A cloud of dry ice rolled a cool fog over the upper reaches of McCaw Hall, but the applause on the main floor was hot for Pacific Northwest Ballet's première of "In the Upper Room."
In an evening that was anything but ballet as usual, the opening-night crowd responded positively to strobe lights, rope harnesses and little red socks.
The most "classical" part of PNB's Contemporary Classics program was a coolly elegant performance of Balanchine's "Agon." However, the 1957 work never showed its age, from Stravinsky's deliberately tonal and difficult score to Balanchine angular choreography.
At one point during "Agon," as Olivier Wevers lifted Louise Nadeau over his head and her legs scissored the air at seeming impossible angles, a child in the balcony exclaimed, "Wow!" The audience chuckled in agreement. That pairing of principal dancers was "Wow" indeed, with Nadeau able to slide around and under Wevers with the slinky sensuality of a serpent slithering down a tree.
But "Agon" was definitely a company piece, with all 12 of the dancers performing their parts with impeccable grace.
Once again, principal dancer Mara Vinson and corps member James Moore had the audience dizzy with delight during the swooping "Kiss." As they hung from ropes, twisting around each other and then swinging away, Vinson and Moore made the equipment just another part of their formidable dance arsenal, an extension of the same line and form they give to an outstretched arm or perfectly curled leg.
The sheer physical joy of Jonathan Porretta's dancing became frozen in light during "Caught." Whether waving a cheery hello while seemingly suspended in air or popping out of the shadows where he was least expected, principal dancer Porretta neatly captured choreographer David Parsons' enthusiastic exploration with the idea of human flight.
"In the Upper Room" wrapped all the elements of the evening into one gorgeous package. Half the dancers spun across the floor in standard ballet gear, rendered nicely modern in black-and-white stripes accented with red ballet shoes and (as evidenced by the saucy flip of skirt for the girls) red panties. The others took to the floor in similar clothing but with red tennis shoes and a more aerobic look.
That aforementioned heavy mist billowing across stage during "In the Upper Room," made it appear as if the dancers were performing in the clouds or a coastal pea-souper. One almost expected to hear foghorns sounding from the orchestra pit.
The "war" between classical etudes and athletic modern movement eventually became a tribal dance of exuberance at the sheer pleasure of whirling around the stage in Tharp's nifty choreography set to the music of Philip Glass.
Like "Agon," this Tharp piece had such terrific ensemble work that all the dancers deserved the standing ovation at the end.
Vinson, Carrie Imler, Batkhurel Bold, Kiyon Gaines and Casey Herd opened "In the Upper Room" to be followed by the pairs of Lesley Rausch and Anton Pankevitch, Maria Chapman and Jordan Pacitti, and Miranda Weese and Porretta.
Chalnessa Eames and Kylee Kitchens completed the cast.
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