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Round 2, Session 2, June 22

Katia Garza & Sergiu Brindusa
© Richard Finkelstein

Tonight we saw sixteen dancers, six of them Juniors, ten Seniors, four of them dancing as two couples and a fifth with a non competing partner. Two Juniors also danced as couples, one with a ceded partner. Two pieces reflected some genuine choreographic value, two others displayed some distinct dramatic values, and two pieces were created by contestants for themselves.

Troy Schumacher, U.S.A., the 15-year old I identified as “a comer” danced to Dvorak under the title of Double Take, a solo created by Stephen Pier whom Dan Thomas identified as a Juilliard School product. Thomas also mentioned young Schumacher had been studying ballet just two years. The source of the double take was a red object down stage right, which became both a focus, and later a reference before Schumacher grasped it in his hand.

Courtney Clarkson, U.S.A., traded her fresh winsomeness for a short sleek black tunic with heavy black accents for this second round, to perform Anthony Salatino and Roberto Munoz’ Interludio Nocturno of Julian Plaza. Forgettable music, she looked smashing and danced well.

Melissa Hough, U.S.A., who had made such a nifty impression with her second variation in Round One, creamed it for me with me with Colleen Parker’s choreography for And All That Jazz under the title of Chicago. Hough’s rendition brought down the first rave response of the evening in a tight-fitting black costume, held together by net because of the front plunge. The high cut over the hips showed a third of each buttock and was cut from the hip bone to a thin-V in the front. While I give Hough full marks for her energetic jetes, kicks and turns in black pointe shoes and excellent ability to manipulate a black bowler hat, it accomplished little for her artistic impression. If burlesque is her aim, she’s ready to start tomorrow. One could stretch the definition of art as skill, I suppose, but the number did not belong in a ballet competition.

Kenta Shimizu, Japan, danced Primo Amore with his ceded partner Maria Hibi, a number with the sounds of a guitar. In two shades of blue, Shimizu partnered well and presented a pleasant image very much in keeping with the concept of first love.

Keigo Fukuda, Japan, danced to a kitchen sink medley in Kyrie M in Keiko Yagami’s study of contemporary and ideal extremes. Snippets of Gregorian Chant, Stravinsky’s Sacre du Printemps and W.A. Mozart were utilized to convey the extremes between exaltation and the fatal endurance test of Sacre. Fukuda gave it his all, assisted by excellent lighting for those opposites.

Yun Kyung Shin, South Korea danced with a stylish short costume of red accents, black or ink blue and gold spangles. On pointe, her beautiful port de bras provided us with Spanish curves in Beautiful Girl, Pan Lili’s brief solo to Jamie Texidor’s Amparito Roca. It displayed her characterization well and her point work was impeccable, but the piece itself was essentially trivial.

After Intermission we moved into the seniors with Dugarai Altankhuyag, Mongolia, dancing to his father’s music. The lights never rose to the point where Durgarai’s solo Nature revealed the spider-like lines drawn on his body with grease paint, the spider image itself present on flat side of his back just above the curve of the buttocks. {Richard Finkelstein caught it on film and I saw it this morning.} His is a very flexible body and he is quite capable of conveying images close to the earth. It would be fascinating to see what he could do with Nijinsky’s creation ‘L’Apres Midi D’Une Faune.'

Flavia Garcia, Brazil, Carmen Miranda on pointe, danced a totally opposite piece whose title led me to believe we would see another sizzler. When Your Fingers Touch My Skin, a form of J.S. Bach music utilized by choreographer Ricardo Scheir, was anything but that with her non-competing partner Jurandir Rodrigues. Garcia, wearing black jazz shorts and a short white flowered tunic, was asked to convey lethargy and apathy, while Rodrigues was required to express astonishment at a near developmentally-challenged level . Both managed to complete their assignment to such an extent that I would call it the "You do nothing for me" hit of the evening.

Chiaki Yasukawa, Japan danced a piece of her own making to forgettable music and titled The Unknown Passage. I think she was the barefoot entrant for the evening, cutesy, designed to provide her a technical vehicle of some complexity. She accomplished that with admirable brevity.

Elizabeth Hansen, U.S.A. and Daisuke Takeuchi, Japan, danced a repeat of Courtney Clarkson’s choreography. Hansen was wearing a sedate black skirt for this number and Takeuchi looked as if he was definitely ready to tango. I would like to have paired Clark and Tekeuchi in the same pas de deux, which might have made the pas de deux a striking number.

Cristian Laverde Konig, Columbia’s selection was a stark contrast to the preceding pas de deux and the solo following his portrayal of Andronicus, dancing a Roman warrior/gladiator macho portrayal create by David Fernandez to Elliot Goldenthal’s score. Naturally, macho equals tension and control, admirably conveyed a taut control in the shoulders and low, swift port de bras loaded with strong energy. Making for a concentrated center it elicited a strong response in the balcony.

Chauncey Parsons-Hildestad, U.S.A. had the benefit of Yves de Boutellier as choreographer. I’m willing to suspect de Boueillier is related to Bernard Courtot de Boutellier who was one of two men’s silver medallists in 1998. Satie’s Gnossienne’s was arranged by Claude Chaloub in an effective display of Parsons-Hildestad’s legato ease and length of line accented by tight white tunic and tennis-like trousers, The sole accent being a narrow blue sash. Good music enabled good repetition of movement themes, and a very Gallic rendition of a youthful human meander.

more of Katia Garza & Sergiu Brindusa
© Richard Finkelstein

Katia Garza, Mexico and Sergiu Brindusa, Romania danced to a pop piece by Yoad Nevo and Gil Brown, Winter, which choreographer Israel Rodriguez titled By An Angel. It required Garza to portray collapse; faltering and in extremis 95 percent of the time as the lighting changed from two disparate spots to reds and greens. Brindusa, in another bare-to-the waist costume spent an equal 95 percent of the time trying either to reach or to sustain her. It made quite an impression on the audience and they danced with full out energy.

Dorian Grori, Albania, consolidated his impression on me with Marinel Stefanescu’s "Doina ‘Planto Senza Lacrime" danced to the evocative sound of a Romanian folk tune performed on a folk windpipe. It produced an extra eerie quality to the melody, a tonal timbre which might well have come from one of the Peruvian mountain pipe instruments. Like many of the men dancing in the second round, Grori was dancing in tights, stripped to the waist. Stefanescu’s choreography for this piece shared the same thematic quality of supplication that was created the previous night in the use of Gounod’s Ave Maria, but the thin, solitary wind sound provided a more penetrating musical background. Grori danced impressively. Not least was his ability to retain ease in torso and port de bras in elevation and turning. What Stefanescu required of Grori’s hands also spoke to sensitive interpretation.

This piece is part of Ballet.co's overall Jackson Competition coverage. The competition runs from the 15th to the 30th June 2002 and we plan daily reports to keep you in touch:
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