I have set aside my regular column this week, a little story about me and my dog in Arroyo Seco, nicely told in my humble opinion, but still just a little story; it will wait for another time. What prompted the change was my experience over the past weekend, Friday and Saturday evenings and Sunday afternoon, when I was transported along with a few hundred other audience members to a long-ago time in the ancient highlands of Scotland.
There we were, witness to a story wrought with all the passion involved in the joy of love found, the darkness of deceit, the anguish of love loss and ultimately to the finality of death itself. And we heard this story without a word spoken.
Monterey County Dance Theatre’s production of “La Sylphide” was a triumph of authentic music, colorful costuming and above all else the superb dancing to challenging choreography that only a well-trained and well-rehearsed troupe can accomplish. In a change from the customary assignation of one dancer to one role, Artistic Director Jan Harkness utilized the strengths of multiple dancers for three of the major characters, and for those of us who were able to attend all three productions it was a treat to experience how each ballerina interpreted the role.
While I am in no way a qualified ballet critic, I know when I see individuality, and in last weekend’s performance there was diversity in each dancer’s approach to her role; there was no dancer better or worse than any other dancer, just a bit different. At this juncture I want to mention something vitally important to any show, and that is the acting aspect.
To tell this story, or any story, without words requires a certain level of pantomime acting where one’s facial expressions and body movements convey the message; in ballet these actions are extenuated much the same as in early silent films. And for this troupe in this show, the acting was far and above what I have seen in the past with these dancers, and I have seen them do some superb performances.
It would take a novel to mention all the outstanding performances by a troupe wherein the older dancers are accomplished enough to fill more than one role, which requires the dancer to learn not just the demanding sequences of a prominent role for one performance, but also to master the sequences of a supporting role for the remaining performance. This dual casting can only be accomplished where there is depth and maturity enough to pull it off, and at this time in this troupe’s existence it was possible.
As The Sorceress, Kelly Tate gave us a witch dancing with lively abandonment, Daisy Picazo danced the Hag with a dynamic but graceful physicality, while Natalyse Solomon’s interpretation was a bit quieter, which made her all the more menacing; all three ladies danced the same sequences, but each brought a little something different to the role. Natalia Merritt and Desiree Lomeli completed the macabre trio, performing each night with a different witch but without a hitch.
The story’s young love interest, a lass by the name of Effie, was performed on Friday night by Rachel Garcia, while her twin sister Olivia Garcia danced the role of the enchanting woodland Sylph who would steal away the love of Effie’s life only to lose her own life in the end. As the opening-night performers, Rachel and Olivia set the standard for the weekend with performances that drew the audience into the story.
On Saturday, Kali Jimenez danced the role of the Sylph opposite Carli Johnson as Effie, and Sunday saw Sheccid Salas as Effie with Chloe Arriaga as the mystical Sylph. One cannot compare or contrast each of these ladies unless one is steeped in ballet knowledge, which I am not. But as an audience member, I rejoiced with Rachel in love, nearly cried with Carlie and was devastated when Sheccid’s Effie lost her love to the forest. In each successive show, the Sylph was enchanting; Olivia enchanted with demur, Kali worked her magic with a come-hither demeanor and Chole mesmerized as only Chloe can.
It speaks well of these performers that they could master these major roles for one night only, and then perform as either wedding guest or forest sylph for the other two performances; a feat only possible with solid cast backing, and this was in evidence throughout the performances. Melissa Armer as always is a commanding presence on stage, and as Effie’s mother, she held sway over the children bridesmaids as well as the wedding party guests. I cannot continue without mentioning what Ella Guidotti, Alaina Echenique, Allison Ochoa and Jenavieve Storelli brought to the production. Small but talented, these dancers were a delightful addition to the cast.
I will run out of words and space if I mention all the little delights of this performance, but one thing I can be sure of and that is there is a whole group of younger dancers just on the cusp of coming into their own. Surely this summer will see more of them advance to en point and soon will take on the larger roles they have prepared for with years of training. As the older ladies come of age and move on, waiting in the wings is a whole cadre of upcoming talent.
I must now mention the boys. A production such as this is made stronger by a diversity of dancers, and so it was refreshing to see male dancers on stage. The role of James, a man doomed to lose not only his love but also his life was superbly done by Gideon Brown. Filling the role of James’s cousin Gurn was brother Shadrach Brown. Michael Conricorde added his talent as a wedding guest.
I would hope that parents of boys who witnessed these young men perform in a ballet will strongly consider the benefits of artistic dance for young boys and encourage them to enroll and begin classes with hopes their boy will someday make a name for himself in the field of dance.
Take care. Peace.
