Because ballet is such an integral part of American dance culture, people tend to forget that its point of origin lies across the Atlantic Ocean. But despite the art's foreign beginnings, Boston Ballet's performance of American Trilogy only confirms the prominence and beauty with which our own native sons have worked. Incorporating a selection of three ballets by some of the greatest choreographers and composers of the 20th century, the company delivers with a graceful and often humorous take on love and life.
Perhaps the greatest sign of a successful production is when the audience leaves the show still humming many of the tunes. This is not usually a criterion for judging ballet, because its emphasis is on the dancing and not on the music. Yet, the music in American Trilogy, composed by the likes of Leonard Bernstein, Aaron Copland, and Richard Rodgers, is what contributed most to the distinctly American flavor that characterized the performance.
Clever acting and meticulous attention to detail united in the opening piece, "Slaughter on Tenth Avenue." Spliced directly out of the Rodgers musical On Your Toes, the number works effectively on its own while retaining the original choreography by ballet legend George Balanchine. Hysterical cops, witty bartenders, and sultry strippers all come together, creatively using movement to enact a murder mystery at a nightclub (No guys, the striptease girl does not really take her clothes off).
Even the dancer playing a corpse seems to come alive as he is delicately swept across the floor, though his death seemed a bit forced. Clearly a modern ballet, this segment features neither tutus nor men in tights -though much of the dancing is still very much in traditional ballet style, with a bit of tap thrown in.
"Corybantic Ecstasies," composed by Bernstein with choreography by Christopher Wheeldon, provides a refreshing contrast. Gone are the colorful set and numerous props that so effectively created Balanchine's world. They are replaced by a lighted backdrop evocative of a night sky, with five columns that suggest the ancient Greek setting but are simple enough to allow for a more modern interpretation.
As the curtain rises and the first few notes sound from the orchestra, several couples appear on stage, posing in silhouette thanks to subtle yet dramatic lighting. These dancers emphasize the cross-cultural influences in American art by borrowing from Greek tragedies and showing rituals of the gods. As the piece progresses, the columns are raised one by one, leaving space on the stage for intense and innovative choreography involving perfectly in-sync pinwheel spirals.
After two delightfully creative dances that display two very different sentiments of American cultural traditions, the final selection, "Rodeo," promised to cap off Trilogy with excitement of Wild West proportions. In fact, all of Boston Ballet's promotional materials give the impression that this selection with choreography by Agnes de Mille of Oklahoma fame set to a score by Copland, would be the highlight of the entire evening. This seemed to be true even as the dancers took their initial places in the spotlight, dressed in colorful western outfits and embodying pure Americana style.
But that's where the excitement ends. "Rodeo" was seriously plagued by a lack of energy on the part of the performers. Although the movements were gracefully executed and presented, the dancers seemed to be missing a creative spark. Indeed, this "Rodeo" was definitely not as wild as the name suggests, though lead dancer Frances P?©rez-Ball delivers an enchanting and humorous performance as a tomboy cowgirl-turned-debutante.
A mock-square dance sequence that divided two portions of the number seemed unnecessary, clouding the performance with random spurts of cheesy dialogue. Nevertheless, the audience seemed to like it - though perhaps the many people who clapped their hands along with the music in this segment did so because they felt the performers could be having more fun up on stage.
But if "Rodeo" had not followed two flawless examples of American culture, it might have worked just fine on its own. The choreography and music clearly fit well with the American Trilogy theme. The fact that all three pieces were so similar in their content and so different in their presentation effectively symbolized the very point that the Boston Ballet set out to make with this new production: Americans have put a unique spin on artistic traditions, and as a result have made an impact that has been felt on a global scale.
