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    • Ralph Stalter
      • Feb 26, 2019
      • 4 min read

    EMAV Review: Nevada Ballet sparks mid-winter inspiration with new work, a diverse program, and the L

    Updated: Mar 8, 2019



    Images captured by Virginia Trudeau Photography

    The cast of Nicolo Fonte’s Crane/ing.

    ★★★★½ - Delicious

    Nevada Ballet Theatre’s (NBT’s) mid-winter program at The Smith Center featured four Las Vegas premieres including a World Premiere, "Crane/ing" by renowned Choreographer Nicolo Fonte. Commissioned exclusively for Nevada Ballet, this never-before-seen ballet featured music by Giovanni Sollima and Donnacha Dennehy. This eclectic program offered by Artistic Director Roy Kaiser included the Las Vegas Philharmonic conducted by Music Director Donato Cabrera. Krista Baker in Crane/ing and Alissa Dale in Firebird

    The February 16th evening opened with RAYMONDA VARIATIONS, which premiered in 1961 at the New York City Ballet, with choreography by George Balanchine and music by Alexander Glazounov. Throughout his life, Balanchine was attracted to Glazounov’s music for Raymonda. He wrote: “to try to talk about these dances in any useful way outside the music is not possible. The music itself, its grand and generous manner, its joy and playfulness, was for me more than enough to carry the plot of the dances.”


    George Balanchine’s Raymonda Variations. Choreography by George Balanchine c The George Balanchine Trust.

    Balanchine focused on various ways to use a dancer's rising on toe, the releve. The five soloists danced brightly and had a workout in this respect, mutually elegant and poised. The cascade of classical solos and pas de deux was filled with sweet waltzes and daring virtuosity.

    Next was a pas de deux from LIGHT RAIN by Gerald Arpino. The NBT performance of this work was part of the Joffrey/Aprino Festival, celebrating the lives of Robert Joffrey and Gerald Arpino by having organizations nationally and internationally perform their works. LIGHT RAIN (pas de deux) included music by Douglas Adamz & Russ Gauthier.

    Light Rain has been the Joffrey Ballet’s signature piece since its premiere in 1981. Created for the Joffrey’s Silver Anniversary, and presented again as the closing ballet of the Company’s Golden Anniversary, Light Rain remains the company’s most beloved and requested work.


    Jaime DeRocker and Steven Goforth in Gerald Arpino’s Light Rain (Pas de Deux).

    Gerald Arpino was the co-founder and resident choreographer of the Joffrey Ballet, directing the company for twenty years after Robert Joffrey’s death. He created this ballet to showcase the new young dancers of the company. “It is my gift to these talented youngsters…I am inspired by their modes and rituals, their passions.” Light Rain, with its accent on youth, its American artists, and its original music, continues The Joffrey traditions begun in 1956.

    The costumes were unitards and, from far away, it was sometimes hard to tell the different genders apart, but, unlike in classical ballet, it didn’t really matter. All the dancers were awe-inspiring at handling Arpino’s mix of modern-dance and ballet.

    NBT was honored to present CRANE/ING, a World Premiere ballet by renowned choreographer Nicolo Fonte -- Music by Giovanni Sollima, Aquilarco #6 (Spinning Top Prelude) and Donnacha Dennehy / CRANE version II.

    Monolithic gestures and poignant subtlety were two extremes in the score that are bound up with Fonte’s own passion for both boldness and intimacy in movement. Even after discovering that the original commissioning of the score was for a dance for machinery, he still found it fiercely “bird-like” and poetically delicate.


    The cast of Nicolo Fonte’s Crane/ing.

    “Crane/ing takes as its main premise that perhaps viewing things from a “bird’s eye” view, we are, metaphorically speaking, able to soar up above to an “oasis in the sky” and from that perspective see the extraordinary beauty below – the extraordinary beauty that exists deep in the collective sacred spaces of our hearts and souls.” (Nicolo Fonte)


    Robert Mulvey in Firebird.

    The final ballet on the bill was FIREBIRD, Igor Stravinsky's breakthrough work of 1910, with choreography by Yuri Possokhov -- one of the most iconic and spectacular of the classical ballets of that era.

    The story is based on a Russian folk tale where Prince Ivan, assisted by the Firebird, destroys the evil magician Kashchei the immortal, marries his princess and brings happiness to the kingdom. Alissa Dale danced the Firebird with strength and delicacy. Her pas de deux with Ivan, Sergio Alvarez, embodied the romantic lyrical brilliance of the choreography. Robert Mulvey, as Kaschie, and Jaime Derocker, as the Princess, also performed with great passion and intensity. This piece definitely stands the test of time.


    Firebird's Christina Ghiardi and Sergio Alvarez.

    Throughout the evening, all of the dancers performed with great beauty and control, delivering first rate performances which captured every breath of the music, and managed the choreography with comfort and confidence, making this another memorable performance. As always, NBT dancers were elegant and rousing in equal measure.

    It takes a world class ballet organization, orchestra -- and their respective artistic leaders -- to bring such new creative work to Las Vegas artists and audiences. May this stellar artistic collaboration between NBT and the Las Vegas Philharmonic spawn many successors.

    Correction: Due to injury, Christina Ghiardi (pictured) was replaced by Alissa Dale in 'Firebird.' An earlier version misidentified the artist in performance. Please accept our apology for this error.

    #vegasmusic #vegasdance #vegasculture #EatMoreArt #vegasarts #vegastheatre #SmithCenter #dtlv #LVPhilharmonic #Stalter #Dance #NevadaBallet

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    • Ralph Stalter
      • Sep 10, 2018
      • 3 min read

    EMAV Review: Sin City Opera's 'Penzance' is a rollicking romp ★★★★★



    ★★★★★ - Irresistible

    Get your Pirate on, matey, and join the band of swashbuckling buccaneers, bumbling British Bobbies, frolicsome Victorian maidens, and the delightfully dotty “model of a modern Major-General” for a rollicking irresistible 5 star romp over the rocky coast of Cornwall. Beloved since its premiere in 1879, The Pirates of Penzance (or The Slave of Duty) is a delightful farce of a classic that is fun for all ages, which wraps up the 2018 Super Summer Season at Spring Mountain Ranch through September 22nd.

    Sin City Opera presents this carefree, delightfully charming story of a young pirate-in-training, Frederic, who can’t wait for his 21st birthday, the day his accidental pirate apprenticeship ends….or does it? Born in a leap year, Frederic discovers he must remain with the raucous band of buccaneers and delay his future with the lovely Mabel who promises to wait, much to the chagrin of her father, the Major General. Bound by his own sense of duty and loyalty to the Pirate King, will Frederic be forced to sail away into the sunset alone or run off to fly high on the seas of love?

    Producer Ginger Land-van Buuren and Artistic Director Skip Galla Katipunan have assembled an extremely talented cast of performers that are all “triple threats” – having the ability to sing, dance and act -- and having far too much fun onstage bringing this “ingenious, clever, wonderfully funny” piece of musical theatre to local audiences. Foremost among this gifted ensemble, in leading roles, are: Rebecca Morris (Ruth), Kayla Wilkens (Mabel), Karsten Pudwill (Frederic), and James McGoff (Pirate King). Notable in supporting roles are: Susan Easter (Police Chief),Kim Glover (Kate), Bonita Hunt (Edith), Kristina Wells (Isabel), Keith Dotson (Samuel), and Stephen Rinck (Major-General Stanley).

    To that solid corps are added twenty-eight very capable chorus members – 11 swashbuckling buccaneers, 10 bumbling British Bobbies, and 7 frolicsome Victorian maidens. Under the guidance of musical director Dean Balan and choreographer Anastasia Weiss, they navigate this most riotous of comic operettas with ease, filling the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area with their joyous harmonies and rhythmically complex dance routines, accomplished with well-clipped military precision.

    The design team has found a perfect balance in support of the overall artistic goals of the production: a simple yet flexible set (Steve Paladie); lighting which is almost imperceptible (Liz Kline), costumes (Ginger Land-van Buuren) that delightfully contrast pirates (swarthy nautical dress), police (ill-fitting, unkempt uniforms akin to Keystone Cops) with the more flamboyant and brightly colored pantaloons, petticoats and bobby socks of the Sisters.

    The Pirates of Penzance is a comic operetta in two acts, with libretto by Sir W.S. Gilbert (1836-1911), playwright and humorist, and music by Arthur Sullivan (1842-1900). Sullivan was unofficial composer laureate of England and favorite of Queen Victoria. Gilbert and Sullivan (G&S) wrote a series of fourteen comic operettas which were wildly popular in their own time and are still widely performed by amateur and professional groups today, over a hundred years after their creation.

    The operetta premiered on December 31, 1879 at the Fifth Avenue Theater in New York with Sullivan conducting -- though a single performance had been given on the previous day at the Royal Bijou Theatre, Paignton, England, to secure the British copyright. Finally, the operetta opened on April 30, 1880, at the Opéra Comique in London, where it ran for 363 performances, having already been playing successfully for over three months in New York.

    It’s hard to find fault with Sullivan’s own appraisal about the operetta upon which he was hard at work in New York on December 10, 1879. He penned in a letter to his mother: "I think it will be a great success, for it is exquisitely funny, and the music is strikingly tuneful and catching."

    True enough! The Pirates of Penzance was an immediate hit and takes its place today as one of the most popular and enduring works of musical theatre thanks to the efforts of Richard D'Oyly Carte, the impresario who turned Gilbert & Sullivan into big business, along with building the opera company and the Savoy Theatre which he built to produce them.

    Sin City Opera “Is Las Vegas' premier contemporary opera company, dedicated to bringing affordable opera and classical music to our community in fresh and exciting new ways”. It is certainly our good fortune that they have brought Gilbert and Sullivan back to town! Let’s have more of it, please.

    #sincityopera #SuperSummerTheater #Stalter #Review #Theatre #Music #Dance

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    • Eat More Art Vegas
      • Jun 4, 2018
      • 4 min read

    EMAV presents the 5th Annual Las Vegas Valley Theatre Awards: And the nominees are...



    There is a lot to celebrate about the 2017/2018 Las Vegas Theatre Season, and it's almost time to come together and do just that! Jacob Coakley founded the Las Vegas Valley Theatre Award program in 2013, in order to help the community identify and promote the best of locally-produced Las Vegas theatre. The Valley Awards were acquired by EatMoreArtVegas.com in 2017, and with thanks to the over 50 year-round volunteer judges from the community, we are pleased to announce the nominees!

    The Valley Theatre Awards show honoring 22 categories of achievement will take place Monday, July 16th at Starbright Theatre in Sun City Summerlin, and is open to the public.

    Here is the full list of nominees for the 2018 Valley Theatre Awards:

    Production - Play

    W;T - A Public Fit

    ANIMAL FARM - Majestic Repertory Theatre

    THE FATHER - Cockroach Theatre Company

    THE GLASS MENAGERIE - A Public Fit

    A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE - Las Vegas Little Theatre

    Production - Musical

    COMPANY - Las Vegas Little Theatre

    MAN OF LA MANCHA - PS Productions & Super Summer Theatre (SST)

    THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE - Signature Productions

    SHREK - Huntsman Entertainment

    YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN, Poor Richard's Players & Super Summer Theatre

    Director - Play

    Kate St-Pierre - THE WOLVES, Cockroach Theatre Company

    Troy Heard - ANIMAL FARM, Majestic Repertory Theatre

    Ann-Marie Pereth and Joseph D. Kucan - W;T, A Public Fit

    Darren Weller - THE FATHER, Cockroach Theatre Company

    Ann-Marie Pereth & Joseph D. Kucan - THE GLASS MENAGERIE, A Public Fit

    Director – Musical

    Joe Hynes - MAN OF LA MANCHA, PS Productions & Super Summer Theatre (SST)

    Leslie Fotheringham - THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE, Signature Productions

    Walter Niejadlik - COMPANY, Las Vegas Little Theatre

    Benjamin Loewy - YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN, Poor Richard's Players

    E. Wayne Worley - BEEHIVE, Las Vegas Little Theatre

    Principal Female Role - Play

    Tina Rice, "Vivian Bearing, Ph.D." - W;T, A Public Fit

    Clare Jaget, "Anne" - THE FATHER, Cockroach Theatre Company

    Shambrion Treadwell, #00 - THE WOLVES, Cockroach Theatre Company

    Aviana Glover, "Demi Williams" - KID SISTER, Majestic Repertory Theatre

    April Sauline, "God and others" - AN ACT OF GOD, Las Vegas Little Theatre

    Principal Male Role - Play

    Gary Lunn, "Andre" - THE FATHER, Cockroach Theatre Company

    Jason Nious, "BJJ/George/M'Closkey" - AN OCTOROON, Majestic Repertory Theatre

    TJ Larsen, "Napoleon" - ANIMAL FARM, Majestic Repertory Theatre

    Glenn Heath, "Eddie" - A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE, Las Vegas Little Theatre

    Marcus Weiss, "Tom" - THE GLASS MENAGERIE, A Public Fit

    Supporting Female Role - Play

    Rebecca Reyes, "Laura Wingfield" - THE GLASS MENAGERIE, A Public Fit

    Marlena Shapiro, "Silda Grauman" - OTHER DESERT CITIES, A Public Fit

    Valerie Carpenter Bernstein, "Soccer mom" - THE WOLVES, Cockroach Theatre Company

    Ginny Beall, "Major" - ANIMAL FARM, Majestic Repertory Theatre

    Barbara King, "E.M. Ashford, DPhil." - W;T, A Public Fit

    Supporting Male Role - Play

    Andrew Calvert, "Jim O'Connor" - THE GLASS MENAGERIE, A Public Fit

    Nick Huff, "Trip Wyeth" - OTHER DESERT CITIES, A Public Fit

    Mike Vargovich, "Balladeer" - ANIMAL FARM, Majestic Repertory Theatre

    Alex Bassett, "Marco" - A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE, Las Vegas Little Theatre

    Tim Cummings, "Man" - THE FATHER, Cockroach Theatre Company

    Principal Male Role - Musical

    Jackson Langford, "Jimmy Smith" – THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE, Signature Productions

    R Brodie Perry, "Don Quixote / Cervantes" - MAN OF LA MANCHA, PS Productions & SST

    Aron Shanley, "Mr. Trevor Graydon" – THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE, Signature Productions

    Adam Dunson, "Dr. Frankenstein" - YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN, Poor Richard's Players & SST

    Ariel Johnson, Fagin - OLIVER, Signature Productions

    Principal Female Role - Musical

    Jessica Washer, "Millie Dillmount" – THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE, Signature Productions

    Anita Bean, "Mrs. Meers" – THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE, Signature Productions

    Cherity Harchis - BEEHIVE, Las Vegas Little Theatre

    Kaci Machacyk - BEEHIVE, Las Vegas Little Theatre

    Katie Marie Jones, "Sheila" - HAIR, Majestic Repertory Theatre

    Supporting Female Role - Musical

    April Sauline, "Amy" - COMPANY, Las Vegas Little Theatre

    Marissa McCoy, "Miss Flannery" – THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE, Signature Productions

    Kim Glover, "Joann" - COMPANY, Las Vegas Little Theatre

    Anita Bean, "Frau Blucher" - YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN, Poor Richard's Players & SST

    Linda Woodson, "Muzzy Van Hossmere" – THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE, Signature Productions

    Supporting Male Role - Musical

    Brandon Albright, "Lord Farquaad" - SHREK, Huntsman Entertainment

    Josh Meurer, "Sancho Panza / Manservant" - MAN OF LA MANCHA, PS Productions & SST

    Glenn Heath, "Peter" - COMPANY, Las Vegas Little Theatre

    Rik Wade, "The Monster" - YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN, Poor Richard's Players & SST

    Anthony Barnaby, "Igor" - YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN, Poor Richard's Players & SST

    Best Ensemble - Play

    THE WOLVES - Cockroach Theatre Company

    ANIMAL FARM - Majestic Repertory Theatre

    W;T - A Public Fit

    THE GLASS MENAGERIE - A Public Fit

    AN ACT OF GOD - Las Vegas Little Theatre

    Best Ensemble - Musical

    SHREK - Huntsman Entertainment

    THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE - Signature Productions

    MAN OF LA MANCHA - PS Productions & SST

    YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN, Poor Richard's Players & SST

    BEEHIVE, Las Vegas Little Theatre

    Choreography

    Ashley Oblad - THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE, Signature Productions

    Keith Dotson - SHREK, Huntsman Entertainment

    Josef Pescetto - YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN, Poor Richard's Players & SST

    Troy Heard - HAIR, Majestic Repertory Theatre

    Rommel Pacson - IN THE HEIGHTS, First Step Productions & SST

    Scenic Design

    Alexia Chen - THE FATHER, Cockroach Theatre Company

    Eric A. Kroger - OTHER DESERT CITIES, A Public Fit

    The Design Ninjas - ANIMAL FARM, Majestic Repertory Theatre

    Yale Yeandel - A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE, Las Vegas Little Theatre

    Eric A. Kroger - W;T, A Public Fit

    Lighting Design

    Ginny Adams - COMPANY, Las Vegas Little Theatre

    Joshua Wroblewski - THE GLASS MENAGERIE, A Public Fit

    Elizabeth Kline - W;T, A Public Fit

    Ginny Adams - THE BIRDS, Las Vegas Little Theatre

    Josh O'Brien - ANIMAL FARM, Majestic Repertory Theatre

    Costume Design

    The Design Ninjas - CLOWN BAR, Majestic Repertory Theatre

    Mary Wantland - ANIMAL FARM, Majestic Repertory Theatre

    Mariya Radeva-Nedyalkov - THE GLASS MENAGERIE, A Public Fit

    RuBen Permel - MARIE ANTOINETTE, Majestic Repertory Theatre

    Rose Scarborough - BEEHIVE, Las Vegas Little Theatre

    Sound Design

    Tim Sage - THE GLASS MENAGERIE, A Public Fit

    John McClain - W;T, A Public Fit

    Peter Fand - ANIMAL FARM, Majestic Repertory Theatre

    John McClain - OTHER DESERT CITIES, A Public Fit

    Toby Allen - THE FATHER, Cockroach Theatre Company

    Stay tuned for your chance to vote for our Audience Choice Award and the announcement of the second annual David Sankuer Memorial Achievement Award, coming soon!

    #ValleyAwards #ValleyRecommended

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