Day 304-Pittsburgh Ballet 2018-19 Season- Mozart in Motion-Mozart Collides with Classical and Contemporary Ballet- The Best of Both Worlds

“Sechs Tanze” *

The Pittsburgh Ballet Theater kicked off the 2018-19 season with Mozart in Motion, three separate dances  by  contemporary choreographers George Balanchine and Jiří Kylián accompanied by familiar Mozart compositions played by the PBT Orchestra. This is an opportunity to listen to the symphony and enjoy a unique collision of both classical and contemporary ballet, added comedy, wit, and even some fencing! It’s the best of both worlds.



Reflection 
The song "Ballet", from one of my favorite musicals A Chorus Line says it so well, “everything is always beautiful at the ballet”.  The grace and beauty of the dance and in this show a little Mozart, was a  needed reprieve from some of the ugly local current events. This show with a simplified  backdrop seemed to amplify the details in the  movement and  the masterful sounds of Mozart.

"Divertimento No.15"

“Divertimento No. 15” by guest choreographer George Balanchine, opened with a sea of light pink  dancers against a blue sky background as five women and three men  preformed traditional ballet  perfectly synchronized  to the rhythms of Mozart’s “Divertimento No. 15 K 287 (listen here). The women moved on point and the  men jumped with bullseye timing to the beautifully played  music by the PBT Orchestra.  This choreographer known for getting "people to dance bigger and faster" seemed to do that in conjunction with crisp movements that correlated  to the musical cuts.

"Petite Mort"

 “Petite Mort” and “Sechz Tanze”  both contemporary ballets by Jiří Kylián  added some fencing and humor to this classic art form.  In “Petite Mort” two of  Mozart’s familiar piano concertos came alive with flesh colored costumed dancers on a velvet textured black stage.  This piece had wonderfully  unique choreography with  swords. The  men  manipulated  swords with their feet, tossed them to their hands, rolled them in circular floor patterns and parried them to the music. This reminded me of  Gene Kelly's  famous umbrella partner  in the movie "Singing in the Rain" and Fred Astaire's duo with a hat rack in the movie "Royal Wedding".  This ballet made a sword look like a desirable partner.           

 “Sechs Tanze” ended the ballet with a punch  of humor to Mozart’s Sechs Deutche Tanze (Six German Dances). The dancers, dressed in what resembled period 1800’s undergarments with wigs and powdered faces, moved as whimsically as the music. There were bust of audience laughter which was a reminder that even at the ballet  laughter is always good medicine.

           
My date was coaxed into going to the ballet because of his love of Mozart and he was not disappointed. As lover of dance, I enjoyed the way this ballet complemented the masterful music. In any event, it really was “Mozart in motion” bringing the best of both worlds!

(Mozart in Motion runs until October 28,2018 at the Benedum Center. For tickets  and for more on the Pittsburgh Ballet 2018-19 Season go to pbt.org. Next for PBT is the holiday tradition, The Nutcracker which runs November 20-December 27,2018.)

 * Photo by Duane Rieder

Other Sources
https://www.pbt.org/