FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 11, 2003

CONTACT: Mark Fleisher

Festival Ballet Providence, 401.353.1129

Proximity is Priceless for Ballet
By Bryan Rourke
Providence Journal Staff Writer

Providence, RI - Up Close, On Hope is an eclectic evening of dance.

Festival Ballet Providence's new performance series, which opened Saturday night, alternates from the balletic to the modern with visually and emotionally varied pieces.

It's a dance sampler. The show presents nine works by five choreographers performed by 18 dancers.

Overall the performances are very good, and the opportunity offered the audience is excellent. Up Close, On Hope is as advertised: up close.

The series, which continues again on Saturday, takes place in a studio Festival has turned into a 100-seat black box theater. From the front row, five feet from the dancers, whose breathing you can hear, it's apparent these people aren't just artists but athletes.

During the 90-minute show, a few dances distinguished themselves from the others. One was a clear favorite of the sold-out crowd: "Killing Time."

The piece was playful and fun and true to its title. Two men, both dressed in khaki pants and button-down cotton shirts, seem bored. But they hear music. Then, in that "Hey, look what I can do" manner, they move to the music. And the more they move, the more apparent becomes the spirited identity of the piece.

The dance, choreographed by Gianni Di Marco, was performed by Cameron Baldasserra and James Brown and was set to toe-tapping bluegrass music by Bobby McFerrin.

What makes the piece succeed is the juxtaposition of silly movements with straight faces. Baldasserra and Brown are expressionless as they hop around the stage like rabbits, pat each others heads and take turns sliding on the floor.

It was the production's only dance done with humor. The others were romantic or dramatic. Notable among them were "Fading" and "Demeter's Tears."

"Fading," choreographed by Mihailo Djuric, Festival's artistic director, had a subtle sense of surrealism. The piece was performed by Brown, who seemed stuporous, and Beth Petkus, who presented a strong stage presence with a fiery red dress and a focused look on her face.

Brown, by the way, was the one fading. He came to life, and movement, at the touch of Petkus. And the usual gender roles of dance were reversed. It was Petkus who turned, lifted, dipped and kissed Brown.

The last dance of the night was "Demeter's Tears," choreographed by Colleen Cavanaugh. This piece had the strongest sense of story. It was an abstract interpretation of the myth of Demeter, the earth goddess of fertility, who loses her daughter Persephone to Hades, god of the underworld.

Persephone, played by Leticia Guerrero, is torn between Demeter, played by Karla Kovatch, and Hades, played by Gleb Lyamenkoff. As Persephone moves from god and world to the other, she seems to pass through a transitional place populated by three dancers: Caitlin Novero, Jennifer Young and Piotr Ostaltsov.

There's a dreamy quality to the piece and a nice, simple punctuated ending.

Up Close, On Hope expands Festival's performance offerings by filling gaps between its four big productions during the year. The emphasis is on dance, with no curtain, sets or props. After this weekend, the series will continue with two new two-weekend shows in January and March.

Up Close, On Hope is performed again this Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at 825 Hope St. For tickets, which are $25, call 353-1129 or e-mail info@festivalballet.com.