Tag: BalaSole Dance Company

BalaSole’s MEZCLA: A Gallery

Above: the finale

From BalaSole Dance Company‘s recent production entitled MEZCLA, here is a gallery of images by dancer/photographer Amber Neff.

Opening Ensemble/CHAPTER 18: Staged by Teal Darkenwald

Ashley Rossi: TRAJECTORY

Benji Martin Jr: ILLUMINAR

Laura Assante: DEARING STREET

Noëlle Davé: TIME

Misaki Hayama: TOURYANSE

Donterreo Culp: STILL

Kayla Affrunti: EDGES

Lauren Settembrino: B-Y

Mikael Jaworski: WHENEVER YOU WANT

Aurora Hastings: TILTED

Nicole Corea: SUSPENDED IN THE SHADOWS

Closing Ensemble – the men

Closing Ensemble: staged by Teal Darkenwald

Curtain call

Nicole takes a bow

Just some shots I really like:

Misaki Hayama

Noëlle Davé

Lauren Settembrino…loved her music!

The end of Nicole’s solo

Aurora Hastings

Emerging Artists Alyssa and Alex Bar, and Chantelle Broomes

Alyssa and Alex Bar

Benji Martin Jr

Nicole Corea

All photos by Amber Neff.

August 21, 2018
BalaSole’s MEZCLA: A Gallery

Above: the finale

From BalaSole Dance Company‘s recent production entitled MEZCLA, here is a gallery of images by dancer/photographer Amber Neff.

Opening Ensemble/CHAPTER 18: Staged by Teal Darkenwald

Ashley Rossi: TRAJECTORY

Benji Martin Jr: ILLUMINAR

Laura Assante: DEARING STREET

Noëlle Davé: TIME

Misaki Hayama: TOURYANSE

Donterreo Culp: STILL

Kayla Affrunti: EDGES

Lauren Settembrino: B-Y

Mikael Jaworski: WHENEVER YOU WANT

Aurora Hastings: TILTED

Nicole Corea: SUSPENDED IN THE SHADOWS

Closing Ensemble – the men

Closing Ensemble: staged by Teal Darkenwald

Curtain call

Nicole takes a bow

Just some shots I really like:

Misaki Hayama

Noëlle Davé

Lauren Settembrino…loved her music!

The end of Nicole’s solo

Aurora Hastings

Emerging Artists Alyssa and Alex Bar, and Chantelle Broomes

Alyssa and Alex Bar

Benji Martin Jr

Nicole Corea

All photos by Amber Neff.

August 20, 2018
BalaSole Presents SALMAGUNDI

Above: Alexandra Jacob, a guest soloist in tonight’s performance by BalaSole Dance Company.

Friday July 17th, 2015 – The word “salmagundi” refers to a type of salad, but also to any kind of assortment, medley, or montage. Celebrating their fifth anniversary season tonight at Ailey Citigroup, Roberto Villanueva’s Balasole Dance Company offered a smorgasbord of dance, with a tasty array of solos – everything from tap to toe shoes – in a skillfully arranged and nicely lit production.

As is the custom at BalaSole performances, the evening opened and closed with ensemble works which are prepared and danced by all the participating soloists and emerging artists in the week leading up to the show. Roberto often uses baroque music for these group dances, but this time around he chose contemporary music with a seductive throb; the dancers seemed very much at home in this milieu.

LAURA ASSANTE was the first soloist; her piece entitled “Cancelled Stamp” was danced to the voice of the inimitable Nina Simone singing her classic “Love me or leave me”. Ms. Assante, a lively blonde with a great range of facial expressions, filled the song – which has a long piano riff midway thru – with energy and charm.

ANNA CUFFARI performed a pensive, searching solo entitled “Maktub“. She awakens in a pool of light to the sound of a harp. As the music expands into a passionate romantic theme, the dancer made excellent use of the space with her questing movement and expressive face and hands.

FREDRICK DAVIS (from Dance Theatre of Harlem, making a guest appearance tonight) displayed his striking classic technique in an excerpt from “Undisputed Love“. Set to the celestial sounds of Arvo Part’s “Fratres”, the danseur, in tights and a white shirt, seemed like a contemporary Albrecht lamenting his lost Giselle. Fredrick’s dancing had a fine sense of nobility and quiet ecstasy.

The comely ANDREA SAMONILOVA appeared next, reciting poetry for her solo entitled “Možná Jednou” (translation: ‘Maybe One Day’). Meshed with the spoken words is the sound of water flowing. The sad poetess seems like a lost soul as she stares into the audience, in search of someone. A winsome melody evokes memories of another time and place to which she cannot return. This solo, and Ms. Samonilova’s dancing of it, was both moving and mysterious.

XAVIER TOWNSEND made remarkable moves in his solo “Return”, including some risky B-boy passages that had the audience gasping. Running in place and enmeshed in a struggle for self-expression, the lithe and handsome dancer was able to combine his explosive energy with more lyrical moments to make his solo a big hit with the crowd.

CAMILLE SCHMOEKER performed a tap solo “Gilgal“, to an arrangement of the old gospel song “Joshua Fit The Battle of Jericho”. Using subtle shifts in the speed and volume of her tapping, the dancer, in a simple country frock, sometimes evoked line dancing in this solo which had a taste of Americana as well as a feeling of personal narrative.

The powerful physique of ELIJAH LAURANT made a commanding impression in “Delimited Connection“; music from Kangding Ray underscored the dancing with a pounding beat, but the dancer steered clear of literalism and held our interest with his unfolding, expressive moves and the strength of his technique.

ALEXANDRA JACOB, a guest soloist, was for a decade a star of Dance Theatre of Harlem. Tonight, she performed “Anástasis” (translation: ‘Resurrection’), choreographed on her by Roberto Villanueva. Clad in midnight blue and with her hair flowing free, Ms. Jacob’s on-pointe dancing showed a luminous quality as she moved among pools of light. Music by Olafur Arnalds, rather ominous of mood, set the dancer on her path: a restless feeling imbued with lyricism, and a gorgeous ability to communicate directly with the audience thru the poetry of movement.

BRIANA BUTLER enters in silence; on the ground, she pulls herself into a circle of light. Her solo, “Unstoppable“, is danced to music that is alternately mystical and thunderous. Ms. Butler’s strength and control developed the solo with propulsive energy, and she added some impressive gymnastic elements along the way before things settled again into silence.

ROBERTO VILLANUEVA always dances the closing solo at all BalaSole performances, and invariably his solos are highlights of the show. Today, his ‘awakening’ solo, “Air”, was danced to music by Max Richter. Roberto’s solos have an improvisational air but they are always carried off with the polished artistry and committed musicality of a born mover.

Prior to the show I watched the dress rehearsal, hoping to get some useful photos of all the participants; but that did not go so well for me and my camera today. I include a few here, but it’s totally random and I’m sorry to say not all the dancers are represented in their solos.

Above: the soloists, lined up in performance order – Assante, Cuffari, Davis, Samonilova, Townsend, Schmoeker, Laurent, Jacob, Butler, Villanueva

Above: the emerging/re-emerging artists – these dancers appeared in the ensemble works at the start and end of the performance. They are (left to right) Gabriella Perez, Sasha Smith, Laurel Higa, and Ezra Goh.

Above: Laura Assante

Above: Anna Cuffari

Above: Camille Schmoeker

Above: Elijah Laurant

Above: Briana Butler

Above: Roberto Villanueva

Above: the guest artists, Alexandra Jacob and Fredrick Davis, taking a bow

July 17, 2015
MÉLANGE @ BalaSole Dance Company

Friday July 18th, 2014 – Roberto Villanueva’s BalaSole Dance Company presenting MÉLANGE at the Ailey Citigroup Theatre. BalaSole’s evenings of concert dance afford a rare opportunity for dancers in all genres to present solo works in a professional setting, with expert lighting and sound, before a large audience. Roberto Villanueva has made a niche for his Company in the New York City dance world: I don’t know of anyone else who organizes this kind of programme, a boon for both emerging and established dance artists who need to have their work seen.

This evening’s program was one of BalaSole‘s strongest to date. Roberto likes to stress variety in his presentations, and this evening there was something for everyone. The audience – a packed house – watched in attentive silence and warmly applauded all the participating dancers. I had watched the dress rehearsal (a couple hours before curtain time) and I tried to take some pictures, but I wasn’t having much luck this time around.

BalaSole‘s programming follows a set blueprint: eight or ten artists are chosen by audition to present their solo works. They are mentored by Roberto, getting their dances stage-worthy. In the week prior to the show, ensemble pieces are created which will open and close the evening. This time around, Roberto chose wonderfully ‘danceable’ music by Franz Joseph Haydn for these group numbers, and the dancers – in vividly coloured leotards – evoked the joy of the sharing the stage with colleagues. Following a welcoming speech by Roberto, the solos began.

To an Al Kooper blues tune, Sara Braun strolls coolly onto the stage, wearing sunglasses. Removing her shades seems also to remove her self-confidence. The dance takes on a restless quality, though her poise is restored when she dons the glasses again. The dancework, entitled Amy W 27, clearly carries some meaning in the dancer’s life; the fact that we don’t know what inspired her to create the piece adds to the mystique of the character.

Tall and commanding, Steven Jeudy performs a balletic solo to the Callas recording of “O mio babbino caro” from Puccini’s GIANNI SCHICCHI. Moving with supple grace, the bare-chested dancer shows off a fine line and an impressive extension. He continues to dance after the aria ends. The title of the solo is Resplendent – a title that well-describes Mr. Jeudy himself.

In the solo Steady Tread (choreographed by Monica Hogan), Courtney Liu danced on pointe to music by the Carolina Chocolate Drops – music which somehow has a Mid-Eastern sway to it. Pausing in balanced arabesques or bringing a jogging motif into play, the pretty dancer covered the space with lively charm.

Alvaro Gonzalez danced a solo (choreographed by Tatiana Martinez) entitled En La Ausencia (In The Absence) in which the dancer, to a poignant Yann Tiersen score, is filled with loneliness. An empty embrace evokes the sense of loss; even Mr. Gonzalez’s hair seems to be expressive. The dance evolves to an agitated coda, until the dancer finally curls up on the floor in despair.

In a daffodil-yellow frock, Kendra Ross takes the stage with a striking command of sensuous musicality for Manifest Divine, danced to an Everett Saunders song. A natural mover, Ms. Ross explores her own private world for our delectation, at the end dissolving into marvelous laughter as she rushes away.

Exquisite artistry marked Misei Daimaru’s performance of her solo Stars in The Dark. Having seen Misei performing with Sunhwa Chung/KoRyo Dance Company and with Janusphere, I was very pleased to see her in a solo work. To music by Pierre and Gaspard Genard, Misei’s solo begins in a pool of light. Many dancers have used a chair in their solo works over the years, but few have made such compelling use of it as Misei; it became her virtual partner in the scheme of things. Misei’s dancing has a lovely internalized feeling, and a deeply expressive movement quality.

Roberto Lara’s personal magnetism underscored his spell-binding performance of Via Crucis (The Way of the Cross), a poignant rendering of Camille Saint-Saens’ classic Dying Swan. Dancing in toe shoes, Roberto’s black tutu contrasted with his creamy alabaster torso. This justaposition of male and female characteristics was played out without any hint of Trockadero-style camp from the muscular dancer with his dark eyes and scruffy beard. The audience responsed to this tantalizing solo with genuine enthusiasm.

In The First Ten, Katie Kilbourn appears in childish innocence. She evokes a nursery-like atmosphere while the music, by CoCo Rosie, makes us think of a music box. Sometimes sucking her thumb, the dancer moves with a doll-like feeling of naïveté. In the end, she slowly winds down while standing in a pool of light, her girlish white dress enveloping her in the virgnial purity of youth.

Schubert’s Ave Maria served as the basis for Journey, a solo by Chloe Cappo. Using her flexible physique, the dancer wove elements of pure ballet technique into her solo which used the space well and responded clearly to the music in its sense of phrasing.

In a slow progress along a lighted path across the stage, Roberto Villanueva displayed his physical control in the opening passage of Caught Up; the sound of clapping hands is later swept into ecstatic phrases for violin in a musical mixture of Steve Reich and Max Richter. Roberto pauses in a lighted circle to dance an animated section, seemingly wishing to escape. Then he continues on his way until the light fades to darkness.

BalaSole have announced their next audition for August 1st, 2014 with performances in October.

July 18, 2014
BalaSole: IDIOMS

Above: dancer Marion Helfenstein

Saturday January 25th, 2014 – BalaSole Dance Company presenting IDIOMS at the Ailey Citigroup Theatre. A sold-out house, including many people who were experiencing BalaSole for the first time, reacted enthusiastically to each solo work performed, covering a wide stylistic and musical range. The Company’s artistic director Roberto Villanueva selected and mentored nine solo artists for this program which also featured Emerging/Re-Emerging artists Hailey Bates, Lea Clay, and Nicole Roberts. And no BalaSole performance would be complete without Roberto himself dancing.

True to the customary BalaSole formula, all of the evening’s participating dancers appear together in the opening and closing pieces on the program; these danceworks are created during the week-long run up to the performance dates, and for IDIOMS they were danced to a delicious musical fusion of Richter and Vivaldi.

Marion Helfenstein commenced her solo Who Are Those Ugly Ladies In The Mirror? seated in a chair. A spoken passage gives way to a pulsing mandolin rhythm as the dancer’s gestures tell her story. When the music (by Rene Aubry) develops a deeper resonance and more intense beat, she rises to dance swiftly about the space; yet in the end she cannot escape her chair.

Trashina Conner first enters in a state of calm wonderment to the sound of a piano; as the cello takes over, a ritual of mourning takes place. The dancer then veers between hope and despair as the music becomes more intense; she runs around the space – either pursuing something or being pursued. At last she speaks: a date – March 26, 2006 – “A nightmare…with eyes wide open…” This recollection of a traumatic event gives this solo its title 3.26.06. This intensely personal work was expressively danced, evoking real emotion from both dancer and viewer.

Jonathan Breton’s solo Memories was performed to a beautiful score by Ezio Basso; the dancer’s slender form moved with supple grace and lyrical port de bras thru combinations from the classic ballet vocabulary persuasively meshed into a contemporary statement. Jonathan’s lithe torso and handsome line created a lyrical atmosphere, whether he was standing in a pool of light or moving freely about the space. A self-embrace near the end was a fine expressive touch.

Ashley Peters appeared as an Emerging Artist in BalaSole‘s Autumn 2013 concert: VISAGES. I thought then that she showed real potential, and tonight she was back in a solo work: Past and Pending. To music by Outside – violin over a heavy metallic beat – Ashley covered the space in restless, dynamic moves, her body talking to us directly.

Paulina Bracone’s solo It’s Possible developed well in the unusual juxtaposition of spoken word and ballet-based movement. This restless solo showed the dancer’s vulnerable femininity; as the music swells under the spoken narrative, her movement becomes more expansive. This improbable combination of masculine (the voice) and feminine (the dancer) elements ended up working well thanks to Paulina’s sense of commitment.

Hunter Frederick Houde’s Afro-Cuban solo Changó emerges from Santeria folk legend: Changó is the owner of fire, lightening, thunder, and war, but he is also the patron of music, drumming, and dancing. He represents male beauty and virility, passion and power. Dressed in red and carrying a small hatchet, the dancer’s moves were vibrant and instinctive; rolling thunder, folklike chant/vocals and intense drumming push this fiery solo to its conclusion: a huge thunderclap as the lights go out.

Christen Quattlebaum’s solo Fireflies opens to a piano tune and is later taken up with the whimsical lyrics of the title-song. Christen shows off an expansive developpé and zooming extension, but her quirky choreography also includes gentle hops and an arcane gestural language. This off-kilter solo drew our focus in its movement, while making us wonder what the song was really about.

Tracy Singer enters rather dejectedly for her solo What I Did With What You Left Me. This is a proud woman who’s been shot down by love, but she’s going to bounce back. Sultry jazz marks her sense of post-breakup lethargy, but agitation emerges in supple nuances. She hits the floor – literally – but then takes off in a space-filling self-absorbed danced passage to a big blues anthem.

Caroline Brethenoux’s solo Message Send Failure opens in silence, the dancer having difficulty breathing. At last she is able to enunciate: “There was something that I wanted to tell you.” Since she finds difficulty in speaking, she hesitantly begins to express herself in dance, though remaining on the floor; her frustration leads to a silent scream. In the end she rises, suggesting she is ready to pull herself together. But then…she can’t.

Roberto Villanueva’s solo Incomplete – performed to solo guitar – found the dancer clad in abbreviated black briefs and a dinner jacket. He alternately reveals and conceals his torso; the dance however is not provocative but instead reflects an inner dilemma: it’s sexy but not at all sexual. On the surface we can savor Roberto’s handsome physique, but there’s more going on beneath the exterior attraction. The apex of expression is reached in a long, slow-developing arabesque. As the solo ends, delicate tremors in the hands indicate the dancer has a lot on his mind. This dance is personal: while it exposes the dancer physically, in the end Roberto retains his mystique.

I didn’t have very good luck taking pictures at the dress rehearsal, but here are a few of the individual dancers (sorry that I didn’t get everyone!):

Christen Quattlebaum

Trashina Conner

Jonathan Breton

Hunter Frederick Houde

Roberto Villanueva

January 25, 2014
BalaSole: VISAGES

Thursday October 24th, 2013 – Roberto Villanueva’s BalaSole Dance Company presenting VISAGES, a programme of solo danceworks, mostly self-choreographed, which was given at Ailey Citigroup Theater. Roberto provides a rare opportunity for dancers to perform solo works in professionally-staged productions before sizeable audiences of dance-lovers. His ever-changing roster of dancers is marked by diversity of race, body-type, age, style and individual expression.

Christa Hines (above) performed the opening solo entitled Falling Together, Falling Apart which was choreographed by Teal Darkenwald. Wearing a soft white belted tunic and heavy black boots, the dancer began in silence, moving haltingly about the space and periodically collapsing to the floor. The plaintive voice of Mimerose Beaubron seeps into our senses as the dancer continues her struggle against unseen forces. Ms. Hines, with an appealing quality between vulnerability and hope, signaled the start of a programme which was especially strong in its musical offerings.

Janina Clark performed the solo Sining (Art) to the delicate sounds of the koto. In a black tunic with a ruby-red sash, the dancer moved gracefully across the space, evoking images of a young geisha dancing alone in her own private world.

Steven Brown’s solo Revealed was set to a haunting rendition (in Italian) of Nadir’s aria from Bizet’s The Pearl Fishers sung by the late tenor Salvatore Licitra. I had never heard this particular version before, and it was quite moving. Mr. Brown’s performance – he remained stationary throughout, communicating with his expressive arm and hands – had a reverential and introspective quality, and he sustained the mood beautifully.

Ursula Verduzco, the tall and stately ballerina, let her hair down for the solo Nothing To Hide, danced to the contemporary lyricism of Yann Tiersen. Eminently at home on the stage, and using the space with expressive assurance, the dancer’s sense of urgency moves inevitably to a silent scream. This solo was a cohesive blend of music, movement and personal commitment.

Jason Garcia Ignacio, a compact and muscular dancer from the Philippines, used harpsichord music by Louis Couperin to excellent advantage for his handsomely-danced solo My Brother’s Keeper. Jason’s supple body, finely lit to delineate his sculpted torso, showed compelling flexiblity in some deep backbends (that’s Jason in the costume-photo at the top of this article).

The evening’s most unusual work, Go To The Limits Of Your Longing, was created and performed by Anna Brown Massey (above).

Ms. Massey’s solo opens with vocalist Julia Patinella seated onstage, clapping a rhythmic phrase. As dancer enters (above photo), Ms. Patinella bursts into song: her is voice rich, earthy and powerful. The dancer takes a seat across the stage and her entire solo is performed from this seated position, with Ms. Massey using her arms, hands, shoulders and neck to convey an interior monolog. The voice of Ms. Patinella filled the hall with passionate clarity.

Looking striking with her long hair and vivid make-up, dancer Katherine Alvarado showed a strong dramatic flair in her solo Distancia; the music, by Max Richter, seems Glassian at first but then evolves into expansive, full-blown lyricism. Ms. Alvarado, in a backless black outfit, used her entire body as a communicative vessel.

A strong house beat set Delphina Parentiv (above) in restless motion for her solo Body Rebellion. A vivid gestural language and space-covering combinations marked the dancer’s high-energy performance which drew an enthusiastic reaction from the audience.

Roberto Villanueva’ s solo Seconds Remain The Same showed this magnetic dancer’s presence and his flexibility of physique as he moved across the stage in a contemplative state, seemingly lured by some far-off vision. Eventually the dancer is seen in silhouette as he retreats from us into the distance.

The BalaSole tradition of opening and closing their programmes with ensemble works created in a brief rehearsal period was particularly rewarding tonight as the dancers introduced themselves (and bade us good-night) to the music of Franz Joseph Haydn, marked by celebratory getures and a series of pas de trois in which individual personalities emerged. The evening’s performers were joined by emerging artist Ashley Peters who – it seemed to me – deserved a solo shot. Maybe in the next BalaSole show?

I apologize for the darkness and lack of focus in some of these photos from the dress rehearsal: I am still trying to capture motion, but I have a long way to go…

…though I can do well enough when dancers stand still (Jason and Christa, above).

October 24, 2013
JANUSPHERE at the IATI Theater

Photo: Rachel Neville

Sunday July 28, 2013 – JANUSPHERE at the IATI Theater down on East 4th Street. I met my friend Roberto Villanueva (of BalaSole Dance Company) there on an overcast afternoon.

Aqura Lacey, Dora Kovac, Grace Song, Jason Jordan, Luke Manley and Matt Van appeared in KinderPlatz (Children’s
Place) which is set to a darkish, at times almost ominous score by Adyo and Deepbass. Despite its title, there’s nothing juvenile about this work. The dancers,
clad in soft creamy outfits, perform a series of trios and duets, often changing partners and configurations. They run and slide across the smooth floor, or stand still waving their arms in
unison windmill patterns; in these motifs the illusions of children’s
games are expresssed, but the mood remains distinctly ‘adult’.

A geodesic dome serves as a jungle gym, a cage, a bowl. At one point Ms Lacey climbs up onto the shoulders of the men, as if trying to escape thru the ceiling.

KinderPlatz is accompanied by original video projections created by visual artist Aleksandar
Cosic, featuring elements of architecture and shifting perspectives. What makes the work appealing though is the movement quality and the clarity of personal expression of the six indivdual dancers.

A Dancer’s Life opens with the diverse group of Janusphere
dancers appearing one-by-one in practice clothes, telling their stories of “why I became a dancer”. A solemn narrator calls the group to order and they start doing classroom pliés and
tendus, and working on partnering.

Then the competitive spirit takes over: to the ‘Lone Ranger’ theme from Rossini’s WILLIAM TELL overture, the dancers race about the space, bumping one another off in an effort to get ahead of the pack. In an audition scene, the dancers vie
fiercely for available work…and then comes the anguish of waiting for
a callback. When all but one dancer are called,
there’s relief and rejoicing, as well as a defensive narrative from the unchosen one. The work ends with the start of another day, another class.

In A Dancer’s Life, the cast of KinderPlatz are joined by Misei Daimaru, Stephanie van Doreen, and Ashley Whitson. In the theater’s intimate space, the personalities and individual attractiveness of the dancers gave the performance a sense of direct communication.

July 28, 2013
BalaSole: Gallery

A gallery of Kokyat’s images from the BalaSole Dance Company‘s dress rehearsal at Dance Theater Workshop on July 27, 2011. Read about the performance here. Above: Rockshana Desances.

Yuki Ishiguro

William Tomaskovic

Martha Patricia Hernandez

Alan Khoutakoun

Jessica Smith

Liz Fleche

Francesco Pireddu

Roberto Villanueva

Rockshana Desances

Final ensemble, set to de Falla’s Ritual Fire Dance.

All photography by Kokyat.

July 29, 2011
BalaSole Dance Company @ DTW

Thursday July 28, 2011 – BalaSole Dance Company opening their season tonight at Dance Theater Workshop. Founded by Roberto Villanueva, BalaSole offers young dancers/choreographers a stage for performing their work and for introducing themselves to a wider public. In this, the second season of Balasole offerings, thirteen dancers (including Mr. Villanueva) were presented in self-created solo works. Click on the above photo to enlarge.

This evening’s participants:

Teal Darkenwald

Rockshana Desances

Odman Felix

Liz Fleche

Marie-Christine Giordano

Martha Patricia Hernandez

Yuki Ishiguro

Alan Khoutakoun

Francesco Pireddu

Jessica Smith

William Tomaskovic

Roberto Villanueva

To open and close the evening, Roberto Villanueva and his fellow performers devised a sunny, beachy ensemble number (top photo) set to Manuel de Falla’s Ritual Fire Dance.

A full evening of solos might have become an exercise in tedious repetition but the individuality of each dancer assured that the programme maintained freshness from start to finish. The performance was well-paced with nary a lull, and the excellent lighting and stage management of Miriam Crowe were a big plus in this kind of presentation.

We had attended the dress rehearsal (where Kokyat took all these photos) which was really good but it seemed for the performance that all the dancers really raised their communicative and technical level.

Needless to say, some of the dancers and works presented were more appealing or impressive than others; it’s interesting that no one chose music that could be considered ‘classical’ (aside from the de Falla for the ensemble) but each dancer’s music worked well for his/her individual style.

The evening started beautifully with Marie-Christine Giordano in silhouette (above) as she began her solo entitled In and Out, a work-in-progress. Ms. Giordano is perhaps the best-established and most familiar name among the participants; her artistry and stage experience shone throughout this expressive solo.

Thereafter it was the men who seemed to offer both the widest variety of dance-styling, personal appeal and technical polish. The women were all attractive and had lovely things to say but in a more generalized sense.

Here’s a detailing of the dancing boys:

Odman Felix (above) from Brazil gave a supple physicality to his solo. Masculine and posessed of raw power, his solo Forces had a contained sexuality that was somehow also spiritual.

Alan Khoutakoun’s solo (above) benefited not only from his subtle and intense delivery and his sleek physique but also from the most distinctive lighting of the evening.

William Tomaskovic (above) used the space with real command, his physical elasticity and brilliant dramatic focus making a particularly fine impression. His choice of Laurie Anderson to dance to was also inspired: quirky, yet oddly touching: “Come as you are, pay as you go…”

Yuki Ishiguro (above) from Japan called upon a fusion-style that incorporated elements of break-dance, hip-hop and ballet. In his solo Another World, Yuki seemed encased in glass and used his hands with subtle texturing to express his captivity. Sometimes collapsing like a broken marionette, his solo was perhaps the most personal of the evening. Having escaped his glass prison, he seems at the end to be pondering whether he had been safer inside.

Francesco Pireddu (from Sardinia) pictured above in his aptly-named solo Silence? There was nary a sound as this intriguing dancer evoked images of Marcel Marceau with his fluent mimetic gestures.

Roberto Villanueva: a boy and his bear. Roberto, a virtuoso by nature, tonight presented a playful solo called The Child Inside. I was left wondering which is cuddlier: Roberto or his teddy?

The sub-title of this evening’s programme by BalaSole was True Colors and the multi-cultural background of the participants gave the evening a fine sense of diversity and a perspective on dance that is broader than we usually see in a single evening’s presentation.

There is an additional gallery of Kokyat’s images from this presentation here.

Roberto Villanueva’s inspired concept of providing a stage for dancer-types that are under-represented in larger companies and his valuable mentoring of the participants make BalaSole as a unique venture in the contemporary New York dance scene. I’ll look forward now to keeping Roberto and BalaSole on my A-list.

All photos by Kokyat, with my ever-lasting gratitude.

July 28, 2011