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Tulsa Ballet 'Carmina Burana' and 'The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude'
May 23, 2010 -- Tulsa Performing Arts Center, Tulsa, Oklahoma Tulsa Ballet wrapped up its 2009/2010 season with the crowd-pleasing “Carmina Burana,” choreographed by Ma Cong, principal dancer and resident choreographer, whose reputation continues to spread throughout the world dance community. Although it has most recently been paired with Balanchine, artistic director Marcello Angelini chose William Forsythe’s “The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude” to open this season’s production of “Carmina Burana.” Forsythe, who reportedly created the work to pay homage to Balanchine, was adept at interpreting his steps to Franz Schubert’s final movement of his 9th Symphony. The two-men and three-women ballet is a good choice because it adds balance to the program. The men were dressed in orange-red minimalist costumes, but the ladies’ tutus in lime green brought a certain lightness to the performance. Constructed to look flat and solid, their inner workings allowed the tutus to bounce. Principal dancer Karina Gonzalez and soloists Soo Youn Cho and Alexandra Bergman executed the many port de bras with confidence and panache. Their pointe work was quite good. Principal dancers Alfonso Martín and Wang Yi delivered as always. Despite this, the Sunday performance of Forsythe’s work seemed a bit lackluster, and I felt this selection didn’t challenge these dancers in the way I have come to expect. It reminded me of ice skating’s compulsory competition. “Carmina Burana” is always a mega hit and the Tulsa Performing Arts Center was close to a capacity audience. Several companies came together to make this happen: Tulsa Opera, Tulsa Youth Opera, Tulsa Oratorio Chorus and the Tulsa Symphony Orchestra under the capable baton of Tulsa Ballet’s music director Nathan Fifield. Fifield’s style is entertaining to watch. He joyously sang along this afternoon. After the dynamic opening bars of Carl Orff’s music, dancers streamed onto stage wearing the traditional monk’s robes in a breathtaking prelude of swirling fabric and moving bodies. It was fast and furious, drawing the watcher into the fray. Again, Gonzalez, Martín, Soo Youn Cho and Wang Yi dominated in this performance. Cong’s use of angular arms and wide-set pliés make this a pleasure to observe. When two couples are dancing, Cong has cleverly devised a way to give one couple a breathing break -- kneeling, they appear to be subjugated and reverent. Gonzalez, who rose through the ranks like a rocket, moving from corps de ballet to principal in less than two years, is an elegant dancer. She is coquettish yet a tantalizing temptress. Her backbend was perfect as Wang Yi capably carried her off stage. Wang Yi joined Tulsa Ballet only two years ago. He is athletic and stylish. His leaps are exciting with and executed with apparent abandon. He lifts with grace and potency, a fitting style for this particular ballet. Soo Youn Cho is another relatively new dancer (three years) and she too has been promoted from demi-soloist to soloist. She is a very fluid dancer, smooth as jazz. Martín is a longtime member of TB. His fans are legion. His strength is palpable and when he leaps, it can be ballistic. But his talent in comedic roles is also good. He is the kind of dancer Angelini looks for: an artist who can do the entire range of dance. Cong’s choreography was interesting and challenging. During one scene Soo Youn Cho and Wang Yi walked ‘like an Egyptian’, one following the other. Precise hand movements seemed to suggest they actually plucked the musical notes from thin air. This is a delightful passage. The corps de ballet choreography was exciting with plenty of leaps, lifts and pirouettes. Cong used them to charge up the audience and move the story forward. I must mention the lighting, because without creative lighting no dance company can completely succeed. This had just the right amount of smoke and mirrors, shadows and highlighting to carry out Cong’s vision. Very well done. Two asides. I preferred the chorus in the monk’s robes as done in previous years. It kept the theme intact. And would someone please tone down the tuba? It was inappropriately loud. Instead of accenting, it was so audible as to distract the viewer from the stage. Tulsa Symphony Orchestra did an outstanding job on Schubert’s symphony, but appeared a bit under-matched for Orff’s big music. In closing, Cong devised a fabric, the color of spring daffodils, as a beautiful image. The dancers grabbed one end (it has been safely stowed at the front of the stage) and ran with it. The fabric covered the entire stage in undulating glory. One might think that this was a fantastic ending, but it’s not over. Dancers returned to the stage once more. Clothed in robes, they yanked them off and defiantly brandished them. The last scene appeared to be about rebellion and redemption. One moment the dancers stomped their feet, determined to have what they want, and the next, built a tower of bodies reaching skyward--for forgiveness? Cong’s “Carmina Burana” is beautiful, powerful and provocative.
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by G. G. Collins