Fall for Dance: Program 3
The Houston Ballet, Julie Kent and Stanton Welch, directors, opened the program with Welch’s genteel "Clear" to music by J.S. Bach. Originally staged on American Ballet Theatre, the Houston dancers, seven men and one lonely lady, couldn’t have been better: smooth, exuberant, beautifully trained and rehearsed and musical to a fault. Bare-chested, wearing tight pants that flared at the bottom, the men performed Welch’s classical ballet-based choreography which ranged from simple classroom steps to bravura leaps and partnering. Yuriko Kajiya, the mostly ignored female, appeared to exist to be ignored by the men who barely interacted with her and then only in the slower movements. What distinguished the steps in "Clear" were the unusual arm movements that sometimes seemed to have emotional overtones, but mostly made lovely shapes as the dancers showed off their soft-edged virtuosity, particularly Connor Walsh who whirled madly about in a series of fouettés, usually the preserve of female dancers. [more]
