaustible, from one-pointe shoed dancers to intricate pile up male antics. Perhaps due to musical length, the cleverness was overlong.
For the finale, Lustig’s Vista had its Oakland premiere. With eleven dancers in beach-like garb and danced to popular music performed by The Lounge Lizards, it seemed quite frenetic, strenuous and unfortunately repetitive in spots. Men lacking torso muscle definition should not be nude to the waist, extra peculiar for dancers who purportedly are amongst the fittest in strenuous activity.
If Lustig aimed to demonstrate Oakland dancers are technically strong and raring to go plus willing to undertake new challenges, he made his point admirably. How much Oakland dance lovers will respond to more choreography as demonstrated remains to be seen. With the Ballets
Russes productions partially destroyed through careless warehousing, invention is necessary. But something between the Forward Program and Nutcracker would be welcome to see.
mywesterneye/woollywesterneye 