Program: Director’s Choice
March 14-23, 2014
Seattle’s McCaw Hall
Susan Marshall’s Kiss is part meditation, part circus, part soliloquy (the dancers spend almost more time apart than together), and (when together) intimate duet.
Arvo Part provides the mesmerizing yet minimalist music. What a thrill it was to see Carla Korbes return to the stage (post-injury), as captivating and focused as ever. More on principal dancers: In State of Darkness, Jonathan Porretta (in the opening night cast) was a mass of focus, sweat, and sheer determination.
- Corps dancers Leah Merchant and Andrew Bartee in the world premiere of Alejandro Cerrudo’s Memory Glow
Corps dancers rocked this program, none better than Andrew Bartee (dancing like a principal) and Leah Merchant. But the evening’s top star was Kaori Nakamura, who will retire from the stage in June, 2014. Here, in Take 5, she was striking — spritely but powerful, wickedly clear yet playful with tempo, accessible but not — Nakamura’s performance aura and style will be deeply missed.
