Verb Ballets.VERB BALLETS OHIO THEATRE AT PLAYHOUSE SQUARE CENTER The Playhouse Square Center, in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, is the second-largest theater complex in the United States (second only to New York City's Lincoln Center).[2] , CLEVELAND, OH JANUARY 28, 2005 Call it sacrilege Sacrilege Sadness (See MELANCHOLY.) abomination of desolation epithet describing pagan idol in Jerusalem Temple. [O.T.: Daniel 9, 11, 12; N.T. or merely creative license. In either case, Verb Ballets' new set designs and costumes for its reconstruction of Martha Graham's Appalachian Spring, created by Appalachian artists Suzy Campbell and Robert Katkowsky, breathed new life into the masterwork mas·ter·work n. See masterpiece. , replacing its starched, abstract look with a more literal, squalid one. Objects that Isamu Noguchi's original sets merely suggested, such as a rocking chair or a large stone, are more realistic and the dancers' costumes more homespun than the 1944 designs. The first of three works on the New Classics Collection program, Appalachian Spring remained choreographically intact thanks to Diane Gray's superb staging. The dancers captured the spirit of the puritanically themed work, performing it with passion and intensity. Tracy Vogt, as the Bride, embodied the gleefulness and optimism of young love, and Elizabeth Flynn tempered her portrayal of the sturdy Pioneering Woman with a sense of vulnerability and lament. Esplanade, a Paul Taylor masterpiece staged by artistic director and former Taylor dancer Hernando Cortez, exhilarated ex·hil·a·rate tr.v. ex·hil·a·rat·ed, ex·hil·a·rat·ing, ex·hil·a·rates 1. To cause to feel happily refreshed and energetic; elate: We were exhilarated by the cool, pine-scented air. the standing-room-only audience with its spirit and infectious energy. After a slow start, the dancers jelled with Taylor's effervescent ef·fer·vesce intr.v. ef·fer·vesced, ef·fer·vesc·ing, ef·fer·vesc·es 1. To emit small bubbles of gas, as a carbonated or fermenting liquid. 2. To escape from a liquid as bubbles; bubble up. 3. choreography, bounding, hopping, crawling, and tumbling across the stage like children at play. The world premiere of Cortez's Carmina Burana, set to Carl Orff's powerful choral work, vacillated between moments of brilliance and spells of lackluster choreography. It never came together thematically or stylistically. Joan Yellen Horvitz's cavern-like backdrop and Middle Eastern-styled costumes brought Le Corsaire to mind; along with elements in the choreography, the look suggested a tribal culture. When Cortez remained true to that theme, his primitive-influenced contemporary movement produced sleek, enthralling en·thrall tr.v. en·thralled, en·thrall·ing, en·thralls 1. To hold spellbound; captivate: The magic show enthralled the audience. 2. To enslave. passages that spoke of ceremony and celebration. When he didn't, the ballet veered off into out-of-context, perplexing per·plex tr.v. per·plexed, per·plex·ing, per·plex·es 1. To confuse or trouble with uncertainty or doubt. See Synonyms at puzzle. 2. To make confusedly intricate; complicate. choreography, most notably when a group of adolescents performed a sequence of academic ballet steps en pointe. Despite its flaws, Carmina Burana showed enough moxie to be pleasing overall, and the evening proved both delicious and memorable. FOR MORE INFORMATION: www.verbballets.org STEVE SUCATO |
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