Dance Review: Ballet Builders 2009 at DiCapo

Last week I had the opportunity to go see Ballet Builders 2009 New Choreographers on Point concert at the Dicapo Opera Theatre, in New York City.  Ballet Builders is a wonderful program made possible through public funds which enables new and upcoming choreographers to access dancers and create works for a public forum.  According to the Ballet Builders website, choreographers who are invited to participate in Ballet Builders not only gain exposure to an audience of dance professionals, but also to the artistic staff of ballet companies, critics, representatives of foundations and government granting agencies.  It has been an annual event happening since 1991, and I was pleasantly surprised that this was the first that I have heard of it.   I for one believe that programs like these are what really keep the dance world alive and progressing forward.  There should be more choreographer concerts like these that actually subsidize choreographers and dancers for their work and actually present them to the right people that help carry their careers forward.

The show consists of six pieces that have nothing in common besides the ballet-based movement which make for a delightfully versatile show.  There are so many stand-out pieces in this program.   One of which is Sidra Bell's "Opus Romanza,"  a very interesting, eight-member piece.   Her use of distorted port de bras is stellar.  Moreover, her choice to have the the dancers wear black tutus over bare legs gives a very modern and stylish touch enhancing the intricacies of her choreography just perfectly.  Among the Juilliard and NYU dancers who performed the piece, dancer, Mary Ellen Bourdeau, most notably gives a real stand-out performance.

The choreography of Anne Mueller sends the audience through a nostalgic trip down country music, memory lane with her piece, "Heartaches and Hotcakes."  This light-hearted piece set to the music of Patsy Cline consists of three females and one male dancer all from Oregon Ballet Theater.  Of these, it is a treat to see popular Russian dancer, Artur Sultanov, perform from OBT.  He has a strong presence on stage which created a very interesting dynamic opposite the strong, yet soft female dancers.

Disco pop music sets the scene for "Counterpart."  Cindy Mancini's sexy number sports nice lines, seductively executed échappés, and dynamic pique turns.  Rounding out the show are pieces by Gina Patterson and Peter Davison also on the program. 

In conclusion, of all the great things Ballet Builders has done in providing a professional platform and venue for new choreographers to be presented , I must say that it is great to see such a nice array of good dancers performing.  Ballet Builders boasts a cast of dancers collectively from all over the country.   Dancers come out from everywhere including Joffery Ballet school, Sacramento Ballet, Oregon Ballet Theater and DanceWorks Chicago.   That’s the beauty of programs like these; they clearly play a part in uniting the dance community.

Ballet Builders provides the choreographers with a theater, a professional lighting designer, technical and in-house staffs, high quality sound and lighting systems, advertising and publicity.   For more information about Ballet Builders or if you are a choreographer or dance group that wishes to be considered for their next season, visit www.BalletBuilders.org

iDANZ Critix Corner
Official Dance Review by Demar Braxton
Performance:  Ballet Builders 2009
Choreographers:  Sidra Bell, Peter Davison, Jennifer Hart, Cindy Mancini, Anne Mueller, Gina Patterson
Venue: Dicapo Opera Theatre, New York City
Date: Sunday, March 15, 2009, 3:00pm
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