Emporia Gazette - September 22, 1977 Page 2 Ballet Performance Opens Season for Arts Council By Theodore C. Owen It was expecially fitting that two dancers from the distin- guished American Ballet should ‘open the 1977-78 season of Em- poria Arts Couneil offerings, as they did in Albert Taylor Hall Wednesday night. For it was that group’s beauti- ful and exceptionally well re- ceived performance two years ‘ago (in the new high school au- ditorium) that led to the forma- tion of the Emporia Arts Coun- cil, under the inspired and tire less leadership of Rosamond Hirschorn, and the development of last. year's impressive Artist Entertainment Series. Emporians liked the dancers in their first appearance, and they were enthusiastic about them again last night. The main floor was packed. ‘As the name “Stars of the American Ballet suggests, the Program is presented by a select group of 12 performers from Teading American dance groups. rather than by a full ballet corps. and features the artistry of the two super-stars, Careena Brock and Ted Kivett But there were two fully de- veloped ensembles, one for five and the long concluding drama for twelve, that presented some elaborate and admirably routined choreography. ‘Program notes indicated that ‘an accident during a recent per- formance in Houston had neces- sitated the replacement of the two leading stars, Suzanne Fa rell and Peter Martinis by the Brock-Kivett duo. Which simply proved that American ballet companies have an excellent bench, as the Latter were superb. ‘They appeared first ina pasde deux choreographed to music by Delibes that was pure poetry. both in its flowing grace and in the gravity-defying artistry with which even the most compli- cated steps were so effortlessly executed, ‘And their virtuosity was still more brilliantly shown in their ‘Tehaikovsky number preceding the last intermission, which found them dancing almost as much to applause astothe lilting score. The choreography here was by George Balanchine — land it showed the master’s hand in every increasingly exciting and gymnastically. dazding. episode. ‘The two choral pieces were in marked contrast to the classical grace and elegance of the prog- ram's three other parts, in both music (boldly, often stridently, modern) and action (starkly and ‘strenuously realistic). ‘The first, entitled “Abyss,” involved a pair of lovers, por- trayed by Phyllis Papa and Rus- sell Chambers. and three em- bodiments of evil and monstrous madness, Thomas Banasiak, Larry Hunt, and Sergio Cal. There was no mistaking the tragedy of idyllic happiness cruelly destroyed by the savage ‘encounter, and Miss Papa's de- picting of the ravished maiden was particularly moving in its pathos and silent eloquence. ‘The program coneluded witha longish but undeniably impres- sive piece of symbolism por- trayed by these same two leads, powerfully aided and abetted by the ten other dancers of the company (not. of course. includ: ing Brock and Kivetb. Its title was “Solstice” and its theme was the ever-recurring eyele of darkness-light, darkness-light in the human experience with all its complexities — even right down to date with a gay touch or two. In costumes and lighting that reduced them to strikingly ele- mental human-form simplicity, the dancers enacted a capsuled account of the search for love. light, and renewed life, cul- minaiing in the choice of & new couple to reign through the Sok stice, and the 40 minutes of fren- zied ‘action permitted never a dull moment or an even momen- tarily uncrowded stage The score, by Mike Oldfiels, ‘was equally potent and unrelent= ing, and everyone was pretty ‘well drained by the time the New Couple were raised, halfway to somewhere, in their silvery gondola and the riotous rites Were rited. Incidentally. the performers should be given all possible praise for the superlative qual ity of their sound track and the sheer beauty of the whole audit- ory effect achieved. It was ‘Sumptuous, and should serve as ‘model for all incoming attrac tions that wish to make use of a sound system to enhance their wares. Stereophonic and amplified sound can be both bril- jant and beautiful.