REVIEW: BalletX Both Fanciful And Versatile
Apr 7th, 2009 | By Dance Journal Staff | Category: Dance Stories
By LINDSAY WARNER, The Bulletin
In many ways, a company’s maturity is measured by its ability to carry off a work of great playfulness.
BalletX dove headfirst into silliness at this weekend’s Spring Series performance, debuting a new piece by Christine Cox, titled “The Striped Cat.”
Loosely based on a storyline from Dr. Seuss’ The Cat in the Hat, Ms. Cox fits a new style of choreography on the spry young company, sending its members cavorting around the stage in pursuit of the fanciful fun found in a children’s book. Laura Feig and Kevin Yee-Chan set the tone as the two children who are visited by the mysterious visitor in a striped hat; Ms. Cox works in a series of modified pirouettes as she represents the children’s desperate search for entertainment on a lazy afternoon, countered by the nimble, jazzy dancing by Tara Keating, the Lady in the Hat, who provides a much-needed diversion on this rainy day.
The interaction between the children, the Lady in the Hat and the agitated Pet (Anitra Nurnberger), who worriedly oversees the Lady’s intrusion, is compelling, danced to music both classical and contemporary. However, the piece doesn’t reach its climax until the Lady in the Hat’s “Friends” appear. READ FULL STORY IN THE BULLETIN
