Swan feathers float down on local stages March 14, 2012 Something rare is afoot in Los Angeles. To put it simply, “Swan Lake.” Yes, that icon of classical exactitude and style is popping up on stages all over. And the producer turns out to be not some long-standing, well-endowed enterprise on tour here, but the LA Ballet, which is a mere six years old. Why? Why would brand-name husband/wife directors Thordal Christensen and Colleen Neary be confident enough to mount this behemoth of a ballet? This vast spectacle designed for the likes of kingly companies with multi-millions -- the Bolshoi, American Ballet Theatre, Royal Covent Garden, Royal Danish? Answer: They have the chops now, that is, the dancers, together with their deep, artistic savvy. And they know it. All I did was tip-toe into Royce Hall - the first stop in a city-wide tour of major Southland venues that continues through March 31 - only to discover a production of the Petipa-Ivanov-Tchaikovsky ballet that approximated world-class standards. The capstone of all this cheering came in the second act - you know, the famed lakeside scene, that moonlit mirage with the snowy white swan corps floating about and Prince Siegfried sensing the imminent appearance of his fateful inamorata Odette, aka the Swan Queen, turned from maiden into an avian creature by an evil sorcerer. And when she alit onstage, in the person of Allynne Noelle, the effect was dazzling -- as that first sighting was meant to be. Tall, with perfect proportions and gorgeously tapering long limbs, this Swan Queen had both bird-like spark and human pathos, her hand articulation spelling out regal elegance. She danced with alacrity and definition and fluid musicality. It was as though she’d been in training at Vaganova since adolescence - not a girl from Huntington Beach - although she’d done stints at redoubtable dance oases (National Ballet of Canada, Villella’s Miami City Ballet and not least, Vicky Koenig’s Inland Pacific Ballet). So...with Noelle and a host of others now just in their second season with LAB, Christensen and Neary knew this was their moment. In fact, the bench is deep enough to alternate the lead role, as well as others. But that’s not all. These high-pedigree directors (he a Royal Dane, she a Balanchine Trustee), who have both formerly danced the “Swan Lake” lead roles for years, boast wide contacts for bringing resources to the company -- the dancers, for instance -- and this production, originally designed for Pacific Northwest Ballet. Besides Noelle, who joined LAB only 18 months ago, is Alyssa Bross, the alternate lead. I glimpsed her rehearsing Odile (the Black Swan), and saw richly expressive qualities - she used every enticement to undermine the Prince’s oath to Odette and was a dewy seductress, not the hard, haughty type who would laugh at her easy conquest. And when she danced Odette, it was with aching vulnerability - which belies her photograph on the program book cover, a misleadingly placid look. No wonder Christensen went forward with “Swan Lake.” He knew he’d recruited the talent - many had trained at prestigious schools and had danced with top companies. As Noelle’s and Bross’s partners, both Kenta Shimizu and Christopher Revels acquitted themselves nobly, if not exactly at the danseur level. Guest artist Akimitsu Yahata did his thrilling bravura stuff as the Jester. But down to the last coryphée, the coaching was scrupulous. Everyone had clear focus and a sense of unanimity, even the mimed gestures were natural. What’s more, the muted, old-world sets and costumes looked lovely on the Royce Hall stage, as if made for it. Considering that taped music allows for no moment-to-moment variation, the company coped well. DONNA PERLMUTTER is an ASCAP-Award winning music/dance critic and journalist whose work has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times and many other publications. She is also the author of “Shadowplay: The Life of Antony Tudor.” Email her at donna.perlmutter@gmail.com . LA Observed by Donna Perlmutter DOWNLOAD PDF 2023/2024 Season > News > Previous Item Next Item

2 2023/2024 Season > Photo Gallery > 2015/2016 Don Quixote 2016 Adam Lunders with Abby Callahan & Andrea Fabbri Adam Lunders as Don Quixote Julia Cinquemani, Kenta Shimizu & LAB Ensemble Julia Cinquemani Julia Cinquemani Erik Thordal-Christenssen & LAB Ensemble Allyssa Bross Jeongkon Kim, Andrea Fabbri Julua Cinquemani Zheng Hua Li & LAB Ensemble Adam Lunders, David Renaud & LAB Ensemble David Renaud & LAB Ensemble Elizabeth Claire Walker Elizabeth Claire Walker & Adam Lunders Ashley Millar, Kate Highstrete & Elizabeth Claire Walker Julia Cinquemani & LAB Ensemble Julia Cinquemani & LAB Ensemble Erik Thordal-Christensen Chelsea Paige Johnston & LAB Ensemble Allyssa Bross Allyssa Bross & Kenta Shimizu Bianca Bulle Julia Cinquemani & Kenta Shimizu Julia Cinquemani & Kenta Shimizu Julia Cinquemani Christensen and Neary after Marius Petipa and Alexander Gorky /Minkus Previous Gallery Next Gallery All photos by Reed Hutchinson Click on image for a fullscreen presentation.

2023/2024 Season > Dancers > Cassidy Cocke Hometown Dallas, Texas Seasons with LAB 2021/2022, 2022/2023, 2023/2024 Cassidy Cocke was born in Dallas, TX, and began dancing at the age of 10 at Dallas Ballet Center under the direction of Brent and Judy Klopfenstein. She trained with Asako Fandrich and Catherine Lewellen during her time there. At the age of 15, she trained under Paul Mejia at Mejia Ballet International until moving to Seattle to join the Professional Division at Pacific Northwest Ballet under artistic director Peter Boal. She then danced as a guest artist at Avant Chamber Ballet in Dallas under the direction of Katie Puder in the 2020-21 season and trained with Michele Gifford before joining Los Angeles Ballet in the fall of 2021. She attended The School of American Ballet Summer Course in 2014, 2016, and 2017, Pacific Northwest Ballet in 2015 and 2017, and in the summer of 2019, was chosen to attend The National Ballet of Canada on exchange by PNB. Some of her favorite roles she’s performed are Marzipan in The Nutcracker with PNB, Concerto Barocco as a guest artist with ACB, and Bluebird in Sleeping Beauty , Ghosts choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon, and the Dream Pas de Deux in Val Caniparoli’s Lady of the Camellias all during her time at LAB. When she isn’t dancing, Cassidy is currently working at BASIC Magazine and BASIC PR, a quarterly fashion magazine and fashion showroom as the assistant to the Editor-in-Chief and Showroom Coordinator. She enjoys spending time with her friends and family, and her crazy orange cat, Edgar. Cassidy is honored to be a part of Los Angeles Ballet, and can’t wait to see what her future holds. MEET THE DANCERS LOS ANGELES BALLET Repertoire Learn about the comprehensive and varied seasons of Los Angeles Ballet since its debut in 2006. Repertoire includes stunning classical ballets, exceptional stagings of Balanchine repertory, and relevant works by many of today’s most innovative dance-makers. VIEW REPERTOIRE LOS ANGELES BALLET 2023/2024 Season This season includes exciting works by master choreographers Justin Peck, Hans van Manen, Yuri Possokhov and George Balanchine, and another world premiere by LAB Artistic Director, Melissa Barak. Plus, LA's holiday favorite, The Nutcracker. Subscriptions and Single Tickets on Sale Now! DOWNLOAD SEASON BROCHURE

2023/2024 Season > Dancers > Paige Wilkey Hometown Los Angeles, CA Seasons with LAB 2023/2024 Paige Wilkey began her training at J. Swider Dance Studios in Los Angeles. She attended summer intensive programs at American Ballet Theatre, Joffrey Ballet, and Boston Ballet. At the age of 16, Paige was invited to enroll in Boston Ballet School’s pre-professional program. After two years of training in Boston, Paige was hired by Oregon Ballet Theatre in Portland, where she spent 5 seasons. She has also danced with American Contemporary Ballet prior to joining Los Angeles Ballet. Some of Paige’s featured roles with OBT and ACB include Dak Angel in Serenade , Sugarplum Fairy in The Nutcracker , 2nd Violin in Balanchine's c Concerto Barocco , and the principal pas de deux in Balanchine’s Agon . Paige also performed with Barak Ballet in the summer of 2021. She was so inspired by her experience working with Melissa Barak, that it is a dream for her to be dancing with Los Angeles Ballet under her artistic direction. MEET THE DANCERS LOS ANGELES BALLET Repertoire Learn about the comprehensive and varied seasons of Los Angeles Ballet since its debut in 2006. Repertoire includes stunning classical ballets, exceptional stagings of Balanchine repertory, and relevant works by many of today’s most innovative dance-makers. VIEW REPERTOIRE LOS ANGELES BALLET 2023/2024 Season This season includes exciting works by master choreographers Justin Peck, Hans van Manen, Yuri Possokhov and George Balanchine, and another world premiere by LAB Artistic Director, Melissa Barak. Plus, LA's holiday favorite, The Nutcracker. Subscriptions and Single Tickets on Sale Now! DOWNLOAD SEASON BROCHURE

Los Angeles Ballet Presents 'Giselle' May 26, 2011 For dance-world insiders, it may not come as a surprise that the company is flourishing. LAB's husband-and-wife artistic directors and cofounders, Thordal Christensen and Colleen Neary, are both former principal dancers and veteran balet instructors (and, in Christensen's case, artistic director) with decades of experience at some of the most venerated ballet companies in the world. CultureSpotLA by Penny Orloff DOWNLOAD PDF 2023/2024 Season > News > Previous Item Next Item

Ghada Irani to be Honored at LAB Gala 2015 January 1, 2015 Los Angeles Ballet's Gala 2015 will honor philanthropist Ghada Irani. In her capacity as a member of the Los Angeles Ballet Board of Directors, Mrs. Irani has been a generous supporter of not only its ballet programs, but also its outreach programs for children, families, low-income seniors, veterans and disabled persons. In addition, she she served as Co-Chair for the Los Angeles Ballet Gala in 2012 and has been a member of the Event Planning Committee for LAB Galas since their inception in 2011. The Los Angeles Ballet Gala 2015 will take place May 7, 2015 at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel and is chaired by Dina Leeds and Jeanette Trepp. The evening will include cocktails, dining, and a preview performance of master choreographer Jírí Kylián’s Sechs Tänze (Six Dances) Company News from the Staff at LAB 2023/2024 Season > News > Previous Item Next Item

2023/2024 Season > Dancers > Hannah Keene Hometown Wellesley, Massachusetts Seasons with LAB 2016/2017, 2017/2028, 2018/2019, 2019/2020, 2021/2022, 2022/2023, 2023/2024 Hannah began her training at Boston Ballet School at the age of 5. She was hired as a member of Boston Ballet II at age 17 where she spent two seasons. She then danced for three years at the Kansas City Ballet before joining Los Angeles Ballet in 2017. During her career, she has enjoyed dancing featured roles in ballets by George Balanchine, Val Caniparoli, Annabelle Ochoa Lopez, Septime Weber, and Christopher Wheeldon among many others. Hannah is also a ballet teacher and certified Pilates teacher. MEET THE DANCERS LOS ANGELES BALLET Repertoire Learn about the comprehensive and varied seasons of Los Angeles Ballet since its debut in 2006. Repertoire includes stunning classical ballets, exceptional stagings of Balanchine repertory, and relevant works by many of today’s most innovative dance-makers. VIEW REPERTOIRE LOS ANGELES BALLET 2023/2024 Season This season includes exciting works by master choreographers Justin Peck, Hans van Manen, Yuri Possokhov and George Balanchine, and another world premiere by LAB Artistic Director, Melissa Barak. Plus, LA's holiday favorite, The Nutcracker. Subscriptions and Single Tickets on Sale Now! DOWNLOAD SEASON BROCHURE

2 2023/2024 Season > Photo Gallery > 2015/2016 The Nutcracker 2015 SarahAnne Perel Julia Cinquemani and Kenta Shimizu with the LAB Ensemble Julia Cinquemani and Erik Thordal-Christensen LAB Ensemble Biana Bulle with LAB Ensemble Allyssa Bross with SarahAnne Perel and David Block Samuel Akins Julie Cinquemani and Alexander Castillo SarahAnne Perel, David Block and Zheng Hua Li LAB Ensemble LAB Ensemble Ashely Millar and Laura Chachich SarahAnne Perel, David Block and Zheng Hua Li Javiar Moya Romero SarahAnne Peral and Javiar Moya Romero Kenta Shimizu Julia Cinquemani SarahAnne Perel, David Block and LAB Ensemble Bianca Bulle and Zachary Guthier Allyssa Bross and Kenta Shimizu SarahAnne Perel and Zheng Hua Li LAB Ensemble SarahAnne Perel and LAB Ensemble SarahAnne Perel Julia Cinquemani and Kenta Shimizu with the LAB Ensemble Julia Cinquemani and Erik Thordal-Christensen LAB Ensemble Biana Bulle with LAB Ensemble Allyssa Bross with SarahAnne Perel and David Block Samuel Akins Julie Cinquemani and Alexander Castillo SarahAnne Perel, David Block and Zheng Hua Li LAB Ensemble LAB Ensemble Ashely Millar and Laura Chachich SarahAnne Perel, David Block and Zheng Hua Li Javiar Moya Romero SarahAnne Peral and Javiar Moya Romero Kenta Shimizu Julia Cinquemani SarahAnne Perel, David Block and LAB Ensemble Bianca Bulle and Zachary Guthier Allyssa Bross and Kenta Shimizu SarahAnne Perel and Zheng Hua Li LAB Ensemble SarahAnne Perel and LAB Ensemble Christensen and Neary / Tchaikovsky Previous Gallery Next Gallery All photos by Reed Hutchinson Click on image for a fullscreen presentation.

2 2023/2024 Season > Photo Gallery > 2018/2019 Modern Moves 2018 Petra Conti & Clay Murray Petra Conti, Tigran Sargsyan, Leah McCall Petra Conti, Tigran Sargsyan & LAB Ensemble Kenta Shimizu & LAB Petra Conti, Tigran Sargsyan & Kenta Shimizu Clay Murray, Costache Mihai Clay Murray & LAB Ensemble Bianca Bulle & Tigran Sargsyan Bianca Bulle & LAB Ensemble Jasmine Perry & Joshua Brown Leah McCall & Joshua Brown Jasmine Perry Kenta Shimizu & LAB Ensemble Clay Murray, Magnus Christoffersen & Jeongkon Kim LAB Ensemble Eris Nezhao: Reed Hutchinson Laura Chachich, Eris Nezha & LAB Ensemble Petra Conti & Eris Nezha Bianca Bulle & Tigran Sargsyan Petra Conti & Eris Nezha inale, LAB Petra Conti & Clay Murray Petra Conti, Tigran Sargsyan, Leah McCall Petra Conti, Tigran Sargsyan & LAB Ensemble Kenta Shimizu & LAB Petra Conti, Tigran Sargsyan & Kenta Shimizu Clay Murray, Costache Mihai Clay Murray & LAB Ensemble Bianca Bulle & Tigran Sargsyan Bianca Bulle & LAB Ensemble Jasmine Perry & Joshua Brown Leah McCall & Joshua Brown Jasmine Perry Kenta Shimizu & LAB Ensemble Clay Murray, Magnus Christoffersen & Jeongkon Kim LAB Ensemble Eris Nezhao: Reed Hutchinson Laura Chachich, Eris Nezha & LAB Ensemble Petra Conti & Eris Nezha Bianca Bulle & Tigran Sargsyan Petra Conti & Eris Nezha inale, LAB Les Chambres des Jacques – Barton / Vigneault, Vivaldi, Les Yeux Noirs, The Cracow Klezmer Band, Lickety Split – Cerrudo / Banhart, Western Symphony – Balanchine / American Songs Orchestrated by Kay Previous Gallery Next Gallery All photos by Reed Hutchinson Click on image for a fullscreen presentation.

A backstage look at the Nutcracker December 14, 2014 Watch at CCTV.com CCTV.com by CCTV READ ARTICLE AT SOURCE 2023/2024 Season > News > Previous Item Next Item

LA Ballet Opens Fifth Season with Exuberant 'Nutcracker' December 16, 2010 In an era of catastrophic personal belt tightening and calamitous corporate downsizing, too many promising arts organizations have fallen face-first into the chasm of disappearing dollars. When even an established, respected old organization like the Pasadena Playhouse had to close its doors for a time, it is beyond astonishing that a new classical ballet troupe not only survives, but thrives. Since the debut of its original production of “The Nutcracker” in November 2006, the Los Angeles Ballet has been met with critical and commercial success, nearly doubling its budget over five seasons without a penny of government support. “Considering the colossal events of the last five years – Katrina, the tsunami in Indonesia, the financial collapse and subsequent recession, the Haiti earthquake – LAB’s steady growth from $900,000 to $1,624,000 is nothing short of a miracle,” says Julie Whittaker, the company’s executive director. The central ingredient in LAB’s success is the consistent high quality of the product. Artistic Directors Thordal Christensen and Colleen Neary are clearly the stars of this enterprise. Their uncanny selection and inspired mentoring of some of America’s finest young dancers have resulted in a world-class corps de ballet and several important break-out soloists. Their vision and tireless dedication to the work have produced a large and reliable fan base, and ever-increasing ticket sales. LAB’s “Nutcracker” – playing in venues around LA County this month – is proof of the company’s stature as a game-changing force in the realm of international ballet. The original choreography by Christensen and Neary is fresh and exhilarating, demonstrating the technical skill, individual virtuosity, and razor-sharp precision ensemble work that distinguish this young company. After several reports, I am running out of superlatives to describe the exemplary work of the women’s corps de ballet in the Dance of the Snowflakes and the Waltz of the Flowers, two highlights of the production. Other highlights of this season’s LAB “Nutcracker” include the annual appearance of guest artist Sergey Kheylik as the Cossack Doll. The ecstatic cheers greeting his Act I entrance escalated to a roar as he flung himself into impossible leaps and turns. He was joined in Act II by LAB newcomers Aaron Bahadursingh and Christopher Revels, who matched Kheylik vault for astonishing vault. The off-the-charts athleticism of this Russian Dance whipped the audience into a prolonged, ear-splitting demonstration, literally stopping the show. Returning as Marie (Sugarplum Fairy), Monica Pelfrey remained serene and confident through the long and demanding pas de deux. Her dancing showed off clean stepwork, lovely ports des bras, and marvelous balance. She was partnered by Zheng Hua Li, her cavalier in last season’s Balanchine “Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 2.” Li’s emotional physicality contrasts beautifully with Pelfrey’s cool elegance, creating a wonderful chemistry. The audience rewarded his big, floating jetees and effortless lifts with ample appreciation. Making her LAB debut in the Arabian Dance, Julia Cinquemani’s jaw-dropping beauty managed to stun a fairly demonstrative crowd into pin-drop silence. Wrapping her supple, snakelike torso in coils around her partner, newcomer Alexander Castillo, she mesmerized adults and children alike. The breathless silence was broken by an extended, vociferous ovation. Also new this season is Allyssa Bross as the Rose in the Waltz of the Flowers. This young ballerina clearly won over the crowd, her incandescent smile radiating throughout her performance. Thirteen-year-old Helena Thordal-Christensen plays Clara with fragile beauty and dramatic intensity. Having danced the role for the first time last season, this year she exhibits complete confidence and authority. Her long, slender legs extend forever, making an event of each arabesque. She has an arresting innocence about her, a lack of artifice which made her nightmare scene all the more harrowing as she darted, terrified, around the vast stage of Glendale’s Alex Theatre. Perhaps the most moving moment in the performance, for me, came when Clara’s mother – played by Thordal Christensen’s real-life mother, the great Balanchine ballerina, Colleen Neary – kissed the little girl before walking off the stage, a symbolic passing of the torch from the past to the future. Clara’s Nutcracker-turned-Prince is 18-year-old Jordan Veit of the Pacific Northwest Ballet School’s Professional Division. Dancing with strength and ease, and resembling a young Leonardo Di Caprio, this young man exudes charm. The long line of infatuated little girls waiting to meet him after the performance may be the harbinger of good things to come for Veit. Fans in search of guaranteed holiday magic have several chances remaining for performances of LAB’s “Nutcracker” in venues around LA: UCLA’s Royce Hall, Dec. 18 at 1 and 5 p.m., and Dec. 19 at 1 and 5 p.m.; and at Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center on Dec. 24 at 2 pm., and Dec. 26 at 1 and 5 p.m.. Tickets and information are available at (310) 998-7782, or at www.LosAngelesBallet.org . Culturespot LA by Penny Orloff DOWNLOAD PDF 2023/2024 Season > News > Previous Item Next Item

Los Angeles Ballet Brilliant! May 20, 2015 Bubbles at the ballet! And what a fantastic way to end a program, which is precisely what Los Angeles Ballet did by presenting Jiří Kylián’s deliriously witty, “Sechs Tänze,” a 1986 bauble set to Mozart that should be required viewing for those who think ballet is a mysterious and elite art form. Indeed, as Pete Campbell of Mad Men might have said: “A thing like that!” Seriously, Los Angeles Ballet is the little company that could. Concluding its ninth season, the troupe has grown by leaps, fouettés and pirouettes over the years, continually proving its mettle in a town that’s been ballet-averse—at least to local talent. But with a dedicated husband-and-wife team at the troupe’s helm—Colleen Neary (a New York City Ballet dancer under Balanchine and répétiteur) and Thordal Christensen (erstwhile artistic director of Royal Danish Ballet)—Angelenos can take pride in this homegrown organization. And while story ballets are an easier sell than a mixed rep bill (LAB’s recent production of its own “Sleeping Beauty” made a greater impact on this reviewer than the gaudy world premiere presented by ABT in Orange County in March), this program showed the diversity, range and reach of the 37-member company. Opening with Balanchine’s “Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 2,” the 1973 revision of the choreographer’s 1941 “Ballet Imperial” and his first foray into the Petipa style (LAB premiered the opus in 2010), the dancers had a chance to show their dreamy side, albeit one fueled by technique, grit and, well, smiles. Plotless, this is, nevertheless, a huge, majestic affair, with Allynne Noelle, Christopher Revels and Julia Cinquemani leading the charge—in this case a bevy of dancers clad in cream-colored attire (designed and executed by Marianne Parker), the women’s neo-Romantic tutus topped with sparkling bodices. The rich melodic score (alas, heard on tape—won’t some angel please donate a few million dollars to give this troupe an orchestra?), leaves no room for stillness. Teeming with numerous corps members offering constantly shifting patterns, including traversing the stage in diagonals, the work also features dancers’ angled arms held aloft, fingers and feet precisely positioned. Then there are the soloists: Noelle, who leaves the company after its final performances (Glendale’s Alex Theatre, May 30; U.C.L.A.’s Royce Hall, June 6), but who will guest in future, displayed a wonderful mix of feminine swagger, musicality and assured footwork, both graceful and muscular. Revels partnered Noelle with brio, his cabrioles and beating feet taking him to new heights. Cinquemani, who, at 23, also has her own dancewear line, accentuated the angst in Tchaikovsky’s music, her gorgeously fierce attacks a study in exactitude. Also noteworthy: Laura Chachich, Kate Highstrete, Zachary Guthier and Dustin True added to the work that is a testament to stamina and the power of art. José Limón first performed “The Moor’s Pavane—Variations on the theme of Othello” in 1949 at the American Dance Festival. Directed and reconstructed by Alice Condodina, a former Limón dancer under the master, himself, this 20-minute distillation of themes from Shakespeare’s play is a timeless tale of envy, intrigue and violence. Set within the formalism of a Baroque dance to Henry Purcell’s music, “Moor” is the apotheosis of concise storytelling, its four characters inspired by Othello, Iago, Desdemona and Emilia, though not named. Zheng Hua Li’s Moor has dug deep to seize the moment, his acting keen, his every move imbued with meaning: Outstretched arms at the work’s beginning define his nobility, only to later signify his rising jealousy and fury; and finally, his utter despair. Erik Thordal-Christensen (the directors’ son), at 20, does not yet have the maturity for a reptilian Iago, although his striking presence (he’s 6’4” and very blonde, decidedly the stuff of princes), is not to be ignored. In time, no doubt, one can see him investing the moves with more villainous rigor. Stepping in for an injured Bianca Bulle, Elizabeth Claire Walker gave her Desdemona the expected air of tragic innocence, her undoing a tableau of fragile prey. The splendid Allyssa Bross handled her dramatic duties with aplomb, occasionally acting as if these goings-on were games, realizing, too late, that they were, in fact, fatal. Such is the gestural language of the dance, where a handkerchief, untrustworthy friends and paranoia, spell doom. Neary and Christensen danced “Moor” in the 1980s, when they were with Pacific Northwest Ballet, and it is from that troupe that they borrowed the costumes (designed by Pauline Lawrence). A paean to the Renaissance, when heads were offed and suspicions ran rampant, these heavy gowns, billowing sleeves and tights, proved great concealers. “Moor,” also the tragedy of Everyman, rings true in today’s harrowing times, when we, too, might find ourselves occasionally cloaked in fear and agitation. We’re grateful for dance, then, to transport us to a higher level, which Kylián’s “Sechs Tänze” does by feeding the soul with unbridled joy. A Los Angeles Ballet premiere, staged by Fiona Lummis and Glen Eddy, the work is divided into six comical acts danced by four couples, with a supporting quintet upping the humor ante. A cheeky romp through the intrigues of Baroque court life, including men in powdery wigs and women sporting garish make-up, the prevailing octet cavorts about in flirty, absurd fun through a series of dangerous liaisons—hello fencing foils and mime! Throughout the six acts, dancers revel in nonsense, both individually and with each other. Faces are slapped, powder is suspended in air; evening gown facades are periodically paraded across the stage reminiscent of an I Love Lucy sight gag. Among the purveyors of silly: the always outstanding Christopher McDaniel (he leaves the troupe after five seasons, boo hoo), Britta Lazenga, Chelsea Paige Johnston, Chloé Sherman, Javier Moya Romero, Cinquemani, Guthier and True. Mozart would have loved it! Oh, yes: Those buckets of bubbles—champagne, anyone?—that rained down at the work’s end was not only a glorious finale to the Kylián, but to a beautifully rendered program by Los Angeles Ballet. We’ll drink to that! Fjord Review by Victoria Looseleaf READ ARTICLE AT SOURCE 2023/2024 Season > News > Previous Item Next Item