 |
Tricia Sundbeck and Anthony Krutzkamp dance lead roles
in Cincinnati Ballet's Jewels.
|
Cincinnati Ballet's 41st season begins this weekend with George
Balanchine's Jewels, featuring a cast augmented by dancers
from BalletMet in Columbus, where it was produced last weekend.
More than 60 performers will fill the stage of the Aronoff Center's
Procter & Gamble Hall. Columbus dancers alternate roles with
their Cincinnati counterparts. Maestro Carmen DeLeone, celebrating
his 35th year with the Ballet, conducts.
Jewels premiered in 1967, and in 1996 Cincinnati
Ballet was the first company other than Balanchine's famed
New York City Ballet to perform it. Balanchine was famous
for his so-called "plotless" ballets, and this was the first
full-length ballet billed as such. The choreography reflects
the essence of the rare and valuable gems he chose to name
the three sections.
In "Emeralds," music from French composer Gabriel Fauré
evokes coolness and elegance. In a recent studio performance
of the piece at the Ballet's downtown studios, Cheryl Sullivan,
Anthony Krutzkamp, Sarah Hairston and Andrey Kasatsky danced
the lead roles. In this open rehearsal, women were especially
ethereal, soft and beautiful as the austere but ever-so-slightly
jazzy score filled the room. Balanchine's concept of partnering
requires the man to "dance" the woman -- to support her but,
above all, to display her. Overhead lifts were lighter than
air.
Hairston's solo with little hops, developés (leg extensions)
and piqués (turns with one leg pointed at the knee) was
punctuated with a moment where she covered her eyes with her
hands. Leah Elzner also showed to good effect, her graceful
arms seeming to grow out of her back while she pushed against
the air as if it were liquid.
"Rubies," danced to Stravinsky's Capriccio for Piano
and Orchestra, is sexy, witty and brash. Cincinnati dancers
for this piece include Janessa Touchet, Mishic Marie Corn
and Zack Grubbs.
Krista Capps and Dmitri Trubchanov -- who were personally
coached by famed Merrill Ashley -- will dance the leads in
"Diamonds," set to Tchaikovsky's dazzling Third Symphony.
"It's kind of like a king and queen," Capps says. "I'm a very
regal character." 513-241-SHOW. (See Onstage.) -- KATHY VALIN
SATURDAY 11
Bringing video to the vast outdoors, Autumedia will
stimulate the senses with a combination of media, art and
an autumn atmosphere. This Media Bridges event - part of Enjoy
the Arts' 20/20 Festival - will hit the pavement and convert
a parking lot the size of half a city block into a gallery
space.
Grab a jacket and venture out for this unusual exhibition
of media installations and other forms of interdisciplinary
art. Local artists and independent media makers will cast
their creativity - literally - as some exhibits use walls
of nearby buildings as canvases for projected pieces. Others
will be three-dimensional installations that use alternative
projection surfaces.
Experience an interactive billboard, where you can use images
to create your own ad, watch driving footage of historic Over-the-Rhine
or meditate on a video collage of modern-day Appalachia. While
one piece tackles racial differences, another will transform
typically tiny objects into projected giants. With a variety
of visuals to engage the mind and trigger the senses, Autumedia
is intended to educate audiences to the infinite possibilities
for artistic expression via media.
It'll be a great opportunity to get outside and enjoy something
different in the world of art. Autumedia is free and takes
place 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 11, in the parking lot at
the intersection of Race, Elm and Central Parkway, across
from Media Bridges in Over-the-Rhine. 513-651-4171 or www.mediabridges.org.
(See Art.) - KRICKET MURNAHAN
SATURDAY 11
The 2003 edition of the CINCINNATI INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
comes to a close with the screening of an independent film
with strong local ties, Artworks the movie. Writer/director
Jim Amatulli and his crew spent weeks filming their tale starring
Virginia Madsen as a struggling artist. The film promises
to be a reunion for the local actors and film crew who took
part in the production. Artworks screens 7 p.m. Saturday
at Showcase Kenwood. And be prepared for people yelling out:
"That's me!" 513-379-6462. (See Events.) -- STEVE RAMOS
SUNDAY 12
Cincinnati's history of beer gardens takes a creative turn
once a month when LIBERATED SOULS come out to historic
Mecklenburg Gardens in Corryville at 7 p.m. Sunday. For the
conclusion of 20/20 II Festival, it will be a special intersection
of slam poets, spoken word and Hip-Hop artists with Jazz musicians,
singers, songwriters and comedians. There's nothing else like
Liberated Souls anywhere in Cincinnati -- in fact, you'll
find it hard to believe you're still in Ohio. 513-621-4700.
(See Events.) -- RICK PENDER
MONDAY 13
Hot chicks! Hey, there's nothing wrong with flaunting it if
you got it, but don't expect Girls Gone Wild from the
latest project sponsored by The Know Theatre Tribe. Things
will turn sultry, however, for those looking to get their
intellectual groove on. VERBAL SWEATBOX: A NIGHT OF STEAMY
SPOKEN WORD, at 8 p.m. Monday and Tuesday at Over-the-Rhine's
Gabriel's Corner, cooks with the notion that a beautiful woman
is nothing without a beautiful mind. Poets Abiyah, Embrya
and Taylore Mahogany Scott are delectable lures as their tantalizing
words feverishly unite with the music in this rave-inspired
production. 513-300-KNOW. (See Events.) -- BRANDON BRADY
Printer-friendly version
