America Ballet Theater: The Mixed Program

The mixed program presented by the American Ballet Theater at the Kennedy Center Opera House was a perfect sampler of the company’s classical and modern repertory. No doubt the performance satisfied the most demanding and sophisticated tastes of avid Washington balletgoers.

The evening opened with a ceremonial procession of twenty-four ballerinas in white tutus, slowly descending in a repeated arabesque movement on the moonlit stage. The Kingdom of the Shades is an all-time favorite scene from Marius Petipa’s La Bayadere, and perhaps the most beautiful ballet blanc ever produced. The incomparable master of large ensemble dances, Petipa, deftly utilized symmetry and repetition to create an enchanting, near-hypnotic effect – an illusion where ballerinas appear in multiples or reflected in arrays of invisible mirrors. The choreography is brilliant in its simplicity. At the same time, the scene is an ultimate challenge for the company’s female corps de ballet, requiring intense concentration, stamina and impeccable pointe work from each member of the ensemble. It’s all about balance and coordination of bodies in motion with the symmetry of geometric precision. The visual impact of the imagery can be astonishing if danced well...

Read the review in the February issue of Ballet.Co Magazine.