When the Sarasota Ballet put Ricardo Graziano's "Shostakovich Suite," on the first program of its 2011-2012 season, it was a risk. The principal dancer had not choreographed anything of significance to that point and his merit as a dance maker was entirely unproven.
How things change. This year, when one of the three ballets Artistic Director Iain Webb planned for the company's penultimate bill of the season proved unavailable, he turned to his by now reliable go-to-guy, adding a reprise of "Shostakovich" to a program that already promised a Graziano world premiere.
Juan Gil and Danielle Brown in Ricardo Graziano's "En las Calles de Murcia." / Photo by Frank Atura
Webb's confidence is largely well-placed. While Graziano's newest piece, "En las Calles de Murcia," has some unevenness, it made clear the 28-year-old's voice, vision and skills have matured. Unlike his earliest work - a classical piece on pointe with all the bravura moves of a typical Russian "tutu ballet" - this flamenco-flavored ballet, to music from different periods by Santiago de Murcia, showed his preference for a contemporary style. Danced in soft shoes and relying on turned in positions and contracted cores, it echoed the work of the Spanish choreographer Nacho Duato, with a sprinkling of Martha Graham (contractions) and Twyla Tharp (flexed feet).
Led by Juan Gil and Danielle Brown, who start in near darkness (lighting by Aaron Muhl), six couples in a variety of combinations take turns in this multi-movement abstract piece, which is by turns dramatically dark and rustic and folksy. (The backdrop and even some of the vernacular, was reminiscent of Christopher Bruce's "Sargeant Early's Dream," performed earlier this season.)
The strongest movement is the second, a pas de deux for Gil and Brown that underscored Graziano's gift for crafting partnering, demonstrated in last year's "Before Night Falls." Their exchanges were fiercely intense, with a passionate push/pull that ceded as much strength to the female as the male.
Ricardo Rhodes and Victoria Hulland in "En las Calles de Murcia." / Photo by Frank Atura
Other sections were lighter, including a playful trio with the always buoyant Logan Learned at its center. But a Baroque segment devoted to giving each of the remaining five couples a spotlight moment, went on too long and failed to move the piece forward creatively.
As for "Shostakovich," I had some of the same issues with it I had on first viewing. While it was cleanly and proficiently danced and Bill Fenner's gorgeous pink and black costumes were as striking as ever, I still think it suffers from too much "busy-ness" and, at any rate, 24 dancers are far too many for the size of the Mertz stage and the scope of this work.
With the exception of Victoria Hulland, who's able to make the most frantic phrases seem fluid, the choreography doesn't allow much room for musicality or interpretation. It was great, however, to see Christine Peixoto back after a year-long injury layoff and to watch Paul Branco, a corps member, stepping up to the plate to partner Hulland.
The finale of Ricardo Graziano's "Shostakovich Suite." / Photo by Frank Atura
The finale — "Company B," Paul Taylor's wartime tribute to love, loss and the jitterbug to songs from the Andrews Sisters — was an opportunity for the dancers to let loose after the technical rigors and dramatic demands of Graziano's work. There were too many full-out performances to cite every one, but the men particularly stood out - Gil as a James Dean/Elvis Presley bad boy in "Tico-Tico," David Tylaie as the nerdy "Oh Johnny!" and Learned as the indefatigable Bugle Boy. And all six men in the cast no doubt welcomed the opportunity to roll around on the floor, ogling and drooling over the flirtatious and spirited Elizabeth Sykes, in the "Rum and Coca-Cola" section.
Graziano's next challenge is already on the horizon, and a major one it is. He'll premiere a new work in August — this time in front of an audience likely less adoring and more discerning — when the company makes its first appearance at the venerable summer dance festival, Jacob's Pillow, in Massachusetts.
Elizabeth Sykes and her many admirers in the "Rum and Coca-Cola" section of Paul Taylor's "Company B." / Photo by Frank Atura
With Graziano's track record, Webb says he isn't worried. But once the choreographer's work is seen outside Sarasota, Webb may have to start sweating over just how to keep his rising star from jumping ship.
DANCE REVIEW
"GRAZIANO AND TAYLOR," Sarasota Ballet. Reviewed March 27 at the Mertz Theatre, FSU Center for the Performing Arts, 5555 N. Tamiami Trail. Additional performances March 28 and 29 at 2 and 7:30 p.m., March 30 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets $35-$105. 359-0099, ext. 101; www.sarasotaballet.org.
