LOVE & LAUGHTER WARMS THE COCKLES OF THE HEART
At the time of year when Cupid readies his sling of arrows, it seems fitting that San Diego Ballet offers a program entitled “DANCES OF LOVE & LAUGHTER” at the 
Lyceum Theatre. Executive Director Matt Carney announces that Associate Director Robin Morgan enthusiastically has curated the selection of dances for the company’s 30th Anniversary Season under the leadership of Artistic Director Javier Velasco. Suffice it to say, that the resulting scope and variety of performances sends the audience home uplifted with warm, fuzzy feelings for this troupe of professionals bringing pride to the San Diego dance scene.
From the gitgo, the evening blossoms playfully with composer Randy Newman’s 
charming, yet raspy vocals for “Buggin’ Me” as choreographed by Mr. Carney. Well done, sir! Dancers Stephanie Maiorano and Joshua Webb engage in the give and take of unvarnished attraction, the melding of unique personalities and the vagaries of youthful love with a high fructose, hilarious version of the quest in a juvenile context. Buoyant chemistry and impressive execution lead to an almost volcanic appreciation on the applause scale. And…we’re off!
Waltzing into the rewards of the excerpt that follows from Riccardo Drigo’s “Le Talisman” (after the choreography of Marius Petipa) next finds us cheerily dipping into the pastel 
frosting of an ensemble of eight exquisite ladies, adorned with the airy costumes of Marcia Averett and Carol Crocker, and the solo dancing of the delicate marvel Kanna Kitsunai together with the bravado of visiting ballerino Ryosuke Ogura. Perfection. The damsels in the ensemble include the following: Marika Ashley, Sierra Crocker, Phoebe Perry, Isabelle Glavin, Sarah Feiertag, Camille McPherson, Georgie Parfitt and Lepa Juju Stojanovic. This piece lifts a gentle breeze to waft with glorious abandon across the stage.
Not to be outdone, the gentlemen follow the ladies with their own retort (an excerpt from “A Taste of Honey”) with the breezy “This Guy’s In Love With You” compliments of 
trumpeter and vocalist Herb Alpert with music by Burt Bacharach and lyrics by the always surprising Hal David. Add a dose of ingenious choreography from the inventive Mr. Velasco and the confident execution by the guys (Bo Brinton, Matthew Frezzell, Roman Frey, Joseph La Chance, Joe Molenaar and David Waisman) and they undoubtedly score on the romance card. Again, the audience provides the uproarious response – a crowd-pleaser to be sure!
Taking center stage now, we witness the attraction and realization of true love in the pairing 
of Izzy Overstreet and Adam Bloodgood on the chart-topping “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” (excerpt from Ewan MacColl’s “Backseats”) as sung by the amazing Roberta Flack in her luscious, renowned arrangement with choreography supplied – again – by Mr. Velasco. These generous dancers allow the audience to share the joy and passion of their own, prescient journey of love (Side Note: Izzy and Adam will be marrying in August.).
Moving on, the program delves into the classical ballet arena, first with a Victor Grovsky choreographic version of Daniel 
Auber’s “Grand Pas Classique Pas De Deux” (excerpt) with the attractive pairing of Jessica Conniff and Joshua Webb in their stately, mostly satisfying rendition. Ms. Morgan then presents us with the grandeur of Sergei Rachmaninoff’s “Rhapsody on a Theme” with a nod to Niccolo Paginini. Javier Velasco guides the delightful, delicate stylings of Erin Mesaros, ably supported by visiting danseur Roman Frey. A grand blessing if you ask this observer!
Next, an ensemble of six dancers slide into a charming, sometimes silly, yet smile-inducing “L-O-V-E” (“When We 
Have the Stars” excerpt) abetted by the silky sounds of Nat King Cole in the song composed by Bert Kaempfert with lyrics by Milt Gabler. The ladies creating the magic include Bella Lara, Alexandra Lister, Zoe Marinello-Kohn and Natalie Panayl; the men are Bo Brinton and Joe Molenaar. Soloists Emily DeVito and Matthew Frezzell are often featured throughout this playful exploration of the lyrical structure of the song, or perhaps “dissection” would be the more appropriate descriptor.
A dose of the full-throated strings inherent in many Johann Strauss symphonic compositions herald the final Act I 
offering, “Voices of Spring”, reigning supreme tonight in the free-floating pairing of the ballerina Kanna Kitsunai, in her second stunning performance, supported by a welcome visitor to the company – David Waisman. The two are certainly sympatico in their seamless coupling and give the audience a treat as this duo exits SL with a spectacular lift destined to elicit some buzz at intermission. Credit superstar Frederick Ashton with this choreographic gem.
Act II ushers in the entire company (including SDB students) with Javier Velasco’s vision of Felix Mendelssohn’s score to A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM (after the William Shakespeare comedy). A huge undertaking, this performance highlights both its most accomplished dancers along with the burgeoning talent of the future.
Yes, the faeries are a-flitting in the dreamscape of midsummer. Their gossamer beauty is matched by the delicacy of their movement. “Moth” (Kanna Kitsunai), “Peaseblossom” 
(Erin Mesaros), “Mustardseed” (Izzy Overstreet) and “Cobweb” (Alexandra Lister) swoop and glide in and out of the proceedings at the behest of the dictates of their royal lieges ”King Oberon” (Adam Bloodgood) and “Queen Titania” (Zoe Marinello-Kohn) who tousle competitively between each other. It cannot be denied that this ballet offers Ms. Marinello-Kohn plenty of shining moments and she is a blazing force indeed, while Mr. Bloodgood acquits himself well, too.
Woodland sprite “Puck” (Tonatiuh Gomez) engages in a
multitude of machinations and proves to be one of this ballet’s highlights just as is embedded in the poetry of the Bard of Avon’s source play. His cavorting across the stage and rosy, magical interludes as prankster command the comic possibilities in this dance.
Attention must be paid as well to the trials and tribulations of lovers at the core of the dance’s structural conceit. The featured dancers are cast well and follow the spellbinding instructions even as their romances go awry as a result of “Puck” ‘s meddling. Fine expression and balletic interpretations from “Lysander” (Joshua Webb), “Hermia” (Jessica Conniff), “Demetrius” (Bo Brinton) and “Helena” (Stephanie Maiorano). Deserved respect goes to all of the dancers who continue to grow from season to season. Mr. Brinton comes to mind particularly in this vein.
Although the story offers fewer opportunities to dazzle; nevertheless, “King Theseus” of Athens (Joe La Chance) and “Queen Hippolyta” on behalf of the Amazons (Sierra Crocker), now betrothed to “Theseus“, both perform well when thrust into the limelight. Speaking of stage lighting, congratulations are in order for Justin Beats and Philippe Bergman who perform the thankless task of making sure all of these dancers can be seen and highlighted in service to the ballet as necessary.
Finally, as always, “Nick Bottom” (Matthew Frezzell) 
emerges as goofy or “asinine” (insert groan here) even to the limits of comic excess. Well done, Mr. Frezzell! In this critic’s book you are a hoot (or a bray, if you will) in this role. Even though not particularly a fan of all of the choreography in these sections of the ballet, nor of this array of costumes actually; otherwise, it must be said that the “Rustics” (Bella Lara, Joe Molenaar, Jared Osoria, Natalie Panayl and Georgie Parfitt) labor quite successfully to earn their stripes as “rude mechanical” bumpkins.
Whether evaluating the various attendant ensembles supporting these characters (i.e. “Titania”, “Oberon”, “Hippolyta”, “Hermia” and “Helena”), the “Heralds” or even the “Indian Boy” for that matter, the students at San Diego Ballet successfully achieve royal status in their designated roles. In toto, the audience revels at their presence.
Whew! This evening’s whirlwind of dance impresses on so many levels. Whatever else can be asserted, it registers as an unqualified, artistic success!
pc: Canela Photography
pc: Manuel Rotenberg
