It was a night with an all-USA theme as Pacific Northwest Ballet opened its last repertory presentation of the season, “American Stories”. From Jerome Robbins’ “Fancy Free” with music by Leonard Bernstein, to Balanchine’s “Square Dances” with 18th-century music by Corelli and Vivaldi, to Twyla Tharp’s “Waiting at the Station” which she set on this company just three seasons ago to music of Allen Toussaint, it was a celebration of American-ness. It was also a reminder, if you needed one, that this company performs this sort of work supremely well.
Three of the company’s best, Seth Orza, Jonathan Porretta, and James Moore, danced the three ebullient sailors on a night’s leave in “Fancy Free,” and from their first rollicking burst onto the stage through their showing off to each other, their competition over the girls they picked up, and their camaraderie, they were a mirror of sailors-on-leave behavior in every last detail—except of course that most sailors are not superb dancers as well, and this was all done through dance and tiny gestures, like hitching up their belts.
As for the women, Noelani Pantastico had the flirty girl down pat in every detail, the tilt of her head, the swish of her hips, the sideways glance; Leslie Rausch, the good girl drawn in half reluctantly until she sees her friend, and at the very end, the seductive streetwalker, Elle Macy, trailing herself in front of the—by then—tired and slightly drunk sailors, all had the moves and character to the last detail. All three were good but Pantastico was perfection in dance as in persona.
Pacific Northwest Ballet soloists Leta Biasucci and Benjamin Griffiths in Square Dance, choreographed by George Balanchine © The George Balanchine Trust (Photo © Angela Sterling)
The American character of “Square Dance” comes in the dance itself, an American invention but with roots in 18th-century dance, brought together by Balanchine. Costumes here were Balanchine classics, designed never to detract from the lines and movements of the bodies: leotards and T-shirts for the men, thigh length skirts for the girls, neutral colors.
Benjamin Griffiths and Leta Biasucci as the lead dancers have increasingly been paired together and they make fine partners. Biasucci didn’t warm up until the slow section of the first pas de deux when suddenly the flow of their movement took on magic and from then on she delivered the spark which, added to her impeccable technique, made her a pleasure to watch. Her technique is always excellent but at times she seems correct rather than inspired. Here inspiration took over.
Balanchine’s use of the stage as kaleidoscope is always fascinating as the twelve corps dancers moved away and together in every changing patterns of grace.
Pacific Northwest Ballet principal dancer James Moore with company dancers in Twyla Tharp’s Waiting at the Station (Photo © Angela Sterling)
Tharp’s “Waiting at the Station” was tailor-made for this company and it shows. Every character, every dancer, fit the roles in the slightly smoky set of a New Orleans train station in 1940, and many had a chance to shine: James Moore as the aging father gathering strength to show his son the steps, Price Suddarth as the eager-to-learn son, both with quicksilver moves; the quartet of passengers, Pantastico and William Lin-Yee, Laura Tisserand and Porretta, strutting their stuff; the other passengers as chorus, all kept the narrative and life flowing in Tharp’s often tricky moves, expertly executed, always within character.
Whereas most are in 1940s garb, the three Fates honing in on the Father have odd costumes, short gold tutus like stiff flower petals with bath caps on their heads, enhanced by amber lighting (James F. Ingalls) whenever they danced. They were often not quite together. The finale, with Father returning briefly after his jazzy funeral, ends on a high note when the steam engine, cowcatcher on front, arrives, then recedes carrying Father with it.
This rep is pure dance only in “Square Dance.” Character fully developed is essential in both outer works on the program, and they fail if not present. PNB is superb here. Each dancer, corps member or lead, inhabited the character he or she was dancing, and brought out the life, the color, the story of each work. Not that dancing is secondary here. But this, too, showed off the many strengths of dancers and corps members.
They were abetted by the sets, Oliver Smith’s with its bar and leaning lamppost in “Fancy Free,” Santo Loquasto’s dilapidated station in “Waiting at the Station;” and the fine pacing and playing of the PNB orchestra under Emil de Cou for “Fancy Free” and “Station,” and Allan Dameron in “Square Dance.”