Boston Ballet puts on a flawless performance

By Mariam K. Sutalaksana

JAKARTA (JP): The stars of the Boston Ballet who performed in Jakarta last week were enchanting and in command of the ballet steps they performed. One could only wonder if they were ever going to make a mistake. Their execution of leaps, jumps and turns was almost perfect.

Unlike many other ballet company's that have visited Jakarta's theaters, the Boston Ballet's dancers seemed to specialize in smooth movements influenced by Balanchine American and Vaganova Russian training. Another specialty seemed to be duets. Many engaging images sprinkled their three night performance at Graha Bhakti Budaya, Taman Ismail Marzuki, Central Jakarta.

In Tchaikovsky's pas de deux, a ballerina dashed across the wooden stage amidst the ocean blue backdrop. Leaping through the air with her right leg bent, her left leg extended to the back, and her arms reaching out. She was floating for a second, creating the image of a fairy flying across the sky. Her consort turned and moved to the tune of Tchaikovsky's symphony and caught the blond nymph, just in time, before they moved together in a graceful and glittering white reverie.

In Gluck Melody, a lady carried a flowing white fabric given life by the colorful lighting. She waved this piece of cloth as she turned and was raised by her partner in such refinement that audience was in awe. These pas de deux or duets were snippets of the Boston Ballet's technical prowess on their first night performance on Thursday.

These eleven dancers, out of fifty eight company members, were invited by the Namarina Ballet school to show their skills in both modern and classical ballet to an Indonesian audience. Each night they performed a three section show with numerous fouettes or whipping turns, many flights into the air, many effortless lifts by the male dancers and powerful jumps. The first section was Nine Lives by Daniel Pelzig. The second section consisted of four duets by different creators, while the last was an upbeat choreography by Elisa Monte called VII for VIII.

Being the United States' fourth largest ballet company, with some of the world's best ballet dancers, it was no wonder the modern ballets were entertaining and the classical ones charming. The whipping turns or the fouettes in the pas de deux impressed the spectators so much that they applauded after each fraction of the dance.

The first modern piece, Nine Lives, was accompanied by the jazzy country music of Lyle Lovett. In one part, called Hot To Go, Paul Thrussel, a principal dancer originally from England, made the audience smile with his mischievous and flirtatious gestures. The deliberate movements of his arms and feet and his changing facial expressions were comical yet seriously powerful. This piece was a nine dancer composition combining classical ballet steps with American cowboy kicks and yee-ha and a little bit of jazz. After a daunting high speed movement across the stage and precise turns in the air, the male dancers paired with the ballerinas to end the piece.

Following Nine Lives was a section of duets. On the first night there was one dance from George Balanchine, two from Russian classics: Le Corsaire and Don Quixote, and Gluck Melody by Asaf Messener. Their presentation was beautiful and elegant. With a simple 45 degree leg lift and curving of an arm, each ballerina was able to capture the audience's attention. The way the male dancers lifted the ballerinas appeared effortless, especially when Thrussel thrusted Larissa Ponomarenko to the heavens in Balanchine's duet. She looked like a feather raised by a human finger.

Though each of the eleven dancers were stars in their own right, in Monte's VII for VIII they proved they could also perform well in unison. This was especially true in a routine by Jennifer Gelfand, Jennifer Glaze and Ponomaremko. They wore shining red, white and green costumes. They curved their upper bodies to the front and bent their arms in the same angle, moving as one to David Van Tieghem percussion work.

The solid, colorful costumes served as an accessory to the engaging choreography and performance. The music helped the dancer's rapport as they kept pace with the music and worked its flow. The many hoists of the ballerinas by the male dancers characterized the piece. Then, as the dance came to a close the audience gave the dancers a standing ovation.

It was a pity the theater was nowhere near full. This might have been because tickets were expensive. But for those who did show up, it was an appetizer to entice anybody to watch a full production by the Boston Ballet Company. Perhaps the classic Nut Cracker production which they will perform during the holiday season in December in Boston's Wang Theater. Maybe one day Jakarta can host a full production by the Boston Ballet or perhaps an Indonesian Ballet company of the same caliber. Just food for thought.