JAZZ IN MOTION IN PITTSBURGH.

PITTSBURGH BALLET THEATRE BENEDUM CENTER PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA MAY 4-7, 2000

REVIEWED BY KAREN DACKO

Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, directed by Terrence S. Orr, threw a $1-million thirtieth-anniversary bash, featuring commissions from choreographers Kevin O'Day, Lynne Taylor-Corbett and Dwight Rhoden that capitalized on Pittsburgh's jazz music heritage. The evening, "Indigo in Motion," targeted audiences more familiar with jazz music than dance, and used a score by Billy Strayhorn and tunes by bassist Ray Brown and tenor saxophonist Stanley Turrentine, plus songs popularized by vocalist Lena Horne.

A piece d'occasion with an asymmetrical format, O'Day's thirty-minute ... on the spot hinged on the presence of Brown's trio with Turrentine, who initiated the proceedings with a ten-minute instrumental jam. This musical star turn was integral to the work, yet the imbalance it created was apparent when the succeeding four dances concluded with an understated, ensemble bow. Using a predominantly classical vocabulary with jazzy accents, O'Day's ballet for four couples relied heavily on synchronized, identical movements. Its homogeneity was satisfying in its simplicity, and was reflected in the costuming--shiny black shirts and slacks for the men and indigo leotards and skirts for the women. Best was the adagio, sensuously performed by Lauren Schultz and Jiabin Pan, which began with the dancers walking backward toward each other, meeting in a dramatically timed fall that progressed into horizontal sways, falls succeeded by slides and freeze-frame arabesques.

In Taylor-Corbett's More Than a Song, a thirty-five-minute pseudo-nightclub act, theatrical-style dance was usurped by song and narrative by charismatic vocalist/ actress Vivian Reed, who, as Lena Horne, dominated the performance. Backed by a twelve-piece onstage orchestra and flanked by projections of Horne on two screens, Reed offered pleasing jazz renditions, while providing biographical tidbits and ironic commentary on prejudice, career obstacles and personal loss.

A Fine Romance, a playfully pugnacious duet for Terence Marling and Schultz, was a standout with its cross-legged shoulder sit, spread-eagle overhead spin and leggy articulations (including a swift battement in the derriere). Come Runnin showcased solidly executed ensemble pirouettes, bravura aerials and stylized macho struts offered with panache by Alexander Nagiba, Dmitri Kulev, Christopher Rendall-Jackson and Ganzorig Buyantogtokh. The Lady is a Tramp, a reprise of thematic movements extracted from the preceding six dances, effected a grand finale.

Ironically, Rhoden, who took classical technique farthest afield with his unique fusion of contemporary dance, ballet and jazz, created the most traditional offering, StrayLifeLushHorn, a forty-minute, ten-section, full-company work. His affinity for Strayhorn's music and his artistic vision produced a sophisticatedly slick marriage of complex movement and music. Three huge freestanding movable wheels provided visual unification, while variegated costumes delineated the rapidly shifting multiple ensembles. The finest section, "Schwiphti," tested a male octet's prowess with exacting pirouettes and unison air turns in sharp contrast to contemporary connecting movements--and left the men lying on the floor, effectively spent. Highlighting "Something to Live For," Ying Li was turned upside down, dropped face floorward, and dragged by Steven Annegarn in this sultry, manipulative adagio with misogynistic overtones.

An ensemble finale of jazz walks and fish dives preceded a visually arresting stylized tableau curtain call.