“Latin Heat”
The Washington Ballet
Eisenhower Theater
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Washington, D.C.
October 15, 2015
by Ashley McKean
copyright © by Ashley McKean
The Washington Ballet opened its season with a feast of Latin flavors that showcased the versatility and passion of its dancers. The program launched Artistic Director Septime Webre’s new “Project Global,” an international festival celebrating the influence of global cultures on dance and on this unique company, whose 26 dancers hail from 12 different countries. It was a “mash up” (as mentioned by Webre in his opening remarks), with so many styles and influences—tango to ballet to salsa to flamenco, and a mariachi band to boot—that it was easy to forget we were at the ballet. But the dancers delivered with their usual enthusiasm and virtuosity, once again showing that this troupe can do anything thrown at them.
The Washington Ballet in "5 Tangos." Photo © Theo Kossenas
Dutch choreographer Hans van Manen’s “5 Tangos”—a dance for seven couples clad in striking red and black tunics by Jean-Paul Vroom—set the tone for the evening like a fine Argentine wine, offering a rich taste of Latin flair mixed with classical ballet elements. The dancers reprised the work (which also opened the previous season) with enlivened sizzle, moving through even the static moments in the choreography with an intensity that made it exciting. Sona Kharatian and Jonathan Jordan as the lead couple inhabited Astor Piazzolla’s luscious melodies with sweeping backbends and understated drama. His solo, in particular, tore up the stage with stunning authority and nuanced musicality, threatening to overshadow the rest of the piece.
Two brief aperitifs followed, with Maki Onuki and Cuban guest artist Rolando Sarabia dancing a sweet but stylish wedding pas de deux from Act III of “Don Quixote,” and Kharatian and Brooklyn Mack delivering a darkly textured “La Llorona” pas de deux from Edwaard Liang’s “La Ofrenda.” The oft-performed "Don Quixote" pas de deux might have looked like a gala-like collection of tricks had it not been for the freshness and infectious charm that Onuki and Sarabia, individually and as as a partnership, brought to it. Their lighthearted interpretation worked, with her elegant line complemented by his easy jump and attentive partnering. Kharatian and Mack turned up the intensity in the lyrical “La Llorona” pas de deux based on the Mexican legend of the weeping woman. Garbed in flowing white, their sense of urgency and dramatic depth brought meaning and substance to Liang's pleasant but somewhat indistinguishable choreography.
Belgian-Colombian choreographer Annabelle Lopez Ochoa’s multi-layered “Sombrerísimo,” inspired by Belgian surrealist painter Rene Magritte’s paintings of men in bowler hats, brought the first part of the evening to a satisfying close. The dance for six male dancers clad in grey slacks and black bowler hats explored themes of identity and self-awareness, leaving the audience to imagine connections between the men shifting beneath the interchanging hats, and envision the invisible female partners with whom they often moved. The collage of music by Band Ionica alternated between percussive pulses, Borinquen-influenced strains and contemporary flamenco rhythms, providing a perfect platform for showcasing the athleticism and theatricality of some of the company’s strongest male dancers, who moved as a cohesive cohort but maintained their individual personalities.
Mauro de Candia’s distinctively contemporary “Bitter Sugar” closed the program like an indulgent dessert. Danced by almost the entire company to songs of the Cuban queen of salsa, La Lupe, in black plastic genie-like pants amidst a sea of swirling confetti, the choreography juxtaposed salsa with parody and theater, stretching and elongating certain movements, making others stunted and macabre, then putting them back together again with a great sense of humor. Who said that ballet dancers can’t salsa? Still, I wondered who this company’s audience has become.
Photos: Maki Onuki and Rolando Sarabia in “Don Quixote.” Photo © Theo Kossenas
The Washington Ballet in "Bitter Sugar." Photo © Theo Kossenas
copyright © by Ashley McKean