Miro Magloire's New Chamber Ballet

Sunday April 18, 2010 - At City Center studio this evening, Miro Magloire presented three of his own works - one of them new - as well as a new creation by choreographer Emery LeCrone. Above, all the participants in the evening's performance taking a bow: violinist Erik Carlson, pianist Melody Fader, dancers Lauren Toole, Maddie Deavenport, Victoria North, Emily SoRelle Adams and Elizabeth Brown with Miro Magloire. Photo by Kokyat. Click on the image to enlarge.

Victoria North (above, photo by Kokyat) in Allegretto, Innocente which premiered in February 2010 and is one of the rare works choreographed by Miro to 'older' music: two piano sonatas by Franz Joseph Haydn. The title of the ballet may be translated as "joyous and innocent".  Melody Fader played the delightfully tuneful Haydn score with wit and clarity. Madeline Deavenport and Lauren Toole joined Victoria in this work which features the use of panels of black velvet which serve in turn as theatrical curtains and as cloaks in which the women sometimes drape themselves and pose imperturbably. The work seemed a bit different than when we saw it in rehearsal; it ends suddenly with the pianist seeming to stop in mid-phrase. The girls danced very well with Maddie showing a piquant sense of tongue-in-cheek humour

Monologue, danced to music by American composer Morton Feldman, is basically a solo for Elizabeth Brown (in Kristen Lodoen Linder's photo, above). The quirky score, as played by Melody Fader (piano) and Erik Carlson (violin), is all a matter of perfect timing. The dancer moves - often with extreme slowness - while two 'sisters' (Victoria North and Madeline Deavenport) remain almost still on the sidelines. Ms. Brown danced with impressive control.

 

After intermission, the programme's Magloire premiere - entitled A SIMPLE BLACK DRESS and set to 'Anthemes' for violin by Pierre Boulez - was played by Erik Carlson and danced superbly by Emily SoRelle Adams (above). Wearing one toe shoe and one soft slipper, Emily used the whole playing area as her stage, often capriciously making direct eye contact with the audience. Erik's playing of the demanding score seemed to stress lyric elements. Their joint performance evoked sustained applause and cheers from the standing-room-only house and they were called out for an extra bow. Emily, of course, wore a little black dress and looked delicious; this and all the evening's elegant costumes were created by Candice Thompson.  

Emery LeCrone's new ballet Chamber Dances was performed by Madeline Deavenport, Lauren Toole and Victoria North to 'Road Movies' for piano and violin by John Adams (above). Emery was not here for the premiere of her work since she is in Portland where her new ballet for Oregon Ballet Theatre is soon to open.

Propelled by the energy of the opening themes of the Adams score - very well-played by Melody and Erik - the three ballerinas in sleekly fitted costumes are called upon for non-stop dancing in Emery's choreographic patterns, often performed in unison. The adagio quality of the second section slows the pace of the movement but there is no real respite for the dancers. In the concluding allegro, each girl has a solo which Emery seems to have created to show their individual qualities while still adhering to an overall feeling of propulsive animation. Chamber Dances is a real workout for the ballerinas who came thru with flying colours and ended the evening on a high note.