November 9–16, 1995

critical mass|dance

Russian Ballet Theater of Delaware

Playhouse Theatre, Hotel du Pont, Nov. 3-4.

If the name of this troupe has you scratching your head, here's a quick fill-in on their background. A few years ago a Russian dance company, the Donetsk Ballet, went bankrupt while touring the United States. A group of concerned balletomanes in Delaware helped them get back on their feet. The core of that dance group is now the corps of Russian Ballet Theater of Delaware.

This program kicked off their second season with a selection of dances ranging from classic to modern to a mixture of both. One piece in particular received a lot of pre-show ballyhoo —A Salute to Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, by New York City Ballet's Robert LaFosse, but I felt the entire slate was commendable, save for a somewhat self-conscious duet (Grand Pas Classique) by guest artists Molly Smolen and Timour Boutasenkov.

The evening opened with Mozart Serenade, a world premiere by the Joffrey Ballet's Daniel Baudenistel, which highlights the troupe's Russian-based technical training. Dancers were precise without being overtly rigid. The piece requires a superior sense of timing for six couples who zigzag through intricate patterns looking regal all the while. A big bravo, especially for Anna Ivanova and Pavel Kambalov, who in this and another work, the pas de deux from La Corsaire, prove a splendiferous pair. Ivanova's fluid grace balances well with Kambalov's sophisticated elegance and strength.

Another Baudenistel premiere, Raven, had this choreographer/dancer and Leslie Browne in a primal pairing in which he plays a virile yet tender Tarzan out to woo a sensuous, alluring Jane. A soundtrack of steady tribal drumbeats plus a stage design of dark backdrop, starburst spotlights and enveloping mist imbue the work with atmosphere and a veil of taut anticipation.

The grand finale, the Fred and Ginger salute, is more conventional than one might expect. Drawn in classic ballet formations, it merely injects inferences of Astaire and Rogers such as hand glides and a touch of soft shoe. I think the fact that these were Russian dancers helped preserve a tone of tribute rather than imitation: The RBTers play off the essence of the famed dance couple's suave style without camping it up. Still, in this case, a bit more gaiety might have served as a more appropriate homage.

— Deni Kasrel