Some favorite “Creations” will be shown off by Modesto’s Central West Ballet
The Modesto premiere of a famous Tchaikovsky work joins a look back at 15 years of dance from Central West Ballet.
“Creations, Choreography in America” celebrates the Modesto company’s tenure under Artistic Director René Daveluy. It will be presented at the Gallo Center for the Arts on Friday and Saturday, March 20-21.
Daveluy says the program is “a unique, exciting program of dance fireworks and original ballets, a must see for enthusiasts.”
“The dancers of Central West have been the inspiration behind many original choreographic works and concepts of mine,” Daveluy said in a press releas. “We have pushed our own boundaries and ideas over the years, making this repertory program something of our own, that was originally created for Central West Ballet.”
Balanchine duet
The program will take on a celebratory feel, he said, thanks to the company receiving permission from the George Balanchine Trust in New York to also bring in a famous duet, “Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux,” performed for the first time in Modesto.
“This is a rare Balanchine standalone showpiece,” Daveluy said, “a traditional and exciting duet with solos and a coda, but with a neoclassical flair. It is superb and demands high levels of technical prowess. We are grateful that the Balanchine Trust allowed us to present this wonderful Pas de Deux”.
The rest of the program consists of three of Daveluy’s original works.
First will be “Fencing Concerto,” which premiered 12 years ago and is a mix of theatrical fencing and progressive movement that Daveluy calls “mesmerizing and fierce.” CWB dancers have had a history of theatrical fencing since he arrived, he said.
“It is one of the first things I implemented for the company when (Ballet Mistress) Leslie Ann Larson and I first arrived in Modesto,” he said. “The dancers were thoroughly trained by Jeffrey Rogers, a ballet and fencing master, and we have kept his training alive ever since.”
Central West also is currently preparing for its presentation at the end of the season of “Romeo and Juliet,” so “Fencing Concerto” keeps the dancers “in good sword fighting shape,” he added.
Love and work
Next on the program will be “Love Duets,” a suite of intricate dances set against projections with original music and choreography by Daveluy. The ballet first was performed on tour and this will be its premiere at the Gallo Center.
“It is a positive and lyrical work,” he said, “and it elevates the soul with beautiful background projections”.
The program closes with “Solitary Workers,” a depiction of day-to-day office work. Daveluy based the piece on the modern style of American dance icon Martha Graham.
When “Solitary Workers” premiered in 2011, it became a hit both with the dancers and the audience, he said. “It has sweeping moments of inspiration, sometimes intimate, but then these moments are juxtaposed with big-band and (1960s) music, making business deals, happy hour and even weekend escapism.”
“Creations” also will present a film montage of 15 years of the repertory program.
Daveluy noted the importance of having presented three Val Caniparoli ballets and three Balanchine ballets from 2010 to 2015. “The ballets by these two celebrated choreographers gave our dancers a crucial development and maturity, which in turn enabled me to continue creating challenging new works for the dancers.”
CREATIONS, CHOREOGRAPHY IN AMERICA
WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, March 20-21
WHERE: Gallo Center for the Arts, 1000 I St., Modesto
TICKETS: $27-$39
ONLINE: www.galloarts.org
This story was originally published March 10, 2020 at 12:44 PM.
