Paul Taylor Dance Company

COME SEPTEMBER, a promise of something new returns, including a tap on the cultural reset button after a hot lazy summer.

Although arts organizations still struggle with depleted budgets, staff, and incentive, our commitment to supporting them must not waver as they are the essential lifeline not only for our society, but for the collective soul. So get out your calendars and choose to attend some of these great dance events.

Here’s a preview of the 2010–2011 season:

Charleston Concert Association

CCA is bringing three dance companies to town. It is wonderful that this organization has remained so committed to dance through the years.

The Paul Taylor Dance Company (above) on November 3 at the Gaillard Auditorium. This is a personal favorite and, with the recent finish for the Merce Cunningham Company, Taylor is the last  pillar of the modern dance heritage that is left standing. Hailed as the “greatest choreographer in the world,” Taylor continues to turn out works that are relevant, irreverent, and full of style. Be sure to catch this stellar company for a terrific evening of dance.

Ballet Grand Prix

Ballet Grand Prix Excerpts from the most invigorating ballets performed by winners of the Youth America Grand Prix alongside renowned principal dancers of the ballet world. Celebrating its 10th anniversary, the Ballet Grand Prix is the “highlight of the New York ballet season.” February 22.

Romeo and Juliet with the Russian National Ballet Theatre on March 7. Under the artistic directorship of Elena Radchenko, the ballet theatre is declared to be one of the best in the world. The story of the star crossed lovers translates beautifully to ballet and should not to be missed.

Buy tickets online at www.charlestonconcerts.org

Robert Ivey Ballet

Fall Concert. On October 29 through 31, Robert Ivey Ballet will present its fall concert at the Sottile Theatre. New choreography by Olga Wise, Lori Hull, Douglass Smoak, Jon-Michael Perry, Angela Agudo, and Robert Ivey will light the stage in classical ballet, modern, and jazz mediums. The Company in Residence at the College of Charleston utilizes the talents of its students and faculty. The season’s mission is to provide audiences with dance that is “Inventive, Invigorating, and Intriguing!”

Peter and the Wolf is an Ivey tradition which is the perfect way to introduce younger audiences to the world of ballet. Performances at the Sottile will run from December 2 through 4.

Tickets for all shows can be purchased by calling 556-1343.

Charleston Ballet Theatre

CBT looks to have a healthy season with several musically inspired productions and a few family friendly ballets.

little Alice

Ballet Unplugged Live! on  October 14 features the Charleston Symphony Orchestra’s Yuriy Bekker and friends accompany CBT in a one night only benefit program. The chamber music of Brahms, Shubert, and Vaughan Williams will accompany four different ballets that showcase the talented company.

Alice in Wonderland will be performed at the Sottile Theatre on October 16 and 17. Jill Eathorne Bahr’s unique and colorful adaptation of the classic story interweaves ballet, acrobatics, mime, and theatre in a kaleidoscope for the senses.

Rocky Horror has become a CBT Halloween tradition when dance and film join in a wild adaptation of this cult film. The performance will be held at the CBT Black Box Theatre on October 22-30.

Angeline Ballerina

The Nutcracker will be presented at both the Gaillard Auditorium and The North Charleston Performing Arts Center. Set in the Low country in the 1860s, this classic continues to delight audiences young and old.

The Ellington Experience will be a collaboration with the legendary Charleston Jazz Orchestra. New choreography by Bahr will highlight Duke Ellington’s most brilliant tunes. Audiences will be introduced and reminded of the scope of the musician’s prolific career. At the Sottile on February 11 and 12.

Angelina Ballerina Goes To The Circus is part of CBT’s children’s series and will be shown on Jan 29 and 30.

Purchase tickets online at www.charlestonballet.com

Eric Hawkins

RECENTLY I have been writing about dance more than actively dancing, and since this blog is a platform on which to bounce my opinion to the small readership I have, I thought to take the first long day of summer to do so.

This was the first Spoleto where my fellow dancers in Anonymity Dance Company chose not to put a show together, for various reasons. For me, I welcomed not having a ‘gig’ since my domestic schedule was overloaded, and I was finally clear to see my performing days as over. My husband will never believe this; he calls me Brett Favre as I have stepped out of retirement before stepping into it with two feet more than once.

But now that I actually did not show up on a stage and have no plans to do so, I must consider what to do next. That’s why I dove into writing about Spoleto and settled into being just an observer. In the back of my mind, however, I felt the profound absence of an old friend. So before I cross over, I need to honor what has defined me for the past nearly four decades before I figure out what to become next.

Dance to me has always been a life force focus. As a young dancer, I liked the discipline required to learn movement, execute it correctly, and ultimately to communicate with it.

Merce Cunningham Dancers

Beginning in ballet, where there is only one way to do the steps with French names, it took many years to practice and train with a group of like minded people, and to be inspired by teachers whose beauty, grace, and precision shaped me. Later, as a teenager, when I saw other forms of dance, it was modern dance that most spoke to me. I saw a way of freedom with which to move and not just imitate what others did, creating my own ways of movement.

With dance I feel my most powerful and most intuitive self. It is a place where my mind, body, and spirit completely align and I am 100 percent present in every moment. After performing I can remember everything about what I have done. It is in dancing that I feel closest to God or some divine being much bigger than myself. It is a wordless poetry which I feel most honored to be a part of.

Martha Graham

For the past 15 years I have been a teacher and loved sharing my knowledge of movement with young people who usually find something out about themselves through dance. I will continue to train and coach young dancers as I feel responsible for the the education and appreciation of the art form.

With dance, the body leads and the mind follows and in writing the mind must lead with the body inactive, but there must be a way to inform one with the other. I know the wisdom of the body is where it must come from.

So now I must find a way to keep my love of dance alive and embark on a new writing practice. I expected writing to be a part of my “second act” as both my grandmother and mother were/are writers, and it is my lineage to use words to express myself. As my perspective shifts, I will explore  how to keep dancing in a way that leads me to the the heart of writing.

Scene from "Oyster"

SPOLETO’S LAST ACT. The final two dance offerings for Spoleto Festival USA were about as different as they could be, showing the wonderful contrast that the festival organizers are so adept at presenting, as well as the range that dance covers, from a 200-year-old classic to something completely new.

In Oyster, the talents of collaborators Inbal Pinto and Avshalom Pollack, both from Israel, come together in an hour-long work where theater, modern dance, and circus acts blend together in a wonderful wash of the absurd. The pretext of circus and side show strangely unfolds in a non-narrative way with vignettes and an array of sound and music. Extraordinary costumes, wigs, makeup, and set design create a level of theater where dreams and caricature mix together to create a whimsical delight.

The dancers do an exceptional job with the unique style of movement which at times gesticulates in a Chaplin or Busby Berkeley fashion. As a sextet of clowns, the dancers move in mysterious ways completely inorganic to the usual. Inspired, too, by a Tim Burton story, his characters come to life as do those imagined by Dr. Seuss.

Self-manipulated female marionettes dance with deadpan faces moving with extended lines that break down to angular shapes. Trapeze dancers hang by ropes and perform a duet with their earth bound partners. By the end of the dance, they leap and land, becoming church bells ringing.

The emcees of the acts are a frightening pair of Siamese twins, their minion/love interest and a ghoulish maid that is a direct relative of the Adams Family. Within their theatrical moments is when emotion and personalities emerge. Are these freaks that are trapped in their strange world where normal sadness, anger, violence and love still exist? By the end of the ride what becomes clear is that there is indeed beauty in the bizarre.

Nina Ananiashvili as Giselle

THE FOLLOWING EVENING, in a ballet where another altered reality exists, Giselle was performed by the National Ballet of Georgia with the star role danced by prima ballerina, Nina Ananiashvili.

Giselle is the epitome of the romantic ballet which tells the story of a spirited but weak hearted peasant girl who falls for a guy who neglects to inform her that he is a prince and engaged to a fellow noblewoman. This news is more than the simple Giselle can bear, and she goes mad and dies of a broken heart. This all happens along with a Bacchus Festival and much processing of the prince’s hunting party in the insubstantial first act of the ballet whose action moves along with archaic pantomime and a classical ballet formula. The performers execute the dancing and storytelling with great dignity and virtuosic dancing, but it is not until the moonlit, leaden second act that their true talents unfold.

After Giselle has died, she joins the population of Wilis who are ghosts of women dead from broken hearts and promises. In the forest under the moon until sun’s first light, they dance their victims to death.

Prince Albrecht is danced by Irakli Bakhtadze with great command of the role. His length, suspension in the air, and landings are evidence only of a first rate technician. In his duet with Giselle, his lifts demonstrate the essential ethereal and weightlessness for romantic ballet. George Balanchine said that, “to be romantic about something is to see what you are and to wish for something entirely different.  This requires magic.” That magic created by both Ms. Ananiashvili and her partner was most evident.

Giselle corps de ballet

Ms. Ananiashvili is at her best as the gossamer coated ghost of herself. Her dancing is not only perfection but breathtaking. Her arms move in untranslatable ways that orchestrate the emotional energy that spins around her body. Her precise point work never wavers and the strength of her limbs, though showing languid lightness, are as resilient as steel.

My favorite part of the ballet is when the ensemble weaves through its 30 members in alternating sautéing arabesques. Their long white tutus billow with a grace that produces an effect which takes you out of this world.

Bravo!

Joe Miller, conductor

As his program notes said:

“This program is about questioning. Questioning how we understand the mystery of divine love. Questioning why we love those who do not love us. Questioning what it is about human nature that makes us keep striving for answers.”

The opener, Knowee, started with four female singers entering from the back wailing their lost son’s names with an urgency and fear that only this situation can present. It was followed by a pastoral choral section sung with peaceful expression and angelic sounds.

Another highlight was the pairing of two poems set to music: Flower of Beauty composed by John Clements and Newlyweds composed by Nathan Jones using a poem by Marjory Wentworth (see related story). The two songs about human love were deeply pure in sound and feeling. As I watched these young singers and saw the commitment to their art form, I realized there is no better education of the whole self in any curriculum than that of the performing arts.

Two ending songs that spoke to the heart were Shanandoah (James Erb) and So I’ll Sing With My Voice (Dominick Argento). This choral landscape that the voices painted was a portrait of the soul that comes only from this human sound. It was truly elevating to hear these untainted young voices. It gave me great hope for goodness that may still exist in the world today.

CBT Soars at Piccolo

I also attended the Charleston Ballet’s Brown Bag and Ballet performance in their King Street Studio Theater, happy again to be in a cool, dark, indoor place in the middle of a hot day as part of Piccolo’s packed list of events.

The program included three pieces that had been performed during their 2009/2010 season, but were still shining bright in this showcase of successful dances.

CBT at Piccolo Spoleto

The first was Lark Ascending choreographed by Bruce Marks with music by Ralph Vaughn Williams. In this contemporary ballet, female soloist  Andrea DeVries was framed by a five-male ensemble that created a wonderful backdrop of strength and design.

The piece was performed with elegant clarity by dancers who moved inspired by ascension. Their  movements reached and extended beyond the body as they appeared to be floating and at times spiraling only to be uplifted again. Effortless lifts as DeVries encountered her fellow partners with dips and dives created sculpted tableaus, with the most stunning at the end as the ensemble lifted her in an attitude shape with birdlike arms that  carried her heavenward.

The other gem of the concert was Bolero with choreography by Helena Baron to Ravel’s luminous and seductive score. Again, the company’s clean line and confident manner shined with a contained passion shown with staccato movements contrasted with sustained ones.  The repetition of the score mirrored repetition of phrases that grew in numbers of dancers on stage and intensity of the performers until the full cast filled the stage reaching the level even of the shouting horns at the closing of the score.

Do not forget our town’s responsibility to support local artists and performers, and please make an effort to show your commitment to one of our important cultural groups.

Dance

ONE LAYER of Lucinda Childs’ DANCE is the eleven dancers who spill across the stage with movement that is like a live feed of entrances and exits in head-spinning sequences that are contained in constant parameters, and propelled by the pulsating flurry of the Philip Glass score which is experienced behind the final layer of Sol LeWitt’s  film projected on a scrim that covers the stage.

Like a wash of sight and sound, DANCE transports you to another place and time, in a work that is still resonant after 30 years! The work was originally unlike any before it, and since then we have seen much like it from different choreographers who use Glass and his Eastern minimalist looping scores. Today, video and film are common elements of much post modern work. But seen again today, the work remains freshly transportive in a hypnotic triage of mediums together. You must be prepared for what you will see, because it is not narrative work that stands up to our expectations of what dance should be. This was Childs’ motivation: to push the boundaries of the common definition of dance. The use of space and time and energy are unusually stretched and intensified.

The vertical carriage and the simplicity of the arms above the skittering footwork displaying petite allegro are the ingredients that Childs never veers from during the 55-minute performance.  The dancers, dressed elegantly in white, weave through the footage and skim above the music, with an s elegant and joyous result. There are subtle changes in direction and timing that can only be reflected in Glass’ score, and as you watch and stop predicting big changes, you notice delightful small ones.

Most powerful is the second section which shows the projected image of Childs dancing in the original version. She stands and faces the audience with a look of confidence and intensity–watching us, watch her. As the performer, Caitlin Scranton, dances through the film spinning and swinging her arms in a commanding way, we see a dancer caught in the movement almost being taken over by it as seen in early ritualistic dancing. Kudos to Spoleto for bringing this important dance for us to enjoy.

Unbound Dance Company

I also slipped into a Dance at Noon  performance to see Unbound Dance Company. Under the Artistic Direction of Caroline Lewis-Jones and Susan Marie Dabaney, these dancers from Columbia are true powerhouses. The ensemble of 12 or so present several dances with the common theme of hope and the human will to survive during the challenges of cancer–for those it takes and for those left behind. The dancing is charged with graceful athleticism and is strong enough to communicate on its own without the overuse of text and melodramatic sequences that fall prey to being too literal. There is no doubt about the dedication of these dancers to their subject matter and the beautiful investment they have in their impressive dancing.

I also caught Fabiana Cozza, a Brazillian Samba singer, at the Cistern on Saturday night. The singer had a beautifully rich voice that came from deep within. Her movements and the musical spell she created were perfect in the setting of the sweltering, sultry night at the College of Charleston Cistern below a huge unbrella of oak trees adorned with Spanish moss that seemed to sing along with the soulful performer.

Gallim Dance

TODAY’S MODERN DANCERS are not dealing with the emotional palate of yesterday. Their responses to the world deal with an ever-changing sense of psychology, technology, and culture.

The form of modern dance is at its best when the perspective is fresh, the movement is original, and the performers are invested—which was true of the Gallim Dance performance at Memminger Auditorium during Spoleto’s opening weekend.

The piece titled I Can See Myself in Your Pupil with choreography by Andrea Miller evolves and accelerates through a seamless journey into the human psyche where the dancers explore how they respond to the world around them. The first half is more cerebral, while the second half escalates into a lively, dynamic display where individuals who seem abstracted in the first section ultimately come into their own in a quirky glimpse of young urban life.

Gallim Dance

There is great freedom in Miller’s choreography. Reckless abandon is used often and the search for movement within movement seems to motivate the dancers (four women and three men), whether they move as an ensemble exploding with energy that can stop short or burst forth with an array of violence, playfulness, or primal force—or as a duet that is awkwardly tender—or in solos that portray a juxtaposition of shape and gesture.

The music spans an array of sound and styles which seem to come from many corners of the world. The costumes, too, change often, as do their colors and textures.

Andrea Miller

The lighting by Vincent Vigilante aptly displays the dance in its many moods and dynamics. The eloquent and fluid dancers are strongly engaged and their bodies move in surprising ways that clearly portray Miller’s themes in a most enjoyable way.

cast members of Oh George!

ROBERT IVEY first came to Charleston in 1976 when Gian Carlo Menotti asked him to choreograph an opera for the first Spoleto Festival in 1976. “I was in Italy performing with the Ballet of Sweden and was one of the only Americans at the Festival,” says Ivey, who today is the charismatic director of the Robert Ivey Ballet Theatre and artistic director of the Footlight Players Theatre.

“I agreed and came to Charleston to choreograph The Queen of Spades, an opera by Tchaikovsky. It was a wild time, that first festival, and Charleston was one big party!” He returned the next year to choreograph La Traviatta which was filmed by Exxon’s Great Performances. During that time the College of Charleston’s Fine Arts Head, David Maves, asked Robert to lead the dance classes at the College where he still teaches ballet today in the Cato Center for the Arts. Twelve operas later he was well ensconced in the cultural scene of Charleston and Spoleto.

He adds that, “Menotti was quite difficult and always wanted to change things and have the final word. When Piccolo Spoleto first cropped up to showcase local talent, Menotti turned to the more international events.” It was then that Robert began the Dance at Noon Series whose first performances were held on the second floor of the Gibbes Museum. Today seven companies are included in the series which is presented at the Footlight Players Theatre. The shows run about an hour and the companies come from around the southeast to present modern, jazz, and ballet performances.

Robert Ivey

He has also written and directed a musical revue for the upcoming festival called Oh George! On Stage with George Gershwin. A cast of 16 sing 30 Gershwin favorites under the musical direction of Marcia Goldsmith who is a new talent to the city. Says Robert, “It’s really about Gershwin’s love affair with music. The grand piano is on stage and the singers are dressed in evening gowns and tuxes to show the sophisticated elegance which was Gershwin’s style.” The show will run six times during Spoleto.

Another interesting insight he mentioned was that, “When George Gershwin and his brother Ira were young, it was Ira who was given piano lessons and George would terrorize the neighborhood on his roller skates. But when everyone went to bed, George practiced the piano and became a much better player than Ira, which is why Ira was the song writer and Gershwin wrote all the music.”

The other connection to Charleston, of course, is that George was friends with DuBose Hayward who had written a play called Porgy, and which, with Gershwin’s help, became the first American Opera: Porgy and Bess.

Most would agree that Robert Ivey’s talent is as endless as his energy, and that he is a gem to this city’s healthy cultural scene.

Oh George!

Tickets $21–$26

Tel (843) 724-7295
Fax (843) 720-3967
www.piccolospoleto.com

-OR-
Charleston Visitors Center • 375 Meeting St.
Office of Cultural Affairs • 180 Meeting St.

Footlight Players Theatre • 20 Queen Street

SAT 5/28 @ 8:00 PM
SUN 5/29 @ 6:00 PM

THU 6/3 @ 8:00 PM
SAT 6/5 @ 8:00 PM

THU 6/10 @ 6:00 PM
SAT 6/12 @ 5:00 PM

(and don’t forget to check out the Dance at Noon events at www.piccolospoleto.com)

Oil by James Moore

THE MUSIC of standard (classical) ballet is instrumental. And because there are no words to get in the way—of the choreographer, the dancers, or the audience—expression through movement, and its interpretation, are free to span a wide spectrum, and to take their time doing it.

Things get tougher for everyone, though, when there are lyrics. Because now there is a literal story to tell and be heard. Now everyone is looking for description as well as feeling. The choreographer is pressed to communicate—and the dancers to demonstrate—every word, or at least every phrase. And the audience unwittingly listens to the lyrics as much as, if not more than, to the melody.

Unless the synchronization of words, music, and steps is exactly right, and as soon as it’s wrong, the dancing becomes tedious. Rhythms slow down. Movements become fragmented. The fluidity that is the essence of dance—particularly of ballet—stiffens up.

Stephen Gabriel

Matching lyrics to classical solos is perhaps where choreography faces its most daunting challenge of not letting artistry succumb to verbal storytelling. And, indeed, that’s where The Charleston Ballet Theatre’s performance of The Little Mermaid—albeit a production for children—drooped at times. In its defense, though, it was confronted by not one, but two adversaries: the lyrics and a large video screen with moving images (which created an effective backdrop for the otherwise bare stage, but which worked best when the images were still, not moving).

The good news, however, is that choreographer Stephen Gabriel more than compensated for these lapses with his small-tandem and corps-de-ballet pieces which were upbeat, magical, and fun. He did it, in part, through the use of Broadway-like steps and gestures that almost transformed this “ballet” into a musical cabaret. Doing so loosened up the choreography, the dancers, and the crowd. The music clearly called for it, and it brought the story alive in a refreshing way.

Jonathan Tabbert

Stephen was also fortunate to have several CBT dancers supporting the Children Series dancers. One who stood out for me—his dancing carried the musicality of the story throughout—was Jonathan Tabbert in the role of Sebastian. His relaxed, effortless style, his sustained concentration, and his effervescence made him fun to watch and draw energy from. The same could be said for Melissa Weber who danced the role of Flounder. I’m only sorry she wasn’t on stage more often.

With even less time on stage, but dancing with presence and panache, was Alexander Collen as Chef Louis. In fact, his brief solo parts were possibly the best of the show in terms of their camouflaged complexity, their expression of the character he was playing, and his synchronization of both with the music. Alexander is a wonderfully pure dancer (as I wrote in this post about him and Stephen last year).

Melissa Weber

Another fun performance to watch was the role of Queen Ursula, danced by Christina Slaton (who I unfortunately could not find a photo of). Her costume was great, here energy toward the audience was piercing yet likeable, and she obviously enjoyed bringing out the despicable Octopus’s sultry side.

But the main credit goes deservedly to dancer-turned-choreographer Stephen Gabriel who, I think, has a special talent for group choreography. To get so many dancers, not only to dance in unison, but to blend and switch and reunite through a complex series of movements, is a rare achievement even in the world’s best ballet companies. And Stephen does it seamlessly.

Alexander Collen

Having seen Stephen, who is a terrific actor as well as dancer, be so animated in his performances, it was nice to see him sitting quietly in the technical booth watching the multiple parts of his directorial labor unfold as a whole.

Bravo.

This version of the beloved tale was choreographed by CBT’s ballet master, Stephen Gabriel, who says, “It’s a fusion of ballet and Broadway danced by professional dancers and some of the most talented students in Charleston”—who, by the way, come from Stephen’s “Broadway Dance Project” and whom were chosen from auditions. During the year they perform in CBT’s Children Series as well as at Piccolo Spoleto.

Stephen adds, “I have had some of these same students for five or more years and have seen them grow to become stellar performers. Guiding them through their artistic growth and seeing them enjoy that time on stage is quite extraordinary.”

You’ll think so, too. Come enjoy a delightful show. Introduce your kids to the wonder and majesty of ballet.

Tickets $10–20
Black Box Theatre • 477 King Street
SAT, May 15 @ 11:00 AM and 1:00 PM
SUN, May 16 @ 3:00 PM

Charleston Ballet Theatre

]]> http://www.charlestontoday.net/2010/05/13/the-magic-of-dance/feed/ 0 http://www.charlestontoday.net/2010/05/06/a-trock-of-our-own/ http://www.charlestontoday.net/2010/05/06/a-trock-of-our-own/#comments Fri, 07 May 2010 01:11:19 +0000 Eliza Ingle http://www.charlestontoday.net/?p=5274

Bobby Carter

SOME OF YOU may remember watching a young African American dynamo dancing with the Robert Ivey Ballet 20 years ago. His technique was nearing perfection for a teenage boy, his stage presence was assured, and his energy was unstoppable. His name was Bobby Carter and he is returning home as one of the headliners for Spoleto with the nontraditional troupe, Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo.

I recently spoke with Bobby on the phone from his home in Brooklyn, NY where he was taking a breather from an intense touring schedule. I asked him how it feels to be coming home as a success. “It’s amazing,” he said in a much lower voice than I remember. “I’ve been waiting a really long time for this. After being with this company for 15 years it’s been a long time coming.”

We talked about what in his Charleston childhood had been important in preparing him for his life today. “I was very fortunate to work with Robert Ivey who introduced me to the local arts scene and exposed me to all the possibilities in both dance and theatre. Also my mother wanted my sisters and I to take advantage of as much culture as we could. She had never gotten that opportunity herself. She’ so excited about my coming here, she’ll probably have to be tied down.”

The “Trocks”

The Trocks, as they are affectionately known, are an all-male ballet company that dresses and performs as ballerinas. And though they are completely unconventional, they have enjoyed success and respect as a company that satirizes the ballerinas of the historic Ballets Russes. Each dancer takes a stage name that spoofs the Russian dance divas of yesterday. Bobby, for instance, uses the stage name, Olga Supphozova.

Dancing traditional repertory, the Trocks perform both genders and with a lot of personality (‘campy’ is often used to describe their style). You may wonder at first whether to take them seriously or not, but as Bobby has said, “I have a lot of artistic freedom which allows me as an artist to take it and run. We are all individuals of different heights and sizes, and we come together and show our non-conformity which is larger than life.”

Olga Supphozova as The Dying Swan

When I asked Bobby how people should prepare to see their performance, he replied, “We are for people who know a lot about ballet and for those who don’t. A lot of the comedy is open-ended and fun for everybody. And for those who may not know much about ballet, our performances often spike their interest—we consider ourselves ambassadors of the art form.”

The Spoleto program will include the Second Act of Swan Lake, Go For Borrocco (a signature piece and a spin off on Balanchine’s choreography), The Dying Swan, and Paquita (where Bobby is unofficially known as the fouette Queen, spinning off 32 turns). One reviewer said that Bobby has “greater mastery of the female technique than most females I’ve seen.” Interestingly, I can remember seeing Bobby in rehearsal at Robert Ivey’s studio and watching him shadow, not the male partner but the lead ballerina—and doing a better job at it! I see now that it was a true sign of things to come.

Charleston is lucky to have one of our own returning to this renowned festival, and although you may take the company with a grain of salt, you will see some great dancing and be very entertained.

Shows $15–$75
Gaillard Auditorium
Fri 5/28 @ 7:00 PM
Sat 5/29 @ 8:00 PM
Sun 5/30 @ 2:00 PM

Tickets
• Online at www.spoleto.org
• By phone at (843) 579-3100
• In person at the Gaillard Auditorium box office, 77 Calhoun St. (open 10–6)