Over the weekend, in its first performances since the acrimonious departure of Dennis Nahat, its artistic director and cofounder, Ballet San Jose showed how much it will continue to owe Nahat as well as how it plans to move ahead. There were many reasons to be optimistic and some reasons for concern.
First the good news. It was, in all, a fine show that demonstrated how much these dancers, all of whom were performing during Nahat’s tenure, benefited from his artistic guidance and that of San Jose Ballet School Director Lise la Cour, whose departure two weeks ago was, like Nahat’s, cloaked in HR-speak (la Cour was "released"; her replacement is Dalia Rawson, a company and school faculty veteran).
The weekend’s mixed bill offered hints of the benefits of the company’s new alliance with American Ballet Theatre via artistic advisor Wes Chapman and others. Marius Petipa’s Paquita is not new to the company but has lovely pink tutus borrowed from ABT to go with ABT ballet mistress Susan Jones’ new staging.
Set to music by Ludwig Minkus, Paquita looked a little like a work in progress, receiving a conscientious but not very juicy performance, with demi-soloist Shannon Bynum a wonderful exception.
In the lead ballerina role, Alexsandra Meijer proved herself a good technician but lacked attack and sparkle. Her partner, Jeremy Kovitch, powered through the requisite lifts and leaps but rarely pointed his feet.
Kovitch and everyone else looked far better, moving with zestful unity, in Interplay, a company premiere and a welcome Jerome Robbins playground frolic from 1945 that foreshadowed the witty street style of his West Side Story. It was staged by Robbins veterans Edward Verso, Elyse Borne, and Chapman. Notable performances came from Seth Parker, Maykel Solas, Bethan Namey, and Akira Takahashi, a fearless pyrotechnician.
Graduation Ball, long in San Jose’s repertoire, concluded the program in most entertaining fashion. Choreographed in 1940 by David Lichine and set to various music by Johann Strauss II, it has terrific opportunities for comedy (beautifully supplied by Karen Gabay as Junior Pigtail Girl, Maximo Califano in drag as the Headmistress, and Raymond Rodriguez as the General), and terrific ensemble and solo work. In an impressive cast, Bynum shone as Mistress of Ceremonies, knocking off chains of one-footed hops on point with devil-may-care perfection. Junna Ige and Ramon Moreno shone in a delicate pas de deux, and Solas bounded perfectly in the drummer role, sticks atwirl.
That the dancers have all been rehired for next year comes as welcome news, as does the possibility of a bigger roster.
The main concern is what all this is going to cost and whether the company’s main benefactor, John Fry, who largely engineered Nahat’s departure, will continue to pony up for as long as it takes to get the company on a sound financial footing. Second, but equally important, is whether the company will get back to live music. It’s not a minor concern; it’s a major delineator between first-rank and also-ran.