ALL-BALANCHINE PROGRAM

by ed bruce edbrucevegas@yahoo.com

LATE !

TERRIBLE FIRST IMPRESSION.......NO ONE IS IMMUNE....NO EXCEPTIONS ......YOU LOOSE ONE POINT ON YOUR GRADE FOR EVERY MINUTE LATE....14 HERE ! INCREDIBLE THAT THEY DO NOT CARE.....I HAD A PLACE FOR THOSE 14 MINUTES IN MY LIFE.....MERLE HAGGARD ON FRIDAY STARTED ON TIME.....THE HENDERSON SYMPHONY ON SUNDAY STARTED ON TIME.....NOT HERE ! ! ! NEVADA BALLET THEATRE 14 MINUTES LATE ! IF THEY WANTED TO START AT 214 PRINT IT ON THE PROGRAM I WILL BE ON TIME !

Enough of that for awhile.......anyway the Nevada Ballet Theatre (which cannot tell time) presented an all Ballanchine program for two shows at UNLV'S Ham Hall, big stage, with orchestra....pretty sure the orchestra was on time. Program available thru Balanchine Trust, their excellent program always educates me !

What a project, what a production, what a cost, what a committment for a 1000 patrons who arived on time at 2 PM. Sunday.

First up..... Serenade .....with music from the worlds second greatest composer...Tchaikovsky....WOW....was this something...I almost forgot it was 2:15. Curtain opened with 17 dancers on pointe in that fabulous Nevada Ballet Theatre look which is their standard, 22 dancers for this piece with lots of line movement....just obvious here, the special genius of organized movement....great costumes (Hall of Fame caliber as always )....the orchestra really kicks up the entire production.....music here so good it almost overpowers the dance....I just wonder in awe how this all comes together. I often wonder too how Tchaikovsky would react to Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker and here Serenade.... to the big picture and how it all came together so well, this live sound dresses up the ballet to the top level......the dancers themselves here, not perfect but pretty good, tremendous responsibilty for the dancers to be true to the composer and choregrapher, I salute artistic director James Canfield.....maybe I can buy him a clock !

Second up...... Concerto Barocco over Bach.....more classic stuff I had never seen before and I am sure never will again.....it was true to the script with lovely strings.....just obvious to me that Balanchine and his work are extreme.

Finally after two intermissions..... Who Cares.... over Gershwin ! The orchestra left.....I was heartbroken ! Nonetheless the power of the music was there for 12 Gershwin pieces highlighted by Principal Zeb Nole and wife Racheal Hummel-Nole ! I am so proud of the Nevada Ballet Theatre and its ability to produce a native born Las Vegan like Nole to its top spot....Racheal is also pretty much world class....Thank you.....it would be my guess that Zeb was on time.

Sad that whoever caused this magnificant afternoon to start 14 minutes late caused this 99 A+ show to score 85 B here.