For a limited time, Utah Ballet — the University of Utah’s resident ballet company— will be presenting their first series of the semester. This series features four pieces: “Konservatoriet,” “Women If Possible,” “F.E.M. Queen” and “135”, choreographed by Jeff Rogers, Luc Vanier, Roderick George and Melissa Bobick, respectively.
“Konservatoriet” is a two-act ballet developed by August Bournonville, a Danish choreographer. The set of the performance mimics a dance studio in the Conservatoire de Paris. During the first act, the ballet performers recreate a dance class as it would appear when Bournonville would attend. The next act tells the story of an inspector — Monsieur Dufour — who marries his housekeeper, Mademoiselle Bonjour. The live performance on Saturday was very well executed. The dancers moved effortlessly and their springy, youthful movements matched the uplifting classical music in the background.
“135” is an original piece developed by Bobick, a faculty member at the School of Dance. The performance had 12 dancers who executed each movement perfectly. Their movements were elegant, graceful and somber to reflect the overarching meaning of the piece. The performance was also performed under dimmed lighting, which helped focus the audience’s attention on the dancers. Additionally, the choice of music really ingrained a sense of eeriness and chaos into the dance, which was the central idea of this performance. In an interview with Bobick, she commented on how she spent a lot of time mulling over the idea of chaos and identified pieces of music that she was drawn toward.
“For something to be inspiration, it has to be intimate to me,” Bobick said. She found her inspiration for the piece from a period in her own life — when her daughter was born prematurely and remained in the hospital for some time. Drawing from this experience, Bobick spoke on how the piece grew from feelings of being suspended in chaos and out of control. “How do you get through that?” she said. Over the course of the piece, Bobick hopes the audience can step into the moment and feel each of the dancers sharing their story. Personally, I was definitely moved by the intricacy, depth and execution of this piece.
The second act began with “Women If Possible,” an original piece featuring six ballet dancers, who exhibited quality of body and mind — just as Vanier hoped. According to Vanier, this work is a lesson in empowerment for students transitioning from seeking to please toward thinking about how to own their work as an artist.
“F.E.M. Queen” was the final piece, choreographed by George. The set for this piece was particularly intriguing, as it presented blue lighting and more modern music as well as contemporary dance movements. The dancers’ movements seemed to ooze power, mystery and danger. This piece was geared to focus on the idealism behind feminism and how the audience interpreted feminism. “F.E.M. Queen” draws inspiration from chess and the power of the queen piece in the game.
Overall, the dancers and the caliber of performances were exceptional. As usual Utah Ballet delivers an array of pieces both profound and moving. Should the time present itself, everyone should treat themselves to this set of ballet performances. Visit dance.utah.edu for the dates and ticket information for this event.