Confidence is Key: The National Ballet of Canada at the Kennedy Center

Such a busy time for the ballet at the Kennedy Center! I saw Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake last week (read that blog post here), and yesterday I saw the National Ballet of Canada for the first time. I saw a mixed repertoire of four different pieces. Those kinds of performances can be hit-or-miss: there's no one story line to follow, and chances are you'll prefer one of the pieces over the others. Here's what I thought:

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1. The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude

I did like how classic this piece was; the program said it was created as, "an homage to traditional classical and neo-classical form as perfected by Petipa and Balanchine." It was graceful and beautiful to watch. I liked the backless (looking) outfits, but I was not a fan of those stiff tutus. I was thinking they looked like lily pads, or the chargers you put around a plate when setting the table for a fancy dinner. But I certainly got a good look at the super-strong legs of the two male dancers, Naoya Ebe and Harrison James! All in all, I thought this was a good piece to use for the beginning of the performance. It's the kind of dance that ballet fans are expecting to see. Below is a video so you can get a taste of this dance:

Not the same company, but you get the idea. Image found here.

2. Approximate Sonata 2016

This was probably the most modern of the evening, which is probably why it wasn't my favorite. The music was a recording, and much of the time it wasn't so much music as it was noise, like a heavy bass beat that you would expect from the intro of a rock song (except it kept going on and on). I was thinking how difficult it must be for the dancers to keep time to sounds rather than music, but honestly, how could we as the audience have noticed if they were off anyway? The dancing was very similar to contact improv, except it was clearly highly choreographed. The set was also very strange: there was a blue and black background with a mesh screen that would go up and down throughout the dance (quite distracting), with the word "yes" popping up. Yes to what? Honestly, my favorite part was the very end, when Sonia Rodriguez is talking to Spencer Hack and still dancing while the curtain was falling. At least that was kind of different and unique; and it was over.

Here's a clip from this piece:

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3. Petite Mort

I was most looking forward to this piece! I first learned about it when I was watching the TV show Breaking Pointe. One of Ballet West's dancers at the time, Ronnie Underwood, was talking about it, and it sounded so cool. "Petite mort" means orgasm in French, so I was expecting a really sexy dance. At first there was no music, and the male dancers were on stage playing with swords; different, but I could get behind that (especially the "whoosh" noise the swords made in the air). But once the music started playing, I lost interest. The piece is set to two piano concertos written by Mozart; the music is beautiful, but forlorn, depressing classical music does not make me think of sex at all. And even though the dancers were touching, it wasn't necessarily in a sexy, passionate way. And when the moves were "sexy," they were a little cliché, like the women spreading their legs widely or the couples rolling on the floor next to each other. My favorite part was when the women had large dresses on wheels that they would roll across the stage, popping in and out behind them as if they were getting dressed or undressed. But overall I was underwhelmed, and the piece did not live up to my sexy expectations. Watch the video below and see if you agree:

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4. Piano Concerto #1

I liked this piece, but it was long and at the end, so I definitely fell asleep. There was a long musical intro of Shostakovich's "Concerto #1 for Piano," which was a little annoying since I was there to see the ballet, not a concert. I figured the long intro allowed the team time for a set change (see below), but the celestial bodies hanging from the ceiling took longer to set up than I would have expected. But the set as well as the two-toned onesie costumes made me think of Star Trek, which was kind of fun. I did like the dancing, but again, it was late and I honestly can't remember specifics about the piece.

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Here is a video to give you a better idea:

I kind of which I had bought a ticket to the company's performance of The Sleeping Beauty, which they are performing later this week. Womp womp!

To read a much more detailed account of the show, check out this piece from DC Theatre Scene.

PS: Before the show, my friend and I checked out the Chinese New Year lantern exhibit in the Kennedy Center's new REACH area. They were so cool! Here are some photos: