Roving Pittsburgher Report, A Triple Play with the Aspen Santa Fe Ballet

A Triple Play with the Aspen Santa Fe Ballet

by Helene Vidovich and Martin Thomas

Pittsburgh Dance Council of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust started their 2014-15 season on October 11th featuring three commissioned works performed by the Aspen Santa Fe Ballet. Aspen has a population near 7,000 -- it makes sense that they would combine efforts with Santa Fe to field a dance troupe. Both were mining towns in the Rockies and as distances go out West, not really very far from each other.

The first two sets were sparse. Black/white lighting, with the use of spotlights and

Courtesy of Company

shadowing, made things appear and disappear right before our eyes. This stage effect leads us into the depths of the dancers' creativity. The third set, awash with color, used bold lighting changes behind fabric to create the atmosphere. It is amazing what can be accomplished with good lights and a scrim, or two, or three. As the old Vaudeville adage goes, “It packs flat and plays big.” It does. .and did.

The Byham Theater is a beautiful place to watch a show, but from where we were sitting, the sound could use some adjustment. Again, the metallic and electronic sounds were so loud we needed earplugs. When the violins started, they were much softer and difficult to distinguish over the sound effects. In the first piece, “Square None” by

choreographer Norbert De La Cruz III, the music ranged from industrial sound effects that were thundering loud on the bass, to cellist and strings, and Handel Oratorio. The synthesized music on the second piece, “Beautiful Mistake” by choreographer Cayetano Soto, reminded Martin of Josquin des Prez. The third one “Heart(s) pace” by choreographer Ezio Bosso, was a minimalistic piece for strings that had more dissonance then the second -- quite the type of music you would associate with modern dance.

Courtesy Aspen Santa Fe Ballet

Three separate choreographers provided a “what will they do next” anticipation between sets.  The dancers were five women and six disparate men who worked together to become a unit while creating drama and tension. Costuming showed their physiques and accentuated their movements. They exhibited the strength of gymnastics and the grace of ballet intermingled with modern dance movements. The stories they revealed seemed intricate and complex. This provoked a lively discussion all the way to New Kensington on our ride back from "dahntahn" Pittsburgh.

Martin Thomas, Singer, Songwriter, Composer, Videographer
Helene Vidovich, Freelance Cultural Reporter, Graphic Designer, Videographer