Sarasota Ballet performs De Valois, Balanchine and Robbins
Each of the pieces in the final concert of the Sarasota Ballet’s 2016-17 season is special in its own way, Margaret Barbieri said, but the way the program is structured should make it especially fulfilling for audiences.
“It starts off dramatically with ‘Checkmate,’ then moves into two non-story ballets by (George) Balanchine, which are quite tricky, and then you end up with a fun-filled Jerome Robbins ballet,” Barbieri said.
The program is titled “De Valois, Balanchine & Robbins,” and its scheduled for this weekend at the Sarasota Opera House, with performances Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The Sarasota Orchestra will perform the music.
Barbieri, the assistant director of the Sarasota Ballet, is staging “Checkmate,” the dramatic piece by Dame Ninette de Valois, the founder of Britain’s Royal Ballet.
It’s a special work for Barbieri, who danced the lead role of the Black Queen early in her career. Barbieri had been considered a romantic dancer up until that point, and it was de Valois herself who urged Barbieri to stretch herself by taking a major dramatic role.
It starts off dramatically with “Checkmate,” then moves into two non-story ballets by Balanchine, which are quite tricky, and then you end up with a fun-filled Jerome Robbins ballet.
Margaret Barbieri
“She really did mastermind our careers,” Barbieri said. “That’s why I’m here. That’s why Iain (Barbieri’s husband, Sarasota Ballet director Iain Webb) is here. She’s responsible for that.”
The ballet’s characters are anthropomorphic chess pieces. There’s a chess game and a battle, but the central story line has to do with the Red Knight falling in love with the Black Queen.
The music comes from composer Arthur Bliss, who came up with the original concept for the ballet, which is now considered de Valois’ signature work..
(There’s a commercially available DVD of Barbieri dancing “Checkmate” with dancers from the Royal Ballet and the Birmingham Royal Ballet.)
On this weekend’s program, “Checkmate” is followed by two short Balanchine works, “Valse-Fantaisie,” a romantic piece of classical choreography, and “Tarantella,” a showcase of nimble virtuosity.
The two Balanchine pieces are physically demanding for dancers, Barbieri said.
Balanchine expresses the music in such a beautiful way. Every dancer wants to dance his work.
Margaret Barbieri
“They’re short, I think nine or 10 minutes each, and they’re non-stop,” she said. “Balanchine expresses the music in such a beautiful way. Every dancer wants to dance his work.”
The Robbins piece, “Fancy Free,” is getting its company premiere this weekend. It’s a lighthearted story ballet about three sailors on leave in New York City during World War II. The three sailors meet two young women, and compete to see which two will get the girls and which one will lose out. They have a dance-off and then a fist-fight, but that predictably fails to impress any of the three young women.
After the more substantial de Valois and Balanchine pieces, Barbieri said, the Robbins ballet will feel like a tasty dessert after a sumptuous meal.
“I think it’s a fabulous program” she said, “and then they’ll go home feeling happy after ‘Fancy Free.’ ”
Details: April 28-30, Sarasota Opera House, 61 N. Pineapple Ave., Sarasota. 7:30 p.m. Friday, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday. $30-$110. 941-359-0099, sarasotaballet.org.
Marty Clear: 941-708-7919, @martinclear
This story was originally published April 26, 2017 at 4:02 PM with the headline "Sarasota Ballet performs De Valois, Balanchine and Robbins."