BALLET REVIEW: NBOC MIXED PROGRAM

JOHN COULBOURN, Special to TorSun
18 JUNE 2012
R: 5/5

Pictured: Etienne Lavigne in 'Elite Syncopations'

TORONTO - Short of a scenario involving fresh strawberries and well-chilled vintage champagne, it’s tough to think of a more beautiful way to launch a late spring/early summer evening than watching choreographer Kenneth MacMillan’s ragtime-themed Elite Syncopations, as danced by some of the finest dancers in the world. Save the strawberries and champagne for another night however because, clearly, Karen Kain is on the same wavelength.

In fact, the artistic director of the National Ballet of Canada launches the company’s latest evening of mixed repertoire, which opened last week at the Four Seasons Centre, by bringing the stage to colourful life with that bewitching piece, set to the music of Scott Joplin and his peers. With erstwhile principal conductor Ormsby Wilkins conducting an onstage orchestra as he tickles the ivories, the infectious music might at first seem the star of this show. But once an array of colourfully and sexily clad dancers, costumed by Ian Spurling ­— seasoned talents the likes of Greta Hodgkinson and Etienne Lavigne, mixing it up with up-and-comers like Jenna Savella, Juri Hiraoka and Robert Stephen, balanced by the excellence of Keiichi Hirano and Stacey Shiori Minigawa and their ilk — comes together to bring MacMillan’s whimsical, witty work to sparkling life, music and motion strike a perfect balance.

And while it is impossible to say if these are the finest dancers in the world, it’s hard to imagine that this particular work has ever been danced any better any place else in the world. Best of all, it’s just the opening number of the evening, and while Kain may bring both the tempo and the mood to a more serious level with her next offering — Maurice Bejart’s Song of a Wayfarer, a stunning work for two dancers set to the music of Gustav Mahler (vocals by Peter Barrett) — she doesn’t stint on quality.

While there are numerous ways this work can be interpreted, as danced by Aleksandar Antonijevic (celebrating his 20th season with the company) and Piotr Stanczyk, it becomes a highly personal salute from a dancer still exploring his prime to a dancer at the very pinnacle of his form, facing an inevitable end of a wonderful career. It’s a timeless piece, beautifully, even exquisitely rendered, but it leaves Kain with the challenge of how to send an audience out into the summer starlight with a smile and something to savour on the stroll home.

Wayne MacGregor’s Chroma was a certified crowd-pleaser when it entered the company’s repertoire back in 2010 and time has done absolutely nothing to diminish the charm of its artistry. Set to music by Joby Talbot and Jack White (of White Stripes’ fame), it is a work of cutting-edge artistry, showcasing the skills of ten dancers of diverse experience. Featuring flesh-toned androgynous costuming by Moritz Junge and a bathed-in-colour set by John Pawson, it’s an edgy, sexy romp that gives the audience a chance to savour the artistry of dancers like Jiří Jelinek, Heather Ogden, McGee Maddox, Brett van Sickle, Xiao Nan Yu and a breathtakingly leggy Adji Cissoko, in what might well be a breakout performance.

Short of a scenario involving fresh strawberries and well-chilled vintage champagne, it’s tough to think of a more beautiful way to end a late spring/early summer evening.