Dance Review by Sarah Osterman Myers

Posted on Chicago Stage and Screen

BalletX

Uncertainty rocked the dance nation after Jennifer Homans questioned ballet’s mortality in her 2010 historical epic, Apollo’s Angels: “Today we no longer believe in ballet’s ideals. We are skeptical of elitism and skill, which seem to us exclusionary and divisive.” Yet, belief was definitely alive and palpable in The Dance Center on Thursday evening as BalletX intermingled hip rolls, upside-down waltzing, moonwalking and indie rock music with arduous ballet technique, stimulating the audience with an infectious performance and earning a standing ovation.

Hailing from Philadelphia and led by founders Christine Cox and Matthew Neenan, BalletX aims to experiment, explore and bring innovative work to the stage while conserving technical rigor. Though the show’s four pieces by three different choreographers were diverse in theme and pace, the overall impact was one of stylized ambition. Eclectic movement vocabulary involving ballroom, Gaga technique and intense partnering demanded versatility from the company’s ten dancers, who exuded the unmistakable prowess of hardcore ballerinas but also knew how to break down, ground into the floor and draw from a variety of elements with ease and contemporary panache.

The show opened with Joshua L. Peugh’s Slump, a lively demonstration of swirling madness, musicality and humor danced to Klezmer, jazz and mambo music. The dancers personified the “slump” motif with slouching upper bodies, floppy limbs and vacant looks, contrasting the fast-paced, Yiddish folk sounds of Freylach No. 15 by Klezmer Juice and making the whole endeavor feel frenzied but hilarious. Having technically-trained bodies maintain the kind of lackluster, unmotivated energy associated with “slumping” whilst performing festively upbeat, polka-driven movement was not only choreographically genius— it was wildly amusing.  

Valentine’s Day, Peugh’s other choreographic work, transported the audience from Slump’s whimsical world into a more intimate setting. The duet performed by Zachary Kapeluck and Andrea Yorita was subtle and soft but felt less romantic and more true to the dazed confusion that love can evoke. Performed under a single overhead light, Yorita wore a simple nightshirt, exposing the true feature of the piece: Her arches. She continuously rolled through her pointe shoes— rising slowly and then lowering, stopping on pointe in second position grand plié to pour her arches over the shoes— all in an effort to transfix Kapeluck, who wound up fluttering in circles around her.

Delicate Balance, choreographed by Jodie Gates, was a smoky and elusive jungle of flicks, arabesques and promenades. Athleticism and endurance were on display as the dancers attacked a series of unforgiving, William Forsythe -esque movement phrases, reminding the audience of why “ballet” is part of the company’s title.

In The Last Glass, choreographer Matthew Neenan found ways to combat Homans’ doubt in ballet’s longevity by synthesizing trendy street movement with the delicacy of classical ballet and earthy physics of modern; a blend that felt strangely identifiable and in sync with contemporary times. His circuslike world allowed individualism, relationships and celebratory realizations to fluctuate and waver to the folk wave sounds of Beirut, which not only gave the piece some indie spirit but also furthered its accessibility to modern generations.

Throughout the evening, dancer Chloe Felesina captivated the audience with her full-bodied and fearless abilities as well as her expansive range of emotions. But in The Last Glass, she embodied Neenan’s choreography with such authenticity that her performance may have single-handedly verified the revolutionary capacity of ballet.

The next two performances are scheduled for Friday, September 19 and Saturday, September 20 at 8pm at The Dance Center, 1306 South Michigan Avenue. Single tickets are $30. For information, call 312-369-8330 or visit colum.edu/dancecenterpresents.

Tags: BalletX, Christine Cox, Matthew Neenan, Joshua L. Peugh, Jodie Gates, Chloe Felesina, The Dance Center, Sarah Osterman Myers