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A Valentine greeting from Festival Ballet
Providence Journal issue on Sunday, February 8, 2004
by Bryan Rourke, Journal Staff Writer

Next weekend, Festival Ballet Providence looks at love. In honor of Valentine's Day, the company presents Firebird, and More!

Few will know what the More refers to. And many may not know Firebird. But all you need to know and appreciate is romance, the overriding theme of the two-act, three-dance production Friday through next Sunday at Veterans Memorial Auditorium in Providence.

"All three pieces are different styles," says Mihailo Djuric, Festival's artistic director. "Everyone can find something they like."

We begin with Firebird, which is what Djuric began his Festival tenure with six years ago. It's a one-act Russian fairy tale set to the music of Igor Stravinsky, and is the first score he composed for a ballet.

"Musically, it's very important," Djuric says. "Dramatically, it's a nice story. Action is happening all the time. There is no boring moment."

It is the story of a fantastical creature, the Firebird -- part bird, part woman -- who has magical powers. Prince Ivan is lost in a forest and enters the enchanted garden of Katschei, an evil ogre. There, the prince finds the Firebird, who gives him one of her magical feathers. Then he finds and falls in love with Princess Elena, who has been captured by Katschei.

"The prince goes through hell to save her," Djuric says. "There is a happy ending. It is a love story. Everyone can relate. We have all felt things for someone, but there have been obstacles we have to cross to realize our dreams."

The story takes place in a dark and dramatic environment. The Louisville Ballet has loaned Festival the sets, which Djuric calls "magical and a little bit spooky."

The production, choreographed by Djuric, involves 34 dancers. Leticia Guerrero plays Firebird; Jennifer Ricci is Princess Elena and Gleb Lyamenkoff is Prince Ivan.

Pushing the body

Djuric decided to couple Firebird with two shorter, nonstory-based dances so as not to compete with Firebird: Extremes and Soledad. Djuric created both in 1996.

Extremes came about after Djuric heard a piece of music created by Barbara Kolb, who now happens to be in residency with Festival. Her music, Djuric says, is emotional and lyrical, and highlights extremes of sounds.

"I followed her thought of extremes," Djuric says. "I translated the idea from instruments to dancers."

Djuric characterizes the dance's movements as angular and sharp, sexy and provocative, and fraught with tension. "It's pushing the body to the limit."

The work has a jazzy and contemporary feel, Djuric says. A main character, a lonely woman, played by Karla Kovatch, dances with a man, Lyamenkoff, before a backdrop of happy people.

In Soledad, the subject is about living with loss, namely the loss of love.

"It's about missing love and wanting love," Djuric says. "There are people who won't receive anything for Valentine's."

The piece involves 10 dancers, with Kovatch performing the main part.

Firebird, and More! will be performed at Vets, Avenue of the Arts, Providence, at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 2:30 p.m. Sunday. For tickets, $15 to $50, with $5 off on Friday, call (800) 819-6272 or 353-1129, or go online at www.tickets.com.