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March 2, 2007 > Arts & Entertainment > Houston Ballet’s Life and Laughter ends on a high note

Houston Ballet’s Life and Laughter ends on a high note

By Risa Gordon | Thresher Editorial Staff

The Houston Ballet’s delightful winter repertory program, Life and Laughter, saves the best for last.

The performance’s third number, “The Concert,” satisfies both the ballet aficionado and the casual viewer with its combination of technical skill and comedy. Of course, one would expect no less from prolific choreographer Jerome Robbins (West Side Story, The King and I) who premiered the dance 50 years ago with the New York City Ballet.

The character sketch keeps the audience in stitches with absurd situations, including a cigar-smoking husband who wants to murder his icy wife, a snooty art lover and a troupe of ballerinas who just cannot figure out their steps.

One of the featured performers in “The Concert” is not a dancer at all, but rather pianist and Rice alumna Katherine Burkwall-Ciscon (Brown ‘88), who also stands out in the opening piece “Tu Tu.” With “The Concert” and “Tu Tu,” the accompanying Houston Ballet Orchestra, directed by Ermanno Florio, adds dramatically to the depth of the production. It is unfortunate that the company used a mere recording for the traditional Irish, English and American folksongs in “Sergeant Early’s Dream”— one does not realize the power of live musical accompaniment until it is gone.

“Tu Tu,” choreographed by Houston Ballet Artistic Director Stanton Welch, is a technical showcase primarily intended to show off the featured female dancers. In particular, principal dancer Barbara Bears excels in her graceful solos, the feeling of the music seeming to radiate through her delicate movements. The dance moves from slower music to a lively tempo. The strong finish is enhanced by the corps de ballet, who energetically synchronize their motions to create a rousing visual spectacle.

However, the piece is not without flaws. With few exceptions, the men stay in the background, serving as the lifts or support for their female counterparts’ arabesques and pirouettes. In general, male ballet dancers excel at gravity-defying leaps and turns, so the lack of these steps is disappointing. And while the boldly-colored, Klimt-inspired tutus sparkle on the women, the men look awkward in tight shorts that are the size of boxer-briefs.

Unfortunately, principal dancer Mireille Hassenboehler suffered an injury, precluding her performance on opening night. As with most Houston Ballet performances, each role is shared between multiple dancers, who perform on different nights. On opening night, principal dancers Amy Fote and Simon Ball who were first scheduled to perform the role at the Feb. 24 performance and thus could easily step into the parts, replaced Hassenboehler and her partner, first soloist Nicholas Leschke. Although Fote and Ball were the least entertaining couple, it is unclear whether this was due to the choreography or the dancers themselves.

Just as “Tu Tu” has its problems, so does the second piece of the repertory. “Sergeant Early’s Dream” is a retrospective of the Irish experience as the characters prepare to immigrate to a new life. But the Houston Ballet is no Riverdance, and one wishes the company had left the Irish jigs to the experts. While it is interesting to see ballerinas, graceful by nature, try the staccato steps of Irish dancing, the overall dancing is uninspiring, particularly during the slower songs.

However, there are parts of the performance that are entertaining. For example, it is amusing when the men combine to woo a young girl’s heart with swaggers or drunken love professions. At one point, they even burst into song. And principal dancer Sara Webb is memorable as a young girl on the brink of independence from her mother. But, in this case, entertainment does not equal exceptional ballet.

Kudos to the scenic designers of all three dances for using minimal scenery to keep the focus on the dancing. The props in “The Concert” and the background in “Sergeant Early’s Dream” only add to the performances. In particular, the background in the latter evokes the rich colors of the Irish coast.

Life and Laughter will appeal to both the serious ballet attendee and those who are looking for lighthearted cultural entertainment. And saving “The Concert” for last means the audience will leave the theater laughing and in high spirits.

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