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Photo By Jymi Bolden
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Lorna Feijóo and Nelson Madrigal
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Last year Cincinnati Ballet had the Russians -- principals Anna Reznik and Alexei Kremnev, who abruptly resigned. This year, it's the Cubans -- Lorna Feijóo and Nelson Madrigal, fresh from an American tour. Trained in their native Cuba by the legendary Alicia Alonso, with an open invitation to return to Ballet Nacional de Cuba, these stunning dancers should have no trouble taking up their predecessors' position as a potent box office draw.
In this weekend's Winter Festival they'll dance Balanchine's Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux, (which they've done already in smaller warm-up programs), and the buzz is very, very strong. Their partnership (offstage they are married) is fully developed -- they have a physical ease with each other like two halves of a whole.
From a company based in a country ruled by Fidel Castro, it might be presumed that their style would have a Soviet influence. Not so.
The stamp of Alonso's dancing was her "active humanity," according to critic Arlene Croce. Alonso's company had "a look of almost fiercely personal engagement," wrote critic Jennifer Dunning. The style is said to have echoes of the Romantic ballet, especially in the use of retracted arms, rounded flowing movement and amazing soft toe work, unlike the sharp Balanchine attack and uplifted chests of Soviet ballet. Yet, Feijóo and Madrigal are world-class artists, and apparently eager and willing to try on other styles and influences.
In the second half of this weekend's program, they'll have the opportunity to do just that. "Beyond Innocence" and its sequel, "Out-O-Sense," by Artistic Director Victoria Morgan, with creative counterpart Cincinnati Opera Artistic Director Nicholas Muni, tell the story of a couple whose love runs an occasionally rocky course, but who rely on the image of their truest, inner love to anchor them. This love is represented in the satiric "Out-O-Sense" by a dream couple, danced by Feijóo and Madrigal.
In addition to the music of Enigma, the score includes '50s, '60s and '70s Pop tunes -- "Good Lovin' " (The Rascals), "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" (Jerry Lee Lewis), "Big Girls Don't Cry" (Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons), "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You" (Valli) and "Nights in White Satin" (The Moody Blues).
Morgan has always had a kind of off-kilter sense of humor. "Out-O-Sense" includes double-entendre props like a pink upright vacuum and a circle with an opening for a bedroom scene, which the adults in the audience can appreciate as the double meanings are hopefully lost on children! The notions of conformity and being trapped in a romantic rut are enhanced by multiple briefcases for the guys and purses for the girls.
In the studio last Friday, a slender Morgan in gray sweats directed Stephanie Roig as she vacuumed to "Big Girls Don't Cry." "Give it more flirt," she laughs. "You're not over-the-top yet!" When a knot of other women in the cast have explosive fits of choreographed frustration, she says to another "Would you mind standing in the center just to see if you are going to get hit!" and gets a laugh. After watching another segment, she leaps up during a break in the music and capers in her own private boogaloo, clearly releasing pent-up energy.
But perhaps it's seeing her demonstrate her choreography in close encounters as she sets the work that's most telling. As she works with Feijóo, Madrigal and Luciano Lazzarotto (understudying Madrigal's role in a dream segment) in the subterranean Studio C, she's clearly in her element. The movements rely on quick carving arm gestures, agile shifts of direction and series of spiraling lifts and descents for the couple.
"Let it go!" she encourages Lazzarotto, or "see how horrible that feels? That's right!" or (of Feijóo) "she's feeling her strong self, you have to be soft, she's getting ready to throw you." As Madrigal steps in to demonstrate with Feijóo, they carefully plot how the man prepares, exactly where and how the weight shift occurs. All agree with her as she flips down, "It's a trick!"
"Come on, one more, one more," urges Feijóo.
Then, triumphantly "We got it!"
--Kathy Valin
WINTER FESTIVAL, presented by the Cincinnati Ballet at the Aronoff Center, 650 Walnut St., Downtown, will be presented on Friday and Saturday.
Friday 1
Maybe Mark Twain was wrong about Cincinnati being late. The timely documentary, Jung (War) in the Land of the Mujaheddin, has the second stop of its American tour at the CINCINNATI INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL. Following screenings at UC's Zimmer Auditorium on Friday and Saturday, Italian filmmakers Alberto Vendemmiati, Fabrizio Lazzaretti and Giuseppe Petitto will discuss the film's unflinching depiction of the destruction of Afghanistan by the recently ousted Taliban regime. 513-533-8208. (See Events.) -- JASON GARGANO
Saturday 2
Now just what could be more fun than Elvis and Neil Diamond on the same bill? Well, not a darn thing. But Falcon Productions isn't leaving anything to chance with their fundraiser, MIDWINTER MASQUERADE. This early Mardi Gras party, held at the Westwood Town Hall, also promises the delightfully strange mix of tarot reading, juggling and a coffee bar. Mmmm, coffee sounds good, but they had us with the whole Elvis/Neil Diamond combo. 513-481-9042. (See Events.) -- BRANDON BRADY
Sunday 3
Have you found yourself over the past couple of years wondering, "Whatever happened to MOTH?" The local Pop/Rock group has had good reason for its low profile recently. Signed to Virgin Records, the band has been busy completing their upcoming album, Provisions, Fiction & Gear. The fantastic record is slated for release this spring and they're already out on the road supporting it, including a homecoming gig at Top Cat's. Judging by the exquisite quality of songwriting on Provisions, don't be surprised if Moth become our area's next big success story. 513-281-2005. (See Music.) -- MIKE BREEN
Calling all Speed Racer fans... Anime, a form of Japanese animation, has been a prevalent part of Japanese pop culture since the latter half of the 20th century. A new exhibit at the CONTEMPORARY ARTS CENTER showcases an assortment of artistic responses to the culture of anime. Full of color, invention and fun, My Reality: Contemporary Art and the Culture of Japanese, is definitely worth experiencing. 513-345-8400. (See Art.) -- KATE BRAUER
Tuesday 5
THE BROTHERHOOD OF THE WOLF director Christophe Gans mixes kung fu heroics and squishy bloodletting into a rousing update on the Hammer horror film. Naturalist Grégoire de Fronsac (Samuel Le Bihan) and his Mohawk-Iroquois partner, Mani (Marc Decasos), search the 18th-century French countryside for a bloodthirsty beast. Finding the beast is one thing. Killing it is another matter. Ludicrous plots and hammy acting keep the storytelling intentionally pulpy. The Brotherhood of the Wolf is a moviemade comic book with twice the energy of most Hollywood epics. (See Film.) -- STEVE RAMOS
