American Ballet Theatre’s Studio Company’s fifteen-city national tour recently made its last stop at Thousand Oaks’ Civic Arts Plaza and has left audiences across the nation not only with their jaws on the floor but hopeful for the future of dance.
The company performed a diverse array of works classical and contemporary, with the classical including excerpts from Diana and Acteon, The Seasons, Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty. The Neo-Classical/Contemporary excerpts included works Young and Beautiful (James Whiteside), Flight of the Bumblebee (Brady Farrar) and Within the Sunet (Amy Garner).
My favorite dancer of the night had to have been ‘Dance Moms’ star Brady Farrar. His stellar technique, paired with his charismatic and irresistible artistry, makes him one of the most diverse dancers in the company currently.
However, Brady is no newcomer to the spotlight, having numerous awards including the coveted Grand Prix Award (awarded to the ‘most valuable’ dancer of the YAGP Final Round) in 2021. No matter what artistic direction ABT decides to go in, his versatility and undeniable talent makes him a frontrunner in becoming the company’s next star.
My favorite contemporary excerpt performed was James Whiteside’s Young Beautiful, which is described to be about “the temporary nature of what we do as ballet dancers, the sacrifices we make, and our obsession with this art form” according to Whiteside via Instagram.
The contemporary ballet lasted around 20 minutes and was choreographed to hits by indie pop artist Lana Del Rey. Songs such as ‘Summertime Sadness’ and ‘American’, with clips from interviews about the lives and struggles of a dancer trying to ‘make it’ in the industry, harmonized nicely with Whiteside’s ambitious choreography which left the entire audience in awe.
The Diana and Acteon pas de deux, performed by seventeen year old Yeonseo Choi and nineteen year old Kayke Carvalho was a major stand out for me in terms of the classical works presented. A Pas de deux is often acclaimed to be the most difficult test a dancer faces in their performance endurance-wise, and the two artists handled it very well, doing an exceptional job balancing the athleticism, artistry and emotional connection required.
Following the performance, the company has packed up and is home for their five night residence at the Joyce Theater (NYC) next month, where the curtain will close for the final time.
