Disclaimer: Moving well to music is NOT in my DNA
I really enjoyed this performance. They were 14 very talented dancers. Individually they sparkled. Ensemble appears to still be developing.
The opening number was Barbara with choreography by Aszure Barton. I have read online that she is very highly regarded and this production was favorably reviewed. It was interesting overall, but much of it struck me as "here's what I learned in ballet class-" very intricate but it could have been done to almost any music. The individual moments were glorious the ensemble wasn't. It also struck me as an odd choice for young dancers. Much of it was very angular and made the dancers appear gawky. (coltish?) The music is wonderful and I wish I knew which songs were used.
Next was slokas. The choreography by Lauri Stallings seemed more in touch with the music. The costumes were beautiful and the 6 kids performing were wonderful.
Side notes: the programs were cheaply done (probably by UNLV without much ABT input). There was no discussion of the dances other than a list of performance order and performances. By the end of the 2nd number I was tired of stage changes by dancers running on or off while others danced. Besides, *NO*body runs around a stage as well as Trockedero.
Next up was the Pas de Deux from Flower Festival. It was new to me but it's apparently an old warhorse. The two young people did well.
Finally, Allegro Brillante by Balanchine. Talk about chroeography that grows out of the music, not my favorite Tchaikovsky, though. There were still the awkward moments and rough patches of ensemble, but this made for a terrific finale.
Very talented kids!
