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Cincinnati Ballet students tame Beauty and the Beast
This weekend and next, two locally based dance performances at the Aronoff's Jarson-Kaplan Theater should be several notches above average. On Friday and Saturday, 31 students from the upper levels of the Otto M. Budig Academy of Cincinnati Ballet appear in a world premiere of a full-length BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, choreographed by director DANIEL SIMMONS. Simmons has cast Cincinnati Ballet dancers in lead roles. Opening night, Stephanie Roig portrays Beauty, and Luciano Lazzarotto is the Beast who becomes her Prince (Tricia Sundbeck and Gregg Saulnier are second cast). Simmons' choreography is poised to bring new life to the resonant tale, in which the power of love and inner beauty triumph. Patrick J. Notaro appears as Father, and Heather Liberman (the first Academy Venture trainee to achieve promotion to Cincinnati Ballet) and Kelly Whitaker are also featured. Music is from Elgar and Dvórak. For added impact, a cellist and violinist from CCM's Starling Chamber Orchestra will also appear onstage in one scene. A glimpse into studio rehearsals last week convinced me the pros will have to work just as hard as the students. Simmons especially praises Lazzarotto's characterization: "He's a very intense performer -- all eyes will be on him." Tickets: 513-621-5282 ... Next weekend, CONTEMPORARY DANCE THEATER's traditional season-closer, CHOREOGRAPHERS WITHOUT COMPANIES features works from Jacqueline Garcia, Diane Germaine, Judith Mikita, Linda Reiff, Cheryl Wallace and Missy Zimmer/Andrew Hubbard. Longtime CDT lighting and technical designer, Dennis Reed, has designed the production. As you might expect, these excursions from regional artists doing new or nearly new work are cutting-edge -- pushing techniques and boundaries -- so there ought to be lots of inventiveness and variety. From Garcia, a newcomer to the area, you'll see a choreographic concept drawn from the Buddhist notion of impermanence. Mikita and video artist Charles Woodman invite the audience to a 'fun' fantasy in which 'corporate' dancers dethrone 'upper management'. Other topics include anxiety, love and loss, the idea of wearable puppets and more. Some announced performers: Michelle Bump, Heather Britt, Rachel James, Ron Houck, Jiang Qi and Marc Jennings. Expect to be challenged. Tickets: 513-621-2787
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Previously in Shake It
Shake It: Basically Dance Ballet Tech's calling all cars for an arresting performance of Coppelia
By Kathy Valin
(May 14, 2003)
Shake It: Basically Dance Pittsburgh's Dance Alloy gets out of the house with a visit to Cincinnati
By Kathy Valin
(May 7, 2003)
Shake It: Basically Dance Performance breathes with old Sanskrit text
By Kathy Valin
(April 23, 2003)
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Other articles by Kathy Valin
Will You, Won't You, Will You Join the Dance? SCPA dancers interpret Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland (May 14, 2003)
Toying with Dance Technique Hours of rehearsal result in fine moments in ballet tech ohio's Coppélia (May 14, 2003)
Airborne and Earthbound Dancers take flight in two disparate but equally excellent productions (April 23, 2003)
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