State Street Ballet’s ‘Brilliance Program’ Was a Brilliant Finale to a Spectacular Season

State Street Ballet and the Opera Santa Barbara Orchestra Receive a Standing O at the Lobero

"To Do Less With a Certainty," full company | Photo: Heidi Bergesteren

State Street Ballet (SSB) ended its 30^th season May 9-10 at the Lobero with the Brilliance Program, an eye-popping, jaw-dropping performance that showed off the incredible range and virtuosity of the dancers. And what a season it has been, from the mystery of Scheherazade and the magic of Firebird to the charm of Nutcracker, with its unique Rat Queen (I love the Rat Queen!), to the innovative and delightful Little Mermaid with the incredible under-the-sea puppets and its message of love, to Evenings — the studio showcase in which eight of the dancers created beautiful, fascinating, and humorous new works — to the finale, Brilliance, a tour de force of a program that pulled the whole season together.

This 30^th anniversary season was made even more special by the orchestral accompaniment for each program: Scheherazade and Firebird were accompanied by the Santa Barbara Symphony, conducted by Nir Kabaretti; the Opera San Luis Obispo Grand Orchestra, conducted by Brian Asher Alhadeff, played Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker and the world premiere of Charles Fernandez’s brilliant music for The Little Mermaid. And The Brilliance Program was accompanied by the Opera Santa Barbara Orchestra, under the baton of Kostis Protopapas, with the Gershwin piano solos spectacularly played by Timothy Accurso.

Brilliance was, well, absolutely brilliant! With no story to hide behind, the program was a sparkling masterpiece of raw technique, and every single dancer shone brilliantly. Starting with classical Arpino choreography to gorgeous music by Verdi, followed by the genius of Balanchine set to 1930s music by George Gershwin, and ending with a crazily difficult blend of jazz, hip hop, and contemporary dance by award-winning choreographer Kassandra Taylor Newberry, the Brilliance Program left me speechless!

What a tremendous range of style, expression, and technical prowess was displayed by the SSB dancers. And, as the audience learned in the Q&A after the show, they accomplished all of this in only four weeks of rehearsal! Cecily MacDougall, Executive Director, said in a pre-show interview, “I don’t know if our dancers have ever been this challenged by choreography before. They are being pushed to the limit.” The dancers certainly soared to new heights with this program.

“Birthday Variations,” a beautiful classical piece with choreography by Gerald Arpino, co-founder of the New York–based Joffrey Ballet, set to music by Giuseppe Verdi, launched the show. The piece premiered on March 6,1986, commissioned by Becky D’Angelo as a birthday present to her husband Dino, who owned Chicago’s Civic Opera House, and loved Verdi’s music. Anna Kisselgoff of the New York Times called “Birthday Variations” a “sparkling showpiece of classical dancing.” I could not agree more!

Harold Mendez, center, supporting Brenna Chumacero, Amara Galloway, Akari Kato, Aimee Le, and Maria Rita Rapisarda in “Birthday Variations” | Photo: Heidi Bergseteren

Beginning with a striking lighting effect from which the dancers emerged as if from behind a curtain of fog, Arpino’s choreography was danced to perfection by Brenna Chumacero, Amara Galloway, Akari Kato, Aimee Le, Maria Rita Rapisarda, and Harold Mendez. The costumes, on loan from Fort Wayne Ballet, were stunning! The women each wore a different pastel-colored romantic tutu, with glittering rhinestones in their hair, while Mendez wore a rich, dark green velvet jacket (and tights, of course). Very classy!

“Birthday Variations” began and ended with all five dancers on stage, with six solo variations and a pas de deux in between. In the opening section, Mendez partnered all five ladies, at one point supporting them all in arabesque penchée en pointe, looking like the center of a gorgeous flower. In the discussion after the show, he described how difficult it was to support all of them, and Rapisarda expressed their collective gratitude that he did not let them fall!

Mendez danced the first variation in his exquisite style, with multiple turns, high jumps, and perfectly executed entrechat six.

After the first solo by Mendez, each of the beautiful ladies took a variation, with a lovely pas de deux danced by Mendez and Kato.

All the variations showcased the charm and artistry of each soloist, building to the final variation in which Galloway performed a sequence of show-stopping, perfectly executed, direction-changing fouetté turns, eliciting applause and cheers from the audience. I was blown away.

Brianna Patrick, Saori Yamashita, and Arianna Hartanov in “I Got Rhythm” from “Who Cares?” | Photo: Heidi Bergesteren

Next on the program was “Who Cares?,” choreographed by George Balanchine to music by American composer George Gershwin. When Balanchine was invited to Hollywood by Gershwin in 1937 to choreograph for the Oscar-nominated film The Goldwyn Follies, he had the intention of starting a fruitful collaboration with the American composer, as he had done with Russian composer Igor Stravinsky. Gershwin sadly died later that year, before the film was released, and their collaboration never had the chance to continue. Many years later, in 1970, Balanchine choreographed “Who Cares?” to a suite of 16 songs composed by Gershwin between 1924 and 1931.

I grew up in New York City at a time when students could get cheap “rush” tickets at Lincoln Center’s N.Y. State Theater, so as a teenager I went to the ballet several times a week during each season. Watching Balanchine’s choreography now, as an adult, is for me like watching Einstein in motion: pure genius, visualizing intricate patterns in space and time. The six dancers — Ethan Ahuero, Arianna Hartanov, Ryan Lenkey, Brianna Patrick, Gabriel Ramirez, and Saori Yamashita — executed his choreography with precision and playfulness rivaling the legendary Balanchine dancers I grew up admiring.

The final work, “To Do Less With a Certainty” by Kassandra Taylor Newberry, a multiple-award-winning choreographer based in Atlanta, was commissioned by State Street Ballet for the 30^th anniversary season. Amazing in its detail, danced with absolute precision, and using both melody and spoken words to create the musical landscape, “To Do Less With a Certainty” reminded me of a cross between Ohad Naharin’s choreography for Batsheva Dance Company of Israel, and the choreography of Santa Barbara’s Meredith Ventura for Selah Dance Collective.

Speaking about the piece, Newberry said, “It speaks to the idea of minimizing unnecessary mental clutter while maintaining a grounded sense of confidence … reprogramming our internal truths — challenging long-held beliefs and allowing new realizations to emerge … seeking greater balance and alleviating the mental fatigue caused by negative self-talk.”

Gabriel Ramirez and Saori Yamashita in “The Man I Love” from “Who Cares?” | Photo: Heidi Bergesteren

The simple, all-white costumes added to the stark nature of the choreography and made the incredible precision of the whole company really pop.

Executive Director Cecily MacDougall said, “The final piece of the show is a clear depiction of where contemporary dance has gone.”

I must admit that when the orchestra left, I was a bit disappointed, but when I heard the music for “To Do Less” I was blown away. The piece began with “Heaven I Know” by Gordi, which has a fascinating rhythm in 16/8, counted by a whispered voice throughout the song saying, “one-two-three, one-two-three, one-two-three, one-two-three, one-two“). Newberry said of this section, “The opening sequence, marked by the rhythmic repetition of ‘123, 123, 123, 123, 12,’ represents the relentless cycle we often find ourselves in — the habitual actions and thoughts we seldom pause to question.”

The rest of the musical accompaniment consisted of selections by The Books, an American-Dutch duo (Nick Zammuto on guitar and vocals with cellist Paul de Jong), and spoken sections by poet Toby Lurie.

Newberry has developed a love for music editing, as it allows her to “craft something unique — something that feels entirely my own and unfamiliar to the audience.” She has been drawn to works by The Books for over a decade because their “quirky, unexpected qualities make it always feel fresh and thought-provoking,” while the spoken sections by Lurie “create a sense of fragmented thought — mirroring the way our minds operate when we’re multitasking or stretched too thin.”

“To Do Less With a Certainty,” Brenna Chumacero and Felipe Aravena Covarrubias | Photo: Heidi Bergesteren

“To Do Less With a Certainty” ended with “An Animated Description of Mr. Maps” by The Books, an eclectic piece with a pounding back beat that appeared to shift between a fast 4/4 meter and 6/8, vocal harmonies somewhat reminiscent of Simon and Garfunkel, and spoken words which end with a final message: “I want all the American people/To understand that it is understandable/That the American people cannot/Possibly understand.” Comforting? Or distressing?

Newberry said of her work, “By the conclusion of the piece, each dancer stands at the threshold of renewal, prepared to embrace a redefined sense of self. The work ultimately suggests that while life may be filled with repetitive rhythms and external expectations, we are not bound to follow them — we have the agency to forge our own path.” Words of wisdom for us all to live by.

What a program! “I think for the audience, it’s going to be pretty mind blowing,” said MacDougall prior to the show. It certainly was!

“[This program] shows what a fantastic company State Street Ballet is. We’re doing classical, we’re doing neo-classical, and then the whole company comes out and does this incredible piece,” said Artistic Director Megan Philip. She added, “All the dancers in the company stepped outside of their comfort zones with this show, and I couldn’t be more proud and impressed by them.” I heartily agree!

See statestreetballet.com.