Contemporary to classical: Amherst Ballet presents a collage of works

By MELISSA GARBER Bulletin Contributing Writer

Published on March 07, 2008

From Salsa to the Chinese theory of the five elements, from David Bowie to Sleeping Beauty -- Amherst Ballet's concert this weekend, "Dance Diversity: A Collage of Works," has it all.

"There's so many interesting things to do and talk about through dance," said Catherine Fair, Amherst Ballet's director.

The concert begins in China with "Five Elements," a dance based on the Chinese healing arts. The piece was a collaboration among guest choreographer Alison Ozer, media artist Carlos Fontes and composer John Cooper. They all met in a yoga class at the Hampshire Fitness Center in Amherst, where they developed the idea for the piece.

"This is a modern piece, pulling from many different styles of dance, yoga and improvisation," said Ozer, who has worked as a rehearsal director for Amherst Ballet. "We all went out on a limb to stretch beyond things we've already done."

For example, rather than starting with a finished piece of music to choreograph, Ozer's choreography and Cooper's composition evolved together. Neither was a separate entity, instead both were produced simultaneously so that the two arts worked together to create a complete piece.

Fair was hesitant about the idea at first. "It's the first time we have ever done something like this," she said. "We've always come to the choreographer with some music. It took some faith."

And her faith was rewarded. "It's pleasing and it fits," Fair said. "The qualities of the dance are symbiotic with the music."

Five dancers perform the piece, including Elizabeth Duda, Sara Klugman, Camille Kemache, Lili Johnson and Julia Sillen, all of Amherst. Each dancer represents one of the five elements: fire, earth, metal/air, water and wood.

Each element, in turn, represents a number of characteristics. For example, metal/air symbolizes the lungs and large intestines, as well as autumn, and the colors white and gray. Ozer has tried to incorporate each of the seasons, the colors and the organs that the elements represent into her choreography.

"Through the movement I am trying to express some of the qualities of the five-element theory," she said.

The musical prelude to the piece will feature a video created by Fontes, who is a professor of communication and director of the Center for Global Studies at Worcester State College. Fontes collected the images for the video locally, and also in his travels to Ecuador, Portugal, Ithaca, N.Y.

"It's going to be a great visual feast for your eyes," Fair said.

Cooper, a composer who has worked in Thailand, India and with the Paul Taylor Dance Company in New York, used the Takadimi method of counting rhythms that he learned in India, to compose the music.

"It's a way of doing rhythm that is very fluid," Cooper said. "It's a very powerful way of thinking of movement."

Contemporary to classic

The program then moves from China to Latin America with "Che Che Cole," a combination of salsa and mambo dance. Student dancers prepared for the piece for several months with Latin dance instructor Anastasia Christie.

The piece is choreographed by husband-and-wife team Hector DeJesus and Sasha Jiminez, members of the Hacha y Machete Dance Company in Boston.

"It's a fun, light-hearted Salsa piece," Fair said. "It's social dancing choreographed to the stage."

From there, the audience moves to outer space with David Bowie's, "Space Oddity," choreographed by faculty member Jenny Bennett-Mansur. The piece was first performed at Northampton's First Night. The program concludes with a journey back to ballet's roots. About 40 dancers will perform selections from Tchaikovsky's, "The Sleeping Beauty," choreographed by Fair and faculty member Joanna Duncan. The costumes were hand-constructed by parent volunteers, based on the Paris Opera Ballet's designs. "It's a big, beautiful classical ballet," Fair said.

Still, as this weekend's concert demonstrates, "Dance is no longer just about the classical ballets," Fair said. "The world is too interesting and different. The art of dance has to evolve with the culture."

Amherst Ballet presents "Dance Diversity: A Collage of Works," in Bowker Auditorium in Stockbridge Hall at the University of Massachusetts Saturday at 2 and 7 p.m, with a matinee Sunday at 2. The Sunday performance will also include a show by the younger classes.

Tickets are $16; $12 for children, students and seniors. They can be purchased from Amherst Ballet at 549-1555 or the Fine Arts Center Box Office at 545-2511.