Los Angeles Ballet: New Wave LA

Last Saturday I went to Santa Monica to see a performance by the Los Angeles Ballet. My parents and sister accompanied me (though reluctantly, as all three were more concerned with the fact that they were missing a Lakers basketball game...). I thought it was wonderful! I was relatively lukewarm about LA Ballet's rendition of the Nutcracker about a year and a half ago, though I think that that was result of just being tired of the Nutcracker in general. This, though, was exciting, with fantastic choreography and performances. The sets and costumes were not elaborate- the LA Ballet was either unconcerned or unable to put on a grandiose spectacle, but the show's pared down nature was unsurprising considering its connection with contemporary dance.

The first piece, Mandy Moore's "Wink" was intriguing, flowing, and cohesive, but for some reason was not my favorite. I think it lacked the level of energy and passion that I like to see in dance. My dad claims he enjoyed this piece, but as he was most likely checking the basketball game score continuously at this point of the ballet, I don't really know how much he paid attention.

The second piece, Josie Walsh's "Transmutation," was fantastic! It had a good amount of edginess to it and was high energy and darkly exciting. The dancers fascinated me - they looked like extremely tall, long-legged abnormal creatures. I was definitely in awe of them.

The third piece by Travis Wall was "Reflect, Affect, Carry On..." (I think I got that order correct). The choreography was really beautiful, and the music was as well. I loved the way the dancers connected and danced in a very "cause and effect" sort of way. It was like a very connected, harmonious chain of events, even though the characters themselves were somewhat less harmonious. This was my sister's and mom's favorite piece, largely, I imagine, because it was pretty.

The fourth piece by Sonya Tayeh was "The Back and Forth" and was bull-fighting themed in a completely innovative way. This piece was the biggest departure from "ordinary ballet" for me and I loved it. It was continuously exciting and I thoroughly admire Tayeh's inventiveness. It was a very spicy piece, but in a very un-cliche way and for that, I really appreciated this piece.

I'm a little worried that the Los Angeles Ballet may not be getting the support it needs from the city of Los Angeles, so I think that connecting with LA's famed and well-loved contemporary choreographers was a great idea. I wish this company and its school had been around when I was younger and studying ballet!